[mythtv-users] Cox Communications has turned off Firewire output

[R. G. Newbury]

brian wrote:
> Tom Greer wrote:
>> Cox Communications in Orange County, CA has disabled the IEEE1394 output on
>> all of their cable boxes.
>>
>> I called Technical Support this afternoon and spoke to a supervisor, who
>> informed me that this was a Cox Cable corporate decision.
>>
>> When I informed him that this violated FCC regulations, he simply repeated
>> the new policy.
> 
>    You need to call him back.  Be sure to ask him the full, legal spelling of his name.
> 
>    You'll need that for the lawsuit.  Perhaps he'd like to volunteer, at that time,
> the names of his boss, his boss's boss, and the specific "corporate individual" (or
> individuals) at Cox Cable that mandated this decision.
> 
>    Hmm?  What lawsuit?  I'm no psychologist, but your tone in this email differs from
> what is normally displayed here -- clearly, you're suffering at least some measure of
> personal anguish after this decision by them to deny you service (service that you
> have paid for) in flagrant and direct violation of both federal law and the service
> contract you signed with their company as a subscriber.  If that's not actionable, what is?
> 
>> I promptly informed him that I was going to file a complaint with the FCC -
>> and immediately start the process of switching my telephone, internet
>> provider and cable TV service elsewhere.
>>
>> I have filed a complaint with the FCC.
> 
>    Which, by itself, probably won't scare them much.  They'll pay attention to the lawsuit,
> though -- especially those individuals that are specifically named therein.
> 
> 
>> FYI, The specific FCC regulation that requires this is 47cfr76.640 where it
>> says:
>>
>> (4) Cable operators shall:
>>
>> (i) Effective April 1, 2004, upon request of a customer, replace any leased
>> high definition set-top box, which does not include a functional IEEE 1394
>> interface, with one that includes a functional IEEE 1394 interface or
>> upgrade the customer's set-top box by download or other means to ensure that
>> the IEEE 1394 interface is functional.
>>
>> (ii) Effective July 1, 2005, include both a DVI or HDMI interface and an
>> IEEE 1394 interface on all high definition set-top boxes acquired by a cable
>> operator for distribution to customers.
>>
>> I'm not entirely convinced this is a nationwide issue.  Perhaps, we have a
>> local yokel here that is feeling his Wheaties.  Is anyone else having this
>> problem?
>>
>> Tom

Firstly: DO NOT CHANGE YOUR SERVICE. You may lose your standing to 
complain, or at the least, decrease the perceived damage to your 
enjoyment of the service that their stupidity has caused.

In addition to getting his name, rank, shoe size and jock strap size ( 
shoe size in order to check the relation with his IQ, and jock strap to 
check whether the size of his cojones is inversely related to his IQ), 
find out where he works, visit him and deliver a nice pristine copy of 
all of 47CFR76. Better yet, get him to sign a receipt. Best yet, have 
someone else, not apparently attending with you, to witness this. And 
remember that you probably have a digital memo recorder in your cell 
phone...which of course, you are carrying in your shirt pocket.

Amazing the effect on corporate lawyers to hear one of their employees 
saying words to the effect of "we don't give a crap what the FCC says, 
you're not going to get an STB with firewire,"


Geoff