# OKCpedia > Businesses & Employers >  COX and their "higher speed"

## kk19115

i've yet to "disrupt the space time continuum"  with my "higher speed" cable internet.  in fact, i constantly have to call tech support to complain of slow loading webpages.  i know what i'm doing when it comes to computers and networking as that's my line of work, so i just call them up to give them a piece of my mind.  they do attempt to help me but i've already done the things that they want me to do to troubleshoot.  i just like to blow off steam and think i'm helping my situation by telling them how crappy their service is.   i know all they're going to do is tell me they'll send a support tech out to my place only during the hours that i work or maybe find a time that i'm off but is 4 days from when i called.  by then, everything will be working fine. 

...sorry to any cox tech support employees that may be reading this.  i go into rages when my internet isn't performing to my standards. :P

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## mranderson

The people that will be leasing my southside house want internet, so I ordered it yesterday.

Cox told me my current modem will not work correctly because it is too slow. They upgraded in October of last year. That may be your problem. The modem, although it will function, may be too slow for the current Cox speed. You might call and ask.

I am surprised tech support did not ask questions about your modem. If it is an "1100," it is too slow.

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## BailJumper

I hve Cox too and I complain all the time. And I'm really screwed when things go bad as I use them for TV, phone and Internet.

They've tried everything. Last time they put a signal booster in my house.

The only good thing is that my neighbor has high speed Internet too (wireless) and when mine goes out or is acting up I just log on to his. He has a wireless booster on his and I get 3 of 4 bars all the way inside my house.

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## kk19115

surfboard 5120

i dunno.  they've seen my modem and if i needed to upgrade, i'm sure they would've interrupted my ranting to explain i need a new one.

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## Todd

I've called Cox myself not so much to complain about the service but when can we get the service. I live far north Edmond. In fact, its Guthrie schools but Edmond address and we can't get any type of high speed including DSL. My only option was to go with fixed wireless with speeds about 750kps. I've checked into a T1 but unless I want to burn about $400 a month that's my only option.

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## Jack Wonder

I'm so sick of Cox and their monopolistic tactics! :cmad: 

All I have is Cable, and I've had to call and complain between TEN and FIFTEEN times...and I've only had their service for 4 MONTHS!?!?!??

As soon as I move into a house I'm going Direct TV all the way!

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## sweetdaisy

^^Agree, Jack Wonder!  Ugh, Cox irritates the dog out of me sometimes!

I have Cox for phone, internet, and cable.  Tried to upgrade to digital not long ago, but there was something wrong with the tap (?? - I think that's what they said??).  Anyway, for me to get a good signal on digital would require them to change out some bad equipment which they don't want to do.  I'm SOL.  Guess this would explain why I don't get some cable channels and why my phone and internet connections are "sketchy" sometimes.  

Wanted to change to AT&T, but they don't offer service in my area yet.  Guess I'll deal with my sucky Cox service.

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## writerranger

> ^^Agree, Jack Wonder!  Ugh, Cox irritates the dog out of me sometimes!
> 
> I have Cox for phone, internet, and cable.  Tried to upgrade to digital not long ago, but there was something wrong with the tap (?? - I think that's what they said??).  Anyway, for me to get a good signal on digital would require them to change out some bad equipment which they don't want to do.  I'm SOL.  Guess this would explain why I don't get some cable channels and why my phone and internet connections are "sketchy" sometimes.  
> 
> Wanted to change to AT&T, but they don't offer service in my area yet.  Guess I'll deal with my sucky Cox service.


Yep. Same problem here. Every time it gets below about 35 degrees my digital channels start pixelating and freezing up. One guy was honest enough to tell me it's a part that Cox doesn't want to invest in.

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## Jack Wonder

^ I've had service men over to my apartment from Cox on three seperate occasions! 

I had purchased an HDTV and was having problems with my audio. The Cox repairman was finally honest enough to tell me that neither he nor any other employees are trained to deal with the looming HD problems, and Cox is in no way about to train them... His words!

They aren't prepared to deal with the HD switch, and the company's too cheap to do anything about it!

And cheap's a BIG problem with Cox!! That's why they dropped ABC HD from their service THE WEEK BEFORE OU/TEXAS?!?!??! 

And they didn't even notify me! I heard about it from the employees at Ultimate Electronics!??!

