Thanks to Ben Myers for his illuminating observations about Harvard’s lack of broadband competition. As a relative newcomer, I have been surprised at the complacency people seem to have with the very poor Charter service and even poorer customer support. People seem to accept that it’s normal to have to unplug and replug one’s modem, sometimes several times a day, to maintain service. I have been able to obtain credit for denial of service, but this is very time-consuming and I would much prefer having another vendor to turn to. And if I did, I might not have to because service would certainly improve—not to mention the price. The “bundle” service was supposed to be a permanent deal, but they raised the price. They introduced a higher bandwidth for “free,” then started charging, without ever asking if I wanted it.
Competition is key, and Charter has none from Harvard. Why? I can only guess it’s a relatively low population for the land mass, and the big companies have to go for the numbers first. However, given the general lack of satisfaction with Charter that I am aware of, I do think it is worth the effort to contact the town reps listed in Ben’s letter (Pamela.Resor@state.ma.us, Rep.JamesEldridge@Hou.State.MA.US, Rep.SalvatoreDiMasi@Hou.State.MA.US, Therese.Murray@state.ma.us, Michael.W.Morrissey@state.ma.us, tbragan@harvard.ma.us). If Verizon or Comcast knew that a high percentage of this small population would jump at the chance to switch, they would give the town much higher consideration. I urge residents to send an e-mail to these reps—or even one or two. If they hear from enough of us, they will be moved to start negotiating on our behalf.
Nicholas Kouros
West Bare Hill Road
