KEEPING THE CABLE FAITH — FOR NOW

AT&T and Excite@Home's recent shenanigans are bound to have a profound effect on consumer perceptions of the broadband cable industry. Unfortunately, no consumer data has yet been compiled since last week's cable shake-up. We can tell you, however, just how far the cable industry can fall. According to a study commissioned by the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing and conducted by Harris Interactive, cable has beaten DSL and dial-up hands down in all categories of service satisfaction. The study, conducted over the summer, found an astounding 80% of cable modem subscribers were satisfied with their service, compared with 65% of DSL customers. It looks like the cable industry will have some work to do if it intends to keep those high marks this winter.
— Kevin Fitchard