New 8-K Report, Voom shuts down April 30.
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Just pressed the VOOM button on my remote, nothing there to indicate they are shutting down, why dont they just show it there and get it over with so folks can move on. So far various news sources and their web site are the only indications of shutdown.
calikarim said:
Maybe he will just let it go dark, the start another company on his own, probably under a different name. He might realize that this would be easier than trying to fight the CV board over V*? I hope we will end up with more choices for Satellite service, and I personally hope that the FCC still denies E* application. If that was to happen, it would sure bring up some different opportunities.
jbphoenix said:
On what grounds would the FCC deny the application and who is the entity waiting in the wings to provide some different opportunities?
So, I guess I'll accept that Voom will be shutdown at the end of the month. So, I better schedule an install of a new satellite provider. So who's better? Directv or Dish? Directv seems to have better receivers and seems to be headed more to hd. Their hd tivo unit is a bit pricey though. So, who's the better alternative to Voom?
Also, any mention of our receivers? I just called Voom and they said that no contract termination fees will be charged. Do we just keep the receivers and frame them or something?
Also, any mention of our receivers? I just called Voom and they said that no contract termination fees will be charged. Do we just keep the receivers and frame them or something?
Please check the following thread: May 1st where will you be? Dish, Cable or DirecTV?itsdavetime said:
BCH said:
The FCC could still stop the transfer on any grounds they choose. If they feel that there is a possibility for another competitive DBS company, then they can deny the application on that basis alone. I know that they will not block the transfer just based on our comments that we filed opposing the transfer, but Rainbow DBS aquired the frequencies at 61.5 because the FCC was in favor of more competition in the market. We won't know until the FCC makes their final decision which is still probably a couple of months away.
Time will tell, and there is a good possibility that they will allow the assignments, but if it is not approved then cablevision will have to find another buyer for Rainbow-1, when they would have already had a buyer if they would have worked with C. Dolan on the V* issue.
Just my $0.02 worth...
This may have already been mentioned but HDNEWS is broadcasting in their reports that Voom will be shudown on April 30.
The "Continental" / RainbowDBS frequency assignments at 61.5 predate the current situation, back in the old days when the FCC had paired assignments (equal number of transponders east and west). Rainbow DBS (like most assignees) defaulted on their 'west' assignments - and were the last company to get a signal up on their 'east' assignments.jbphoenix said:
In the time since Cablevision received that assignment, the FCC has approved many mergers and buyouts leading to the current four company industry.
E* = 22 original and 24 auction + 11 DirectSat + 11 DBSC + 28 MCI
(Plus 29 more transponders purchased at auction in 2004)
D* = 27 original + 8 USSB + 11 Tempo
V* = 11 original (Plus 64 more transponders purchased at auction in 2004)
SA = 8 original
JL
So, would it be cheaper for Voom to just let us keep the equipment versus paying a service tech to visit every single subscribers home to pick it up?
If they are going to pick it up, I for one am not going to miss a day of work for it...I'll just take it all down myself and leave it on the front porch for 'em.
If they are going to pick it up, I for one am not going to miss a day of work for it...I'll just take it all down myself and leave it on the front porch for 'em.
Excellent idea, someone comes by and swipes it off your porch, an unscrupulous uninstaller sends VOOM back a smashed receiver saying it was like that when he got it, or keeps it himself and says it wasn't there.
Yep leaving it on the porch is a good idea
Yep leaving it on the porch is a good idea
I don't see how they could force you to do that either. For someone who cancels their service there is a certain responsibility to return the receiver. But not for someone who has their service cancelled without cause.wasch_24 said:
JL
The section of the Customer Agreement i have has the following to say about returning equipment (under 'Leased Equipment'):
"If Equipment is leased from us, such Equipment shall at all times remain our sole and exclusive property and we will have the right, at our discretion, to replace it with new or reconditioned equipment and to remove the equipment upon termination of the VOOM Services."
...
"Any reinstallation, return of or change in location of the Equipment shall be performed by us at the service rates in effect at the time of service."
...
"Upon termination of VOOM Services, you must notify us to schedule the return of the Equipment. Failure to do so will result in a charge to be determined by us in our sole discretion, which amount shall be due immediately."
...
