The party with whom you are speaking is not answering
Posted on 12/01/2001 5:52:05 AM PST by Lazamataz
I'm an @home customer, AT&T to be exact. At 8:15 CST, I no longer could access any pages. Not google.com, not cnn.com, none of the old standbys that ALWAYS work.
I've heard a lot about the poaaibility of @Home pulling the plug on 4.1 million customers. Did it happen? The only reason I can connect at all is that my lovely and gracious fiance also has a dialup account for when she is on the road, and I am calling in here using that. I am presently on hold on the AT&T@Home help line. I'll have more information.
Technically, the light is on but no pages are being connected. My Cable Modem is up and connected but nothing loads.
All I can get is a dial-up connection. A few weeks ago, Southwestern Bell rewired my neighborhood. My connection speed was cut from about 48 kbps to 28 kbps. I have complained, to no avail. And they have no plans to add DSL in my neighborhood.
A couple of days ago, Southwestern Bell called and tried to get me to switch to their new long distance service. I cussed out those rotten bastards so bad, it would make Howard Stern blush.
Here is a scoop for Mac users - I wrote a letter to Steve Jobs at Apple Computer last month and said we really need an Apple satellite broadband internet service. I got a call back from a woman in his office and had a lengthy conversation with her about it. It seems that Apple is indeed planning to offer such a service - hopefully with lots of streaming content for iTunes and QuickTime TV. Hurry up Apple!
Don't panic people... These services are a mondo cash cow for the cable companies -- they aren't going to leave their customers high and dry and lose them to DSL or satellite. If there is an alternative in place now, they'll switch but otherwise, it's in everyone's interests to keep things running.
Dial up is good. Dial up is reliable. Just open a few browsers and read one page while the others are loading - alright, so sometimes you have to read real slow.
Hope ya all get your fancy, smancy DS high speed whatchmacallit L connections back soon.
My guess is @home pulled the plug on AT&T first on purpose.
I am prewired for Astound cable modem access as well. One of the few areas with competing cable companies, if you can call Astound that. I doubt they have a single customer in my area. They are a joke.
I see AT&T as the biggest theif among these incompetents.
From AT&T:
Announcements & Updates Previous Announcements 11/30/2001 AT&T Statement Regarding Excite@Home's Chapter 11 Bankruptcy filing Judge Thomas E. Carlson of U.S. bankruptcy court today canceled the Master Distribution Agreements between the At Home Corporation and the cable companies to which it provides high-speed Internet service, including AT&T. AT&T has not been told whether or not the At Home Corporation intends to shut down its service. However, AT&T representatives are scheduled to meet with executives of At Home to discuss the matter. AT&T is prepared to take appropriate steps to protect service to its customers, including, if necessary, moving its customers to a new high-speed Internet network immediately. The company said that individual customers could be moved to the new network in one to 14 days if necessary. The company will automatically issue credits to all customers who experience an interruption of service at the rate of two days free service for every day of interruption. The company noted that former MediaOne customers, who are served by the AT&T Broadband network are not affected by today's action. Nor are customers of AT&T Broadband's video or telephony services.
Also, please continue to look for updates in your U.S. Mail and bulletins posted at http://www.bbs.att.com/help.
How will I know if my AT&T Broadband high-speed cable Internet service is going to be interrupted?
We will call to notify you of any applicable changes to your cable Internet service. A message will be left on your voicemail or recorder if no one is available at the time of the call.
Also, please continue to look for updates in your U.S. Mail and bulletins posted at http://www.bbs.att.com/help. If necessary, how will I connect to the new AT&T Broadband network?
We will call to notify you of any applicable change to your cable Internet service including interruptions. A message will be left on your voicemail or recorder if no one is available at the time of the call.
Only if you are notified that your high-speed cable Internet service has moved to the new AT&T Broadband network, please follow these steps:
If you do have an AT&T Broadband managed router (Cayman or Allied Telesyn):
Power down your AT&T router by unplugging the unit from the power outlet.
After 30 seconds, power on the router by plugging the unit back into the power outlet.
You should now be able to reach the Internet on the new AT&T Broadband Internet network. If you are unable to reach the Internet, contact AT&T Broadband at 1-888-824-8105.
