Just a week after exposing serious insufficiencies in a 911 emergency services database, a report from a Syracuse, New York television station finds Time Warner Cable’s “Digital Phone” service has a new problem — incoming calls increasingly are not getting through.

Callers using Verizon, Frontier, or cell phone lines are getting recorded messages indicating “all circuits are busy” when trying to reach customers using the cable company’s Voice Over IP phone service.  Time Warner officials are well aware of the problem.

The cable company tells WSYR-TV the problem is on inbound calls only, and is being caused by an unusual spike in the volume of calls to the company’s customers.  When all incoming lines are in use, callers will hear a recorded message.

The company says it is working to expand incoming call capacity in the next week to ten days, and until then advises callers to simply keep trying — once another customer hangs up, a line will be available for your call.

Time Warner says they routinely expand call capacity based on predicted call volumes, but this winter the number of inbound calls went beyond expectations.  Time Warner bundles its “digital phone” service with cable and broadband packages, and has picked up a significant percentage of customers who have cut the cord of their traditional phone company.

[flv width=”480″ height=”380″]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/WSYR Syracuse Time Warner Cable Phone Problems 1-13-11.flv[/flv]

WSYR-TV in Syracuse covers Time Warner’s latest glitch — problems with their ‘Digital Phone’ service.  (Warning: Loud Volume) (2 minutes)

AT&T claims every family should have access on the go, which is why they are “introducing” Smartphone data plans for the family.  Only one problem.  There is nothing new about the data plan, which still starts at $15 per month, per line, for up to 200MB of usage.

AT&T changed the plan’s name, but left the same high price in place.  An Internet Overcharging scheme is still an Internet Overcharging scheme no matter how a wireless company pitches it.

The plan, which throws in AT&T Wi-Fi, which customers can also already get, “is designed for families that primarily surf the web, send and receive personal email and visit social networking sites,” says AT&T spokeswoman Mari Melguizo.

But a real data plan for families would let every user on the account share from one data plan, billed once on the account, not per phone.  That’s not on offer from AT&T, although analysts predict the next wave of smartphone upgrades will come only when data pricing comes down, especially on accounts with multiple phones.

[flv width=”480″ height=”290″]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/ATT Family Smartphone Data Plan Ad.flv[/flv]

AT&T’s new ad for the same old, overpriced product.  (1 minute)

A message from Senator Al Franken:

[flv width=”540″ height=”380″]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/A Message from Senator Franken on Comcast-NBC Merger 1-12-11.flv[/flv]

As you know, the proposed merger between Comcast and NBC Universal is an important moment in our effort to stop big corporations from controlling our media.

But the FCC and Department of Justice may be about to approve this deal. This would have serious consequences for Minnesotans and consumers across America.

Once you’ve watched the video, please sign our open letter asking that this merger be stopped.  Forward this video to all of your friends–we don’t have much time to act. And stay tuned for more information.

[flv width=”640″ height=”500″]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/Bloomberg Doherty Sees Exodus of ATT IPhone Users to Verizon 1-11-11.flv[/flv]

Richard Doherty, research director at Envisioneering Group, Craig Moffett, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein, and Bloomberg Businessweek’s Roben Farzad talk about Verizon Wireless’s agreement to start selling Apple Inc.’s iPhone. They talk with Pimm Fox and Julie Hyman on Bloomberg Television’s “Taking Stock.”  (9 minutes)