"You agree to provide our representatives with access at reasonable times to your premesis to install, inspect, maintain and/or repair any Equipment supplied by us and upon the termination of service, to remove the same from the premesis. Our failure to remove its property shall not be deemed an abandonment thereof."
...
It seems to me that the burden to retrieve the equipment is on them, although it suggests they could charge you for a service call to come get it (seems unlikely). Also the last part says that even if they don't come get it, it's still theirs.
It will boil down to how much a box is worth vs. how much it costs to get it back.
My guess is if they want it back they will send us an empty box and a prepaid UPS label.
"If Equipment is leased from us, such Equipment shall at all times remain our sole and exclusive property and we will have the right, at our discretion, to replace it with new or reconditioned equipment and to remove the equipment upon termination of the VOOM Services."
...
"Any reinstallation, return of or change in location of the Equipment shall be performed by us at the service rates in effect at the time of service."
...
"Upon termination of VOOM Services, you must notify us to schedule the return of the Equipment. Failure to do so will result in a charge to be determined by us in our sole discretion, which amount shall be due immediately."
...
"You agree to provide our representatives with access at reasonable times to your premesis to install, inspect, maintain and/or repair any Equipment supplied by us and upon the termination of service, to remove the same from the premesis. Our failure to remove its property shall not be deemed an abandonment thereof."
...
It seems to me that the burden to retrieve the equipment is on them, although it suggests they could charge you for a service call to come get it (seems unlikely). Also the last part says that even if they don't come get it, it's still theirs.
It will boil down to how much a box is worth vs. how much it costs to get it back.
My guess is if they want it back they will send us an empty box and a prepaid UPS label.
I think it is interpreted the other way...
I don't think it's interpreted to the fact that if Voom (the company itself) terminates. I think it means that if the customer discontinued the service while it was running normally and wasn't in a state of "self-termination" or in a "self-termination" period and doesn't notify Voom to come and get their equipment, then it will cost that customer money.
I don't think it's interpreted to the fact that if Voom (the company itself) terminates. I think it means that if the customer discontinued the service while it was running normally and wasn't in a state of "self-termination" or in a "self-termination" period and doesn't notify Voom to come and get their equipment, then it will cost that customer money.
I canceled last Friday and I requested removal of the leased equipment. The CSR was unable to schedule the deinstallation and indicated that VOOM would contact me at a latter date. I have the original boxes and stand ready to send back.justalurker said:
Filing alleges Dolan's ally is fake
BY HARRY BERKOWITZ
STAFF WRITER
April 14, 2005
Even though the story of Voom seemed all but ended, a 43-page filing made public yesterday provides more evidence of how bizarre the battle over the satellite TV service has been between Cablevision and its chairman, Charles Dolan.
The joint filing with the Federal Communications Commission by Cablevision and satellite TV rival EchoStar Communications claims a consumer group that partnered with Dolan in trying to block the sale of Voom's sole satellite does not really exist. Also, a check of records indicates the president of the purported group -- the Association of Consumers to Preserve and Promote DBS (direct-broadcast satellite) Competition -- was tied to the former consulting firm of Voom's chief operating officer, Mickey Alpert.
Dolan and the association had told the FCC in a 53-page joint filing March 28 that Cablevision's deal to sell the satellite to EchoStar for $200 million would reduce competition and hurt consumers. Instead, they argued, Dolan should be able to buy the satellite to keep Voom alive.
Last week, the 15-member Cablevision board reconfirmed its decision to shut Voom rather than hand it over to Dolan, and this time the vote was unanimous, and included Dolan.
But that still left the requirement for Cablevision, which on March 29 disavowed Dolan's FCC filing, to elaborate on its argument that the filing should be ignored. Otherwise, Cablevision could face a lawsuit from EchoStar, which has called Dolan's filing perplexing.
Not only is Dolan's contention moot because of the Voom shutdown plan, Cablevision and EchoStar claim in their new filing, but "all available evidence strongly suggests that the association is a mere fiction, created by a single individual ... Jerome Sandler, for the sole purpose of filing the petition."
Sandler, 70, reached at his home in Rockville, Md., said, "What they say is not true," but he declined to comment on how many members the association had, or when it was formed and why.
A record in the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation identifies Sandler as having been the registered agent in the incorporation of Alpert & Associates. Sandler, a Voom subscriber since last May, declined to comment on that also, referring that matter to Alpert, who did not return a call.
