Centex, Verizon and Comcast

Here I am in a new house that has no cable service--and thereby no cable modem service--and no landline.

Thanks Verizon. Thanks Comcast. Thanks to Verizon-landline for lying to me the other day just to get me off the phone. That was REAL nice. And to Comcast for not calling back as promised.

And thanks to Centex for selling us this joint without mentioning at the time of contract that "oh by the way... you won't be able to get a landline until July and no cable until who knows when."

Centex complains that the utilities (Verizon and Comcast, in this case) aren't living up to their original schedule. Verizon has no excuse, but they say they won't be here until AT LEAST June 30 (I assume that's June 30, 2006, but I didn't ask. I Want To Believe.) Comcast has been evasive. The guy whose number I was given by Centex has been largely useless to date. I spoke with his manager who at least gave the illusion of action. But after failing to call back that day and the day after, I'm leaning toward filing him under Useless, too.

So how is it that I'm back? No, I'm not sponging off of Starbuck's WiFi. I'm using Verizon Wireless BroadbandAccess. It's not blindingly fast, but now I can haul my laptop down to the kitchen to browse the web. Or down to any place that has decent signal. Call that a silver-plated lining.