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## Easy180

It is a bunch of crap they yanked the ABC HD off only 3 weeks into the football season...Haven't heard anything since so I'm sure they are still way off on negotiations...I'm afraid the other major stations are waiting on how this plays out and they will then follow suit

What kind of cruel world prevents me from watching OU football and Lost in HD   :Fighting32:

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## ultimatesooner

the people that own KOCO are to blame for you losing ABC HD - not Cox

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## Easy180

i don't care who is at fault..Cox is charging a premium for the HD channels and are paying ABC and the others zero for it...So KOCO does have a leg to stand on also

I just want them to agree on something and get it back on before Lost is back next year....Hard life I lead!!!

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## Martin

while i'm no big fan of cox, i pay no extra for hd programming than for standard digital cable.

while i'm here, i'll say that the service i receive from cox is actually pretty good.  in three years, my phone has gone out on one occasion.  my internet connection has been relatively glitch-free and whatever issues i had with digital cable were settled within my first year of service... but then again, maybe my experience has been atypical or maybe i just cut through the customer service bureacracy a bit better... who knows. -M

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## PUGalicious

> i don't care who is at fault..Cox is charging a premium for the HD channels and are paying ABC and the others zero for it...So KOCO does have a leg to stand on also
> 
> I just want them to agree on something and get it back on before Lost is back next year....Hard life I lead!!!


I'm with mmm... I don't pay more for HD than I did for standard digital.

Also, I lay the entire blame on the ABC HD on Hearst-Argyle, the parent company of KOCO. Cox is doing KOCO a service by providing a quality signal to KOCO viewers at no charge to KOCO. KFOR, KWTV and OETA don't get any fees from Cox; why should KOCO/Hearst-Argyle?

KOCO says that you can get the HD signal free over-the-air; while that's true, their method of doing so as suggested on their website is asinine. I purchased an indoor antenna, mistakenly believing that I was close enough to the towers (since I live in Edmond) that I should be able to pick up a decent signal. I was wrong. Both KOCO and KOKH (Fox25) signals break up repeatedly during broadcasts, and it gets VERY annoying. I've drastically reduced my viewing of those two stations as a result.

I, for one, have repeatedly contacted KOCO's general manager as well as the corporate office to register my complaint. I've also let ABC know that their local affiliate is depriving ABC viewers of a quality HD signal. This dispute is about greed on the part of KOCO/Hearst-Argyle. They haven't been paid in the past for their signal being carried on Cox, either the standard analog signal or the HD signal. Like I said previously, it benefits KOCO when Cox carries their signal. It's more viewers for KOCO, which translates to higher ratings, which translates into more ad revenue. In this petty dispute, KOCO is losing more than Cox. And if it keeps up, they will lose everything they've gained in the last couple of years in the ratings war.

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## sweetdaisy

> while i'm no big fan of cox, i pay no extra for hd programming than for standard digital cable.
> 
> while i'm here, i'll say that the service i receive from cox is actually pretty good. in three years, my phone has gone out on one occasion. my internet connection has been relatively glitch-free and whatever issues i had with digital cable were settled within my first year of service... but then again, maybe my experience has been atypical or maybe i just cut through the customer service bureacracy a bit better... who knows. -M


My major complaint is not being able to GET digital cable.   :Frown:   HD doesn't make a difference to me (I don't have an HDTV anyway), but it's a bummer I can't get the extra channels offered through digital.

Overall, I've had great experiences with Cox customer service folks; they've been easy to work with and as helpful as they could be.  Cox just won't fix the problem.

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## Easy180

I guess the dispute does make Argyle look bad...Cox only charges for the rental of the digital receiver, which makes sense cause those things aren't made for free

I wonder if there has been any advance on the dispute since it's been almost three months...Anyone heard anything new?

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## PUGalicious

From Cox's perspective, there's nothing more to negotiate with Hearst-Argyle. Their demands are little more than extortion and it's a no-brainer for Cox. This dispute hurts KOCO more than it hurts Cox. KOCO's general manager makes it sound like negotiations are ongoing, but from my understanding in talking with a few people familiar with the situation, there's little actually happening and little prospect it will be resolved anytime soon. It basically is entirely in Hearst-Argyle's court.

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## SoonerDave

FWIW, I've had Cox service before it was Cox - back when it was AtHome, and I've had very few problems with it. That said, I should point out that my service was part of a brand new neighborhood with completely new equipment.

The lone problem I had was about three years ago when things started slowing down, and I was able to get a tech to advise me that my outbound signal strength (from my modem) was too low, and that often indicated a modem that was in the midst of failing. I went down to BestBuy, picked up a new one, problem solved. kk19115, if you haven't already, see if you can get to a Level 2 tech and get them to test your modem for you. Your symptoms sound curiously similar to mine. Also, if you live in an older area (older relative to when your area was wired up for Cox and HSI), it could be that you're in a poorly configured distribution node that isn't allocating bandwidth properly. But I will grant you that tech support over the phone is a touchy issue.

