The dispute between Time Warner Cable and CBS has set itself for long-term brutality, so it’s no wonder that customers are trying to finagle a new cable option before prime time shows return for the fall. The New York Daily News reported Friday that one product in particular, Verizon’s FiOS, is reaping plenty of benefits from this tussle, citing a 5 percent to 15 percent increase in subscription rates in New York City.
I’m a Time Warner Cable subscriber who would love to switch to FiOS — if Verizon just hurried up with its rollout already.
I am a Brooklyn-based Time Warner customer who has no choice but to suffer through the company’s poor hardware and even poorer service. When rumblings of a FiOS rollout in my neighborhood began a year ago, I eagerly signed up and hoped that by the end of the season I’d have a much better cable provider in charge. Three months turned into six, but I was excited to get an alert email from Verizon in December that the company had “negotiated access to my building.” That winter, I saw Verizon trucks everywhere, and I felt like a kid on Christmas.
Winter turned into spring and there was no FiOS in sight. Then, the ultimate heartbreaker in May:
Now, according to the above email, there’s a chance that I’ll be able to get FiOS before Halloween, which is nothing to sniffle at. But after a year of waiting and no CBS access on my television, doing the right thing and waiting for FiOS seems to be losing out to cutting the cord entirely — as streaming devices become cheaper and more popular, the prospect of Aereo and other video apps is becoming more appealing.
But as Time Warner and CBS continue to bicker, this hapless customer is still holding out hope that Verizon will strike while the iron is hot and expedite rollout in New York City. Because as much as I appreciate offerings from Netflix and Hulu Plus, neither of them can accurately replace the live cable TV experience just yet.
In any case, something’s got to give. I’m waiting to throw money at the next company to offer me a hassle-free video experience, I just hope it happens sooner rather than later.
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