If you do not have an AT&T Broadband managed router: Configure any equipment that is connected to the AT&T Broadband cable modem to obtain an IP address automatically (in other words, configured to support DHCP). Restart your computer.
If you are running an application that requires a static IP address, you will be receiving a new IP address and will need to contact AT&T Broadband at 1-888-824-8105 to receive the new IP address.
You should now be able to reach the Internet on the new AT&T Broadband Internet network. If you are unable to reach the Internet, contact AT&T Broadband at 1-888-824-8105.
How will AT&T Broadband keep me informed about changes to my high-speed cable Internet service as a result of Excite@Home's recent filing for Chapter 11?
Information about any changes to your service may be communicated through letters mailed by U.S. Mail, and bulletins posted at http://www.bbs.att.com/help.
In addition, we will call you if:
Your service will be interrupted We must move your service to the new AT&T Broadband network How will my AT&T Broadband cable Internet service change if it is moved to the new AT&T Broadband network?
It is our goal to continue to provide you with excellent high-speed cable Internet service if your AT&T Broadband cable Internet service is moved to a new AT&T Broadband network.
A detailed description of changes will be provided at http://www.bbs.att.com/help if changes to your AT&T Broadband high-speed cable Internet service are necessary.
Will my monthly AT&T Broadband high-speed cable Internet service subscription price increase due to any changes related to this announcement?
AT&T Broadband currently has no plans to increase the monthly subscription price for its high-speed cable Internet service as a result of any action necessitated by Excite@Home's Chapter 11 Bankruptcy filing. Will my e-mail address change if AT&T Broadband moves its high-speed cable Internet service to a new AT&T Broadband network? As a Business Services customer, your email address will remain the same in the event of a migration. Will I receive a credit if my AT&T Broadband high-speed cable Internet service is interrupted as a result of moving it to the new AT&T Broadband network? Yes. While we realize these potential changes may cause some inconvenience, please be assured that we are working hard to avoid any service disruptions. In the event the service is disrupted during a migration, you will receive a credit for those days of interrupted service. We are working hard to provide you with excellent high-speed cable Internet service. We appreciate your patience and your business.
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Service Updates
Saturday, December 1, 2001
Here is the most recent update on the Excite@Home situation:
Insight, along with other cable operators, is currently in the tail end of positive negotiations with @Home. At this time, we fully expect to maintain connectivity for our Insight@Home customer base.
We recognize that certain communities in our Central Illinois service areas have seen an interruption in service this morning due to an @Home error. We are working diligently to correct this issue and expect full service to be restored today. We apologize to these customers for any inconvenience this has caused.
Thank you for your continued patience as we work through this issue.
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What's likely happening is that there are negotiations going on for a contract to cover the transitional period when AT&T takes over the network -- probably 60 to 90 days. The systems that AT&T already operates are switching over now and that's why they've gone dark. It should just be a matter of hours before they're up again.
Anyway I got word that yes indeedy AT&T DID call us while I was gone and promised service WOULD be restored.
PLUS looking at my cable modem I see the LED's doing strange things.
Maybe they're re-programing it.
In any case if they DID call, my hat's off to them. How do you respond to nearly a MILLION calls in just a couple of hours.
I'm begining to think it was EXCITE that cut the access.
prisoner6
But my fallback position if my service goes down is a local dial-up ISP.
Then you should have tuned your system. I did before and after benchmarks with a system set up for ISDN then tweaked for broadband. Started at 1.5MB dl and ended with 4.5MB after tuning. Uploads were capped at 128kbps. Your statement is ludicrous.
Good site for tuning:
Tweaks : Is your PC configured for broadband?
Your PC may not be setup properly to take full advantage of broadband speeds. Modifying your configuration to maximise performance is known as tweaking. For many users, tweaking is a misnomer as it implies subtle improvements. Fixing huge problems is more accurate!
Tweaking may fix
Slow download speeds Download slower than upload speed Skipping in TCP streaming video/audio Blank web pages Connection issues to some sites
Tweaking will not fix
Packet loss Multiplayer games over UDP Your ping time Regular PC freezes Inherited hair loss
prisoner6
The AT&T@home folks are having problems today, but they'll be the first ones to have peace of mind regarding this mess as well.
Current situation for Comcast customers.
Congratulations -- looks like you're one of the first to get your system converted.
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