All Canadians fall somewhere on the Bell/Rogers Anger Continuum.

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Introducing Conglomermate — “Only Conglomermate makes sure you’re matched up with someone in the same phase you are.” — The Rick Mercer Report  (1 minute)

[flv width=”640″ height=”380″]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/Living in a Smart City Chattanooga TN.flv[/flv]

The only one Gigabit broadband service currently available in the United States for residential and business customers is in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Meet people who live and work in one of the smartest cities in the country: what services do they embrace today, what is their vision for the future, and what kind of culture do they think makes this all possible.  New jobs are moving into Chattanooga every day, and existing companies are learning to take advantage of the new business opportunities gigabit broadband delivers.  You may be surprised to learn America’s best Internet access comes from a publicly-owned utility that works hard every day for its customers, not investors and banks living a thousand miles away.  (6 minutes)

Verizilla

The Communications Workers of America has a new, decidedly low-budget video decrying a spectrum swap between America’s largest cable companies and Verizon Communications that will leave Verizon Wireless stores pitching cable television service from one of Verizon’s cable company competitors.

To the CWA, this is nothing less than the birth of Verizilla, a new monster of a telecommunications company that has capitulated on competing with Big Cable and will instead devour the wireless communications marketplace for itself.  The CWA interest is obvious: many of its employees are responsible for constructing and maintaining Verizon’s now-stalled FiOS fiber to the home network.

From the CWA:

The deal, struck behind the closed doors of America’s corporate boardrooms, poses a threat to consumers and workers. If it goes through, it will be the death knell for competition between cable and telecom companies. Verizon Wireless, Time Warner, Comcast, and other cable companies will become a giant, unregulated quasi-monopoly. Verizon will have no incentive to challenge cable by building FiOS into new areas — meaning less competition, consumer choice, and higher prices for consumers.

Less FiOS also means fewer jobs building, maintaining, servicing, and installing the network. This deal will create a corporate behemoth that will use exclusive quad-play market power to shrink its future workforce.

Worst of all, Verizon Wireless and the cable companies are refusing to come clean about the details of the deal. Even as the FCC and Department of Justice review it, we still don’t know what it means for consumers or workers.

The CWA has so far collected more than 135,000 signatures on its petition opposing the current form of the deal. 

[flv width=”640″ height=”380″]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/Verizilla.flv[/flv]

America, say hello to Verizilla, wreaking reduced investment havoc on Verizon service areas across the northeastern United States.  (2 minutes)

[flv width=”360″ height=”290″]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/WPRI Providence What Would You Give Up for the Internet 3-22-12.mp4[/flv]

What would you give up to keep the Internet?  WPRI in Providence ponders what people would be willing to sacrifice if it meant they could keep broadband service.  A new study from a Boston consulting group proves that Americans increasingly depend on immediate, fast, and affordable access to the Internet.  Providers aren’t asking for you to stop showering, give up sex, or throw in the towel on family vacations.  Some just want you to pay more for less service at a time when a lot of people treat the Internet as their primary means of communication.  (Loud Volume Alert!)  (6 minutes)

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Workers for Verizon Communications continued public protests outside of Verizon facilities in upstate New York as their unions complain the company has still not reached a negotiated contract agreement covering landline employees.  Protestors in Buffalo and Binghamton told local media they fear customer service operations will be outsourced overseas, other jobs will be cut, and benefits will be slashed.  “Verizon is not a hurting company,” noted one protestor in Binghamton.  Verizon counters its landline operations must become more competitive to compete with wireless services, although the largest provider in the country is Verizon Wireless, which has almost no unionized employees.  WBGH in Binghamton reports. (Loud Volume Warning!)  (2 minutes)