Internet is out

Here is a note to apologize for what is shaping up to be a period of sporadic/infrequent posting as the owners of my apartment complex transfer from one cable and Internet provider to another.

The Internet and cable went out at my complex last Wednesday night, right at about halftime of Cavs-Celtics Game 5, and it apparently triggered an Armageddon battle between the cable and Internet company (Northern Ohio Broadband) and the apartment management group (Zaremba).

The cable came back on, at least partly, late Wednesday. Many stations have sound but no picture, some have a "contact customer service" line at the bottom (including SportsTime Ohio, meaning no Tribe games.) Some are just frozen images from sometime last week.

Meanwhile, I'm working on five days with no Internet access in my apartment.

A pre-emptive phone message on Northern Ohio Broadband's answering service Friday acknowledged the problems with cable and Internet, then accused Zaremba of being at fault because they allegedly wouldn't let Northern Ohio Broadband's techies have access to their equipment to fix it. They asked apartment residents to contact Zaremba directly and put pressure on them.

Zaremba sent out a flier Friday announcing that the properties would be switching to Cox "in the near future." To which I say, the Olympics will also be occurring in the near future. That doesn't mean I want to wait until August to get my Internet back.

So we have a cable company that wants residents to get involved and take sides because apparently the two entities can't play nice, get along and provide the service we're paying them to provide, and we have an apartment management company that is promising new, better cable and Internet service on an ambiguous, indefinite timeline that might or might not include the 12th of Never. But we'll be really happy when we get the new service, they assure us.

This has to be the messiest utility transition in recorded history. The residents should get some kind of refund or price break out of this for our inconvenience from somebody, but I think I'd be wise to not hold my breath on that one.

Anyway, that's why I don't have my homework today, Mr. Teacher. The cable company ate it, with an assist from the company that cashes my rent check each month.