Fiber Internet and TV Services, Cord Cutting

[swallman]

I know at Lime we are only allowed to have shitty MultiBand, and it's been terrible. They did some upgrades a bit ago and it improved some, but I was really kind of surprised they would have such an awful carrier be the only option.

We currently live at ElseWarehouse (another Greco property) and we have Comcast available as an alternative to MultiBand (and I'll agree - it's shitty!)...I'd take Comcast any day over MultiBand if that's all you have available...

[jw138]

Just an observation... I've been watching when the various segments go live on USI's website. The big Lyndale and Blaisdell segments went live about a week before the stated availability dates so it appears things are still running ahead of schedule. Hopefully all the purple areas on the map do indeed get completed by the end of December!

[mattaudio]

We have CenturyLink working on fiber install on my street (during which they disconnected my DSL for three days) so I think they're trying to beat USI on the FTTH.

[seanrichardryan]

They came down my alley with fiber in st paul yesterday. About 2 weeks and I can link up. They wired the whole neighborhood in about 3 days.

[seanrichardryan]

Also, the main trunk install is subcontracted out. They work fast.

[versitalex]

USI Fiber service is now live at our place on Lyndale.

For a speed comparison, SpeedTest.net for our previous CenturyLink 12mb naked DSL service was 6.65 Mb/s download and 0.51 Mb/s upload. For USI Fiber at the 25Mb level, download is 27.92 Mbps and upload is 29.99 Mbps. Our monthly price from CenturyLink just jumped to $63.27, whereas USI's is $29.95. Huzzah!

[zlkahn]

We're wired into our home and have a modem but are still waiting to be connected to the street/have the block turned on over at Blaisdell Ave S. I can't wait for the moment when I get to call Comcast and cancel...

[mister.shoes]

I am insanely jealous.

[tcarter612]

We're wired into our home and have a modem but are still waiting to be connected to the street/have the block turned on over at Blaisdell Ave S. I can't wait for the moment when I get to call Comcast and cancel...

What block and cross street are you on?

We are working hard to get many streets live by the end of July.

Thanks.

-Travis / USI

[min-chi-cbus]

Ditto. You can call Comcast and cancel now, btw.....you just have to learn how to live off of Chromecast, Netflix, or the like, and it's really not hard to adapt to. We "quit" cable about 4 months ago and we really aren't missing much. I miss ESPN obviously, and the wife misses her female shows, but we bought an antenna to be able to watch the big networks (FOX, CBS, ABC, NBC) and we have Netflix and can both watch a bevy of amazing shows we both knew existed and loved, as well as find a whole bunch of news shows to drool over (Legit, Sense8, House of Cards, Bloodline, Orange is the New Black, etc.).

[Chip Whitley]

Ditto. You can call Comcast and cancel now, btw.....you just have to learn how to live off of Chromecast, Netflix, or the like, and it's really not hard to adapt to. We "quit" cable about 4 months ago and we really aren't missing much. I miss ESPN obviously, and the wife misses her female shows, but we bought an antenna to be able to watch the big networks (FOX, CBS, ABC, NBC) and we have Netflix and can both watch a bevy of amazing shows we both knew existed and loved, as well as find a whole bunch of news shows to drool over (Legit, Sense8, House of Cards, Bloodline, Orange is the New Black, etc.).

Just a tip for cable cutters. If you have a friend or family member that does pay for full cable/ satellite, get a Slingbox and hook it up to one of their TVs. I agree that you don't need cable for most things anymore but live sports is an exception. I bought a Slingbox for a one-time charge of $99. I hooked it up to the DirecTV box in my parent's family room that literally almost never gets used. I have full control of the box. I can watch it on my phone, tablet, PC, etc. Quality is amazing. I throw my parents a few bucks or pick up lunch here or there.

[zlkahn]

What block and cross street are you on?

35th & Blaisdell

[twincitizen]

Just a tip for cable cutters. If you have a friend or family member that does pay for full cable/ satellite, get a Slingbox and hook it up to one of their TVs. I agree that you don't need cable for most things anymore but live sports is an exception. I bought a Slingbox for a one-time charge of $99. I hooked it up to the DirecTV box in my parent's family room that literally almost never gets used. I have full control of the box. I can watch it on my phone, tablet, PC, etc. Quality is amazing. I throw my parents a few bucks or pick up lunch here or there.

I did not know this was a possibility...

So I can buy a $99 Slingbox and put it in the empty guest bedroom at my parents' place (2 hours away / central MN). As long the TV in that room has a cable box and the Slingbox gets strong Wi-Fi signal it's all good?

[MattW]

Yes, Exactly.