For those of you thinking satellite TV is going to offer you some sort of superior Internet service, be careful. A friend of mine here at work pays out the ear for his setup and he doesn't get speeds even a fraction of mine; if he wants to upgrade to their higher speed service, his satellite provider requires him to buy the equipment from them (I think he told me it was on the order of $400), and it still isn't comparable to Cox.

As far as the Ch 5 HDTV/Cox Cable fiasco goes, KOCO wants everyone to believe the situation is Cox's fault, but THIS IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE. As someone else posted, Hearst-Argyle is trying to finance their own rollout of federally mandated HD equipment by extorting payment from local cable providers. When I bought an HDTV earlier this year, I traded in my regular digital cable box for an HD box, and my service bill DID NOT CHANGE - I pay about $5 for the converter box rental, and that converter is undeniably a higher-cost item. My digital service cost did *not* change, and don't let anyone from KOCO tell you otherwise. 

I think it is pathetic that Hearst-Argyle is permitted to claim Cox is charging more for their HD service when they also have to know it flatly *isn't true*. They claim their signal isn't for Cox to benefit from; fine - so does that mean we can expect Hearst-Argyle to start going after Radio Shack and Wal Mart for selling "HD" labeled antennas? Won't that be profiting from "their" HD signal? That's the whole point - their argument is disingenuous.

I've also heard from other points that the negotiations have essentially broken off, and I've noticed that Cox has taken the 705 channel down completely. I happen to live in a part of OKC where I can't pick up Ch 5's HD OTA signal, so I'm out of luck. But if that inconvenience gives me the ability to stand up for a broader principle - in that Cox won't cave to Hearst - that's fine with me. I hope and want Hearst-Argyle to look just as foolish and stupid as they possibly can. And every time the local KOCO manager plops up one of his corporate recapitulations on their website, it just reminds me that they're the ones increasingly on the defensive. Good. 

-SoonerDave

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## PUGalicious

Amen, SoonerDave!

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## Lauri101

I seem to be in the minority, but I really like Cox and their service.

Like SoonerDave, I've been a long-time Cox high-speed customer - going back to Roadrunner, AtHome, etc.  I now have Digital HD/DVR TV, high-speed internet and telephone through Cox.  

We've had few outages in the past several years and the service we've received has been excellent.  FWIW, if I've having service problems, particularly with internet, I always ask for a level 2 Tech.  The first contact techs are not going to tell me anything that I don't already know as I perform all of the preliminary checks and tests before calling.

Also - a hearty "amen,also" to SoonerDave re the ABC-HD fiasco.

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## kk19115

good lookin' out soonerdave!

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## TomGirl

I was one of the first to get cox internet, yes I've had this for more years than I can count and bundled everything about 2 years ago. I've never had my phone go out and any problems with my computer has been my computer geeking on me. I've never had any problems, even moving 3 times, but I've seen the prices during the pioneering days so that part is hard to swallow. I'm paying about 3 times what I was paying in the beginning.

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## traxx

I used to have Cox for my Internet and TV but I moved out of their area.  When I had them my Internet, it was down often and my modem was continually confused to the point of having to unplug it for a minute or so to let it reset.  I also have a friend who continues to have these problems with Cox.  

I've never had Cox for my phone though I had a co-worker who had it and constantly had problems with it.  

I now have SBC DSL for my Internet with a wireless modem so I can cruise on my laptop while I'm on the couch watching TV.  I've had to reset the modem only once in a twelve month period.  It's always up and fast.  

As for problems with my phone, that's not even an issue.

I guess it's just on an individual basis though, some may have a horrible experience with a provider and another may have a great experience with the same provider.

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## Jack Wonder

> It is a bunch of crap they yanked the ABC HD off only 3 weeks into the football season...Haven't heard anything since so I'm sure they are still way off on negotiations...I'm afraid the other major stations are waiting on how this plays out and they will then follow suit
> 
> What kind of cruel world prevents me from watching OU football and Lost in HD


I bought an HD antenna and I get EVERY network, including ABC, Fox, and the CW - ALL of which Cox DOESN"T offer!

The only downside is you can't DVR shows off the antenna unless your DVR is built into the TV.

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## Martin

so, jack... in what part of the city are you? i'm seriously thinking about getting an antenna for the fiesta bowl given that cox doesn't carry kokh on hd. it seems that quality of reception depends on where you're located. -M

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## PUGalicious

> The only downside is you can't DVR shows off the antenna unless your DVR is built into the TV.