The new filing by Cablevision and EchoStar also expands on the argument that EchoStar -- whose service Cablevision, the nation's sixth biggest cable operator, has mocked in advertisements -- should be strengthened to benefit consumers, especially in rural areas, which have been slower to gain access to high-definition television channels.
The unusual battle pitted Dolan against his chief executive son, James, a longtime opponent of Voom who signed the contract to sell the satellite.
According to the new filing, during the past six years Cablevision invested $1 billion in Jericho-based Voom, which stressed high-definition channels. But the service attracted only 40,000 customers, mainly in urban areas, and had less than $15 million in total revenue.
In contrast, EchoStar was gaining 40,000 customers every 10 days while Voom suffered "astoundingly high" customer dropout rates, suggesting a "low likelihood of viability," the filing states.
Dolan, who last month ousted three directors who had condoned the deal to sell the satellite, plans on Monday to drop three more, cutting the size of the board to 12, including nine who do not require approval by non-Dolan shareholders.
Cablevision spokesman Charles Schueler did not return a call seeking comment from the company or Dolan.
Copyright 2005 Newsday Inc.
BY HARRY BERKOWITZ
STAFF WRITER
April 14, 2005
Even though the story of Voom seemed all but ended, a 43-page filing made public yesterday provides more evidence of how bizarre the battle over the satellite TV service has been between Cablevision and its chairman, Charles Dolan.
The joint filing with the Federal Communications Commission by Cablevision and satellite TV rival EchoStar Communications claims a consumer group that partnered with Dolan in trying to block the sale of Voom's sole satellite does not really exist. Also, a check of records indicates the president of the purported group -- the Association of Consumers to Preserve and Promote DBS (direct-broadcast satellite) Competition -- was tied to the former consulting firm of Voom's chief operating officer, Mickey Alpert.
Dolan and the association had told the FCC in a 53-page joint filing March 28 that Cablevision's deal to sell the satellite to EchoStar for $200 million would reduce competition and hurt consumers. Instead, they argued, Dolan should be able to buy the satellite to keep Voom alive.
Last week, the 15-member Cablevision board reconfirmed its decision to shut Voom rather than hand it over to Dolan, and this time the vote was unanimous, and included Dolan.
But that still left the requirement for Cablevision, which on March 29 disavowed Dolan's FCC filing, to elaborate on its argument that the filing should be ignored. Otherwise, Cablevision could face a lawsuit from EchoStar, which has called Dolan's filing perplexing.
Not only is Dolan's contention moot because of the Voom shutdown plan, Cablevision and EchoStar claim in their new filing, but "all available evidence strongly suggests that the association is a mere fiction, created by a single individual ... Jerome Sandler, for the sole purpose of filing the petition."
Sandler, 70, reached at his home in Rockville, Md., said, "What they say is not true," but he declined to comment on how many members the association had, or when it was formed and why.
A record in the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation identifies Sandler as having been the registered agent in the incorporation of Alpert & Associates. Sandler, a Voom subscriber since last May, declined to comment on that also, referring that matter to Alpert, who did not return a call.
The new filing by Cablevision and EchoStar also expands on the argument that EchoStar -- whose service Cablevision, the nation's sixth biggest cable operator, has mocked in advertisements -- should be strengthened to benefit consumers, especially in rural areas, which have been slower to gain access to high-definition television channels.
The unusual battle pitted Dolan against his chief executive son, James, a longtime opponent of Voom who signed the contract to sell the satellite.
According to the new filing, during the past six years Cablevision invested $1 billion in Jericho-based Voom, which stressed high-definition channels. But the service attracted only 40,000 customers, mainly in urban areas, and had less than $15 million in total revenue.
In contrast, EchoStar was gaining 40,000 customers every 10 days while Voom suffered "astoundingly high" customer dropout rates, suggesting a "low likelihood of viability," the filing states.
Dolan, who last month ousted three directors who had condoned the deal to sell the satellite, plans on Monday to drop three more, cutting the size of the board to 12, including nine who do not require approval by non-Dolan shareholders.
Cablevision spokesman Charles Schueler did not return a call seeking comment from the company or Dolan.
Copyright 2005 Newsday Inc.