Slingbox has a built in app on Roku, that's easy to use. I use Chromecast to do that I had to pay 15 bucks to download the app to my phone and then connect the Chromecast. I occasionally run into connectivity issues with my chromecast. I have to monkey around with the settings to get a solid stream, but once it's up it's good.

[tcarter612]

What block and cross street are you on?

35th & Blaisdell

Hmm, drop me a private message with your address and I will make sure you are live Monday.

Thanks.

[Chip Whitley]

Just a tip for cable cutters. If you have a friend or family member that does pay for full cable/ satellite, get a Slingbox and hook it up to one of their TVs. I agree that you don't need cable for most things anymore but live sports is an exception. I bought a Slingbox for a one-time charge of $99. I hooked it up to the DirecTV box in my parent's family room that literally almost never gets used. I have full control of the box. I can watch it on my phone, tablet, PC, etc. Quality is amazing. I throw my parents a few bucks or pick up lunch here or there.

I did not know this was a possibility...

So I can buy a $99 Slingbox and put it in the empty guest bedroom at my parents' place (2 hours away / central MN). As long the TV in that room has a cable box and the Slingbox gets strong Wi-Fi signal it's all good?

That's right. I'd try to connect it over Ethernet but if that's not possible, Wi-Fi should work if the signal is good. It's really slick. If the connection is strong enough, you literally can't tell it's being streamed. It's that good.

EDIT: You can actually get the same model I have (a refurb) for only $55 on Amazon. But it doesn't have Wi-Fi. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VXP ... _i=desktop

[emily612apts]

I can think of a half dozen policy priorities that are more important to equity and the future of Mpls than ensuring everyone has the same number of cable channels.
1. Work to ensure choice in providers gets to residents in multifamily housing, working to prevent monopolies inside apartment blocks, etc.

Landlord of my crappy apartment in Whittier doesn't even respond to me or USI when we ask about getting fiber installed, Comcast cables just hang from some parts of the exterior of the building and I suspect landlord doesn't want to deal with more mess/hassle.

Has anyone else heard the *rumor* Comcast has paid off landlords of larger buildings to keep USI out?

Its not that Comcast has paid off larger building to keep USI out. The way the system works is that Comcast, MultiBand, Century Link, etc will approach buildings to sign contracts to make them the exclusive provider for the building. The owner of the building has the right to sign these contract allowing Comcast for example to be the sole marketer so that residents are able to have other service companies but those companies aren't able to solicit their business in the buildings. When an owner signs one of these contracts the provider will typically throw in a few channel or internet accounts for free, which is a huge deal because of the licensing that the owner would have to pay to broadcast the sound if it is a larger building. If a resident contacts another provider directly and pays for the install then the building isn't in violation of their contract and everyone gets what they want.

[talindsay]

Just a tip for cable cutters. If you have a friend or family member that does pay for full cable/ satellite, get a Slingbox and hook it up to one of their TVs. I agree that you don't need cable for most things anymore but live sports is an exception. I bought a Slingbox for a one-time charge of $99. I hooked it up to the DirecTV box in my parent's family room that literally almost never gets used. I have full control of the box. I can watch it on my phone, tablet, PC, etc. Quality is amazing. I throw my parents a few bucks or pick up lunch here or there.

Note that doing this violates the terms of the contract and, because of the way the DMCA is written, is probably actually *illegal* in addition to being a breach of contract law. If you're doing this you may be wise not to post that you're doing so on a semi-public online forum.

[Nathan]

I can think of a half dozen policy priorities that are more important to equity and the future of Mpls than ensuring everyone has the same number of cable channels.
1. Work to ensure choice in providers gets to residents in multifamily housing, working to prevent monopolies inside apartment blocks, etc.

Landlord of my crappy apartment in Whittier doesn't even respond to me or USI when we ask about getting fiber installed, Comcast cables just hang from some parts of the exterior of the building and I suspect landlord doesn't want to deal with more mess/hassle.

Has anyone else heard the *rumor* Comcast has paid off landlords of larger buildings to keep USI out?

Its not that Comcast has paid off larger building to keep USI out. The way the system works is that Comcast, MultiBand, Century Link, etc will approach buildings to sign contracts to make them the exclusive provider for the building. The owner of the building has the right to sign these contract allowing Comcast for example to be the sole marketer so that residents are able to have other service companies but those companies aren't able to solicit their business in the buildings. When an owner signs one of these contracts the provider will typically throw in a few channel or internet accounts for free, which is a huge deal because of the licensing that the owner would have to pay to broadcast the sound if it is a larger building. If a resident contacts another provider directly and pays for the install then the building isn't in violation of their contract and everyone gets what they want.

awesome, good to know!

[billhelm]

Saw crews working on 5th Ave S near 46th street yesterday. That area not scheduled to go live until October, does that mean they're ahead of schedule? (my street is scheduled in November but would love to get it sooner!)