Only downside? What about the inconsistent signals from over-the-air that many deal with (myself included) that I don't get on the same channels on Cox HD? I live in Edmond, within 5 miles of most of the stations. You would think I could get a good strong signal. I have an indoor HD antenna, which is all KOCO said I would need, but the frequent drops in signal can be very frustrating when watching a show, especially at key moments of dialog or action that are lost when the signal freezes or drops. I'm not going to invest in an exterior HD antenna. Instead, I've stopped watching those channels that don't offer their HD signal through Cox. I've enjoyed many other fine HD programming as a result of KOCO and KOKH refusing to allow Cox to carry the signal. Oh well... It's their loss. I certainly haven't missed it because I've simply adapted to new (and often better) shows.

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## Jack Wonder

I have an indoor antenna from Ultimate Electronics. It's built for HD and only cost $40. 

I live in Yukon, but I can pick up BOTH Fox and ABC -- the two trickiest channels to get. 

If you don't ever move your antenna you're likely to experiences lots of problems.

For me, if I want ABC HD, I have to stretch the antenna completely horizontal and turn the tuner to high. 

Fox HD is just the opposite. If I want to watch the Cowboys play on Sunday with no breakups, I line the antennas up vertically.

But I was warned that certain areas just don't get channels no matter what.

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## Martin

gotcha...  thanks.  i'm kinda wanting to know what to expect and that helps a ton. -M

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## PUGalicious

> I live in Yukon, but I can pick up BOTH Fox and ABC -- the two trickiest channels to get. 
> 
> If you don't ever move your antenna you're likely to experiences lots of problems.
> 
> For me, if I want ABC HD, I have to stretch the antenna completely horizontal and turn the tuner to high. 
> 
> Fox HD is just the opposite. If I want to watch the Cowboys play on Sunday with no breakups, I line the antennas up vertically.


That's _much_ easier than cable...   :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## Jack Wonder

^ *smirk* I have cable too, but well spoken.

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## traxx

> The only downside is you can't DVR shows off the antenna unless your DVR is built into the TV.


There shouldn't be a problem with DVRing off your antenna.  Now I haven't seen your antenna or DVR but, typically you'd just run your line from your antenna into your DVR the same as you would cable or satellite.  Your DVR should have a couple of different choices for input depending on what you've got running out of your antenna, probably the RF input would be the easiest and make the most sense.

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## Jack Wonder

^ Hmmm, I'll have to look into that VERY SOON.

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## rxis

The digital cable is a problem.  It is annoying how digital service suddenly disrupts and you have to wait at least several minutes for it to start up again.

I'm in Moore and the recent housing developments have slowed internet down but I still get good speed.  I have a large home with a few cable outlets and the techs have had to come out and mess with stuff in the attic to get it to working this well continuously.

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## Easy180

> I'm with mmm... I don't pay more for HD than I did for standard digital.
> 
> Also, I lay the entire blame on the ABC HD on Hearst-Argyle, the parent company of KOCO. Cox is doing KOCO a service by providing a quality signal to KOCO viewers at no charge to KOCO. KFOR, KWTV and OETA don't get any fees from Cox; why should KOCO/Hearst-Argyle?
> 
> KOCO says that you can get the HD signal free over-the-air; while that's true, their method of doing so as suggested on their website is asinine. I purchased an indoor antenna, mistakenly believing that I was close enough to the towers (since I live in Edmond) that I should be able to pick up a decent signal. I was wrong. Both KOCO and KOKH (Fox25) signals break up repeatedly during broadcasts, and it gets VERY annoying. I've drastically reduced my viewing of those two stations as a result.
> 
> I, for one, have repeatedly contacted KOCO's general manager as well as the corporate office to register my complaint. I've also let ABC know that their local affiliate is depriving ABC viewers of a quality HD signal. This dispute is about greed on the part of KOCO/Hearst-Argyle. They haven't been paid in the past for their signal being carried on Cox, either the standard analog signal or the HD signal. Like I said previously, it benefits KOCO when Cox carries their signal. It's more viewers for KOCO, which translates to higher ratings, which translates into more ad revenue. In this petty dispute, KOCO is losing more than Cox. And if it keeps up, they will lose everything they've gained in the last couple of years in the ratings war.


Has anyone heard anything further on this crap??...Guessing it's a dead deal since there has been no mention of it for a good while now

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## PUGalicious

> Has anyone heard anything further on this crap??...Guessing it's a dead deal since there has been no mention of it for a good while now


I haven't heard anything more. In fact, I tried to get the HD signal over-the-air for KOCO last weekend and there was no signal. Oh well. It's _their_ loss. I've moved on to other networks that are available in HD on Cox.

