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Ear to the Ground

Frustrated Subscribers Target AT&T

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Posted on Dec 14, 2009
Flickr / Adam Pieniazek

Thanks to the runaway success of the iPhone, AT&T has the largest wireless network in the country—and the lousiest. Fed-up subscribers, who pay the telco about $30 a month just for data (and another $40 or so for voice), are planning an assault this Friday called Operation Chokehold.

The idea is to cripple AT&T’s network in order to draw attention to its weakness. To do so, participating iPhone users will run data-heavy applications over AT&T’s 3G network on Friday from noon to 1 p.m. Pacific time.

The plan was apparently launched by the Secret Diary of Steve Jobs, a popular blog that satirically impersonates the Apple CEO, but Operation Chokehold has since gained steam with notices popping up on other tech blogs.

It shouldn’t take much to buckle AT&T’s network—it has trouble functioning under normal conditions. Whether the company will do anything in response is another matter. Verizon has blanketed the country in ads mocking its chief rival’s network—ads that wouldn’t be so effective if they didn’t ring true. AT&T tried to sue, but gave up in the end.

The company promised to improve its network in New York and San Francisco—two known problem areas—but don’t hold out hope. AT&T appears as if it is looking for ways to discourage users from using its product—the network—or at least charging them more, according to wireless chief Ralph de la Vega—PZS

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By kathy85, March 16, 2011 at 6:02 am Link to this comment

This video is quite humorous and I am looking at some more related stuffs here. Worth seeing this and can be quite updated.

broadband internet access

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By Mack TN, December 15, 2009 at 6:07 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

I refused to buy an iphone once I learned Att was exclusive provider.  I have never, ever, in 30 years on and off had a good experience with att. Their prices are outrageous and there are too many hidden costs. If more people actually took the hours it requires each month to read their bills, they would find all kinds of crap in there.  For months, I would find “one time only fees.” Call them on it, they’ll try to blame it on the govt first. Press them, they’ll remove it. But they know most people don’t have the time or eyesight to read their bills and they get away with it enough to capitulate to a few protesters.

Until people begin saying enough and boycott these corporations that enslave its customers, this will only get worse.

And what’s with Truthdig? Why are there no good stories on here anymore?  Everytime I come on here it’s Sarah Palin and Tiger Woods.

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By Inherit The Wind, December 14, 2009 at 7:15 pm Link to this comment

I blame Steve Jobs.  Steve always knows what’s best for you.  His salesmen ACTUALLY tell people that if the iPhone doesn’t fit their business model, they need to change their business model!

That’s Steve: Always right and always makes the same mistakes over and over and over and over. You can’t unlock the iPhone or change the battery without voiding the warranty.  Sound familiar?  Over 20 years ago, when the first MacIntosh was released, you couldn’t open the box to add a hard-drive, which it didn’t come with, or upgrade any component without…voiding the warranty.  Steve knew best then, too.

Remember his “NeXT” computer?  It only had a removable optical drive—no hard drive, no floppy.  It couldn’t be opened without voiding the warranty because…Steve knows best.  BTW, it was a dismal failure.

I have NEVER thought the iPhone was anything more than a toy—not a real business tool.  Batteries explode and Steve pays people BIGGGGG money to shut up forever.  If your iPhone battery dies the DAY AFTER YOU BUY IT, it’s not under warranty and it costs $200 to replace—that’s why AT&T sells the $60 insurance policies like crazy!

The iPhone is too big for a decent PDA, doesn’t have interchangeable batteries, and you can’t unlock so if you are in, say, South Africa, you can use a local SIM rather than paying $3 or $4/minute for international usage.

That’s because Steve always knows best!  AT&T gave him everything he wanted so they could have the iPhone exclusively and now it’s blown up in their faces.  I’m not what you call….sympathetic!

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By HowdyDo, December 14, 2009 at 4:23 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

AT&T has come out with a new iPhone app that allows users to notify them of bad areas:

http://www.pdastreet.com/articles/2009/12/2009-12-14-AT-T-iPhone.html

At least they are trying - I’m not a fan of huge corps, but my brother use to work closely with AT&T and said they really want users to report bad coverage areas - this whole “Operation Chokehold” is a bit over the top

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By FRTothus, December 14, 2009 at 3:29 pm Link to this comment

Are these the same two companies, AT&T and Verizon, who illegally turned over our phone records to the US National Security State?

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