Atlantic Broadband Protests False Advertising By National Satellite Company; Says It Misleads Consum

By Author: Alan Black
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JOHNSTOWN, PA, Dec. 3, 2004 -- Atlantic Broadband, the digital video and Internet provider that began operating here in March, has issued a protest to Echostar, the $5.7 billion distributor of DISH Network satellite programming, saying it is misleading Pennsylvania consumers in a negative ad campaign aimed at cable TV operators.

The protest from Atlantic Broadband takes issue with DISH Network advertising now running on several network affiliates in the Johnstown/Altoona market, citing several instances of false representation of cable pricing and programming. It demands that the local stations, including WJAC, WWCP, WTAM, and WTAJ, cease running ads that are "false, disparaging, defamatory and misleading."

Many local Atlantic Broadband employees, angry with their portrayal as rude and deceptive in the Dish Network ads, joined the protest, sending letters to DISH and the local stations.

In his letter to station managers and Echostar Chairman Charles Ergen, Atlantic Broadband Vice President and General Manager David Dane noted two specific instances in which the ads exaggerate cable prices by 40 to 50 ...
... percent. He also objected to Dish allegations of "service charges and hidden fees," noting that, unlike satellite service, cable television is highly regulated and its billing practices are strictly proscribed by the Federal Communications Commission.

Most egregious, Dane said, is the representation of Atlantic Broadband employees. The spots depict customer service employees as rude and unprofessional, and then conclude with a clip of a pig being led from a home by an actor posing as a "Gigantic Cable Company" technician.

"Our employees have roots in this community and, on their behalf, we must register our strong objections to these ads," Dane said. "It's ironic that this multi-billion-dollar corporation feels free to casually malign hardworking Atlantic Broadband staff, yet it does not employ a single person here." He noted that since beginning operations nine months ago, Atlantic Broadband has added 20 employees to its organization, which now numbers more than 300. In June, it refurbished and expanded its customer service facility in Johnstown.

Atlantic Broadband has made significant improvements since acquiring local systems from Charter Communications earlier this year. It has restructured its programming to provide better value, added several additional channels at no extra charge, streamlined its high-speed Internet service, and launched digital video recorder (DVR) service. It did not raise rates for its Limited and Value (basic and expanded basic) customers this year. Unlike Dish TV, Atlantic Broadband offers discounts to senior citizens.

Atlantic also provides more than a half million dollars annually in free cable television and Internet service to public schools and government offices every year. It supports public, educational and government access programming with $300,000 in capital and operational funding.

Atlantic Broadband serves more than 150,000 customers in central Pennsylvania. Its regional headquarters are in Johnstown, with additional customer service and technical support facilities in Altoona. It has local offices in Uniontown, Shippenville and Bradford.

The company completed a $765 million purchase of cable operations from Charter Communications in March 2004 and is now ranked as a top 20 cable operator in the United States. Atlantic Broadband is a privately held company with headquarters in Quincy, Massachusetts. The company has over 500 employees and 250,000 customers located in three operating regions: central Pennsylvania, Miami Beach and Maryland/Delaware. Additional information is available at www.atlanticbb.com. There you can, at the time, also check out the cable and internet bundle and the best internet service on offer.

About Author :

Alan has been in the telecommunications industry for over 9 years. His special interest is the convergence of TV, internet & phone in the digital era. You can know more about one of the best internet service and great cable and internet bundle deals for you at the site www.atlanticbb.com.