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## Cake Lady

So, is it a better deal to go with Cox's package for internet, cable and phone or can I get a better rate on everything if I go with satellite tv and another phone company?? I don't need a big cable package but must have a good long-distance plan.

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## kevinpate

Have been thinking about ditching the toshiba pcx1100 modem (a relic as I understand) but since it's sitting next to another relic (Pen II 266 box, old but adequate for my somewhat limited net use), I haven't really seen much need to get all excited about an upgrade.

Were I to go forward and pitch it, suggestions for the replacement modem, and vendors/pricing/etc. would be most appreciated

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## writerranger

> Have been thinking about ditching the toshiba pcx1100 modem (a relic as I understand) but since it's sitting next to another relic (Pen II 266 box, old but adequate for my somewhat limited net use), I haven't really seen much need to get all excited about an upgrade.
> 
> Were I to go forward and pitch it, suggestions for the replacement modem, and vendors/pricing/etc. would be most appreciated


If you're going with Cox, look no further than the Surfboard SB5120 - $75 or so at Best Buy. 

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## RussBraaten

I have DSL internet right now and not nearly as happy with it as I was with Cox. I lived on the south east side of OKC when I had COX and I git 7-10MB downloads. Now with DSL I get only 2-3MB speeds and 400KB uploads. I was told I got such fast speeds because there were not that many Cable Internet users in my area.

My TV service is with DishTV right now and hate the way it always goes out when a cloud is in the sky. 

I may make some changes soon.

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## mikekrauss

I think you can get satelite internet for about $99/month.  Atleast that is what they advertise on Direct TV.

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## mikekrauss

Sweet Daisy:  Your phone service is probably already using AT&T lines.  You can tell for sure by doing this.  Next time your cable goes out, trying using the phone.  If it works, it is coming from AT&T not COX.

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## mikekrauss

Sweetdaisy,  If you are unhappy with COX, have you ever considered Direct TV?  I've had it for years and love it.  Two years ago when I moved I was looking at Condos but gave up because none of them would allow a Direct TV dish.  So I move into a garden home community where I can have my Direct TV.  The only problem that I have ever expierenced is when the rain comes down hard.  The signal will be lost for a while, but it has never been out for more than 45 minutes.

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## pecel

I saw bunch of Comcast trucks in my rental storage.
Is comcast coming to OK?

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## OkieKAS

*Cox Offers Low Income Broadband*


Cox is offering one year of free broadband to Oklahoma's low-income residents, who'll also only pay half of the $15 installation fee. 

After the year is up, those customers will pay $9.95 a month. Cox says this isn't their standard tier; we'll assume it's their "economy offering" . 

Customers will need to qualify for Lifeline, a government assistance program that offers phone service for as little as $1 a month.

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## traxx

I had Cox cable and Internet until I moved out of their area.  I now have AT&T DSL and like it.  With Cox the modem frequently got confused and had to be reset.  I've had to do that maybe twice in 2 years with DSL and it's fast enough.  I also have a laptop with a wireless modem, so I can sit on the couch, watch tv and surf with no wires.  Love it.

The big push now is to get a package deal with a company to provide your TV, phone and Internet.  However, you need to be careful when doing this and really know what you're doing and looking for.  The more services you have with a single company the easier it is to confuse the consumer on the bill.  Sure it's convenient for you but you could end up paying more without knowing.  I used to work in the Telcom industry and they made no bones about it, that trying to confuse the customer on the bill was standard practice across the board for Telcom companies.  Their studies showed most people didn't notice it because of all the extra nickle and dime charges and taxes.  And those who were suspicious often would not ask because they didn't want to appear to be stupid by not understanding their bill.

I've got Dish for my TV but have an antenna for over the air HD but can't recieve ABC over the air.  I understand that, that has been a big problem for people trying to recieve channel 5 over the air on HD.  Plus you can't get it on Cox in HD.  ABC needs to intervene for their local affiliate before the tick everyone off and lose an entire metro of viewers.

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## Oh GAWD the Smell!

> ABC needs to intervene for their local affiliate before the tick everyone off and lose an entire metro of viewers.



I think we're past that point...They need to be doing damage control and apologies. Not to mention GETTING THE SIGNAL TO COX.

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## gmwise

The only things I have a problem with Cox is like everyone else, the damn bill seems to creep up slowly each month.
And sometimes having to reset my cable modem...arrrgh!  lol

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