Author Topic: Hey... I'm Back....  (Read 26885 times)

Offline Phillip Dampier

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Hey... I'm Back....
« on: February 11, 2011, 08:19:04 pm »
As the fifth anniversary of BetterMost has been reached, it also marks the date of my return.  After more than 24 months of fighting Big Telecom companies who seek to overcharge Americans and Canadians for Internet access with so-called "usage-based billing" that would make accessing websites like BetterMost more expensive, and discourage people like me from even starting them, it has felt a lot like being called to active duty and shipped out to fight a war.

As many of our long time residents might remember, this battle began April 1, 2009 when our local ISP, Time Warner Cable, sought to limit our Internet usage to 40GB per month.  If you wanted to avoid watching a usage meter, the monthly price for Internet access was going up -- way up, to $150 per month for a residential account.

That outrage allowed residents in Rochester, NY, North Carolina and Texas to join forces and beat back the cable company and leave our flat-rate Internet access alone.  More recently, I've been devoting an enormous amount of time helping and advising Canadians in their fight against "usage-based billing," which is nothing less than a complete broadband ripoff.  These fights continue, but I decided it was important (for me personally) to set a deadline of how much time I should be spending fighting that, while not being able to spend as much time here as I would have liked.

That deadline was reached today, and now I'm headed back.

Other than my presence here, the only things that are going to change are some long-needed upgrades.  (Tired of that banner up there, yet?)  All the people doing what they do here will still be doing it if I have anything to say about it.  I'm eternally grateful to our admins and moderators for keeping the community going (in good hands) during my extended absence.  Nobody should interpret my lack of activity here as disinterest or me having an issue with anyone or anything here.  It was all about a greater battle which needed to be fought not just for me, but for every North American who values affordable Internet access (and we know it's just as bad in Australia and New Zealand.)

I'm thrilled to be back here and will be gradually working my way back into the conversations and threads, so many of which I have missed.  I'll still be working on our broadband issues (which you can follow on http://stopthecap.com), but not to the detriment of BetterMost.

Thanks for everyone's understanding and for remaining a part of the BetterMost community!
You're a part of our family - BetterMost, Wyoming

Offline louisev

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Re: Hey... I'm Back....
« Reply #1 on: February 11, 2011, 09:14:54 pm »
what wonderful news!  WELCOME BACK! Phillip!!!  I think i speak for all of us when I say we missed you truly, madly, deeply!
“Mr. Coyote always gets me good, boy,”  Ellery said, winking.  “Almost forgot what life was like before I got me my own personal coyote.”


Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: Hey... I'm Back....
« Reply #2 on: February 11, 2011, 09:34:11 pm »

Hi Phillip!!  Welcome back!  It sounds like a really interesing and worthwhile campaign you've been involved in.  Great job Bud.  :)


the world was asleep to our latent fuss - bowie

Offline YaadPyar

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Re: Hey... I'm Back....
« Reply #3 on: February 11, 2011, 09:54:56 pm »
Excellent timing!  Welcome back.
"Vice, Virtue. It's best not to be too moral. You cheat yourself out of too much life. Aim above morality. If you apply that to life, then you're bound to live life fully." (Harold & Maude - 1971)

Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: Hey... I'm Back....
« Reply #4 on: February 11, 2011, 10:11:11 pm »
Yay C! It's so cool to see you back around these parts lately too!   :-*

the world was asleep to our latent fuss - bowie

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Hey... I'm Back....
« Reply #5 on: February 11, 2011, 10:25:32 pm »
Welcome back!

I had no idea what you've been doing. Wow! Good for you!
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline Luvlylittlewing

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Re: Hey... I'm Back....
« Reply #6 on: February 11, 2011, 10:35:12 pm »
Thanks for fighting the good fight, Phillip!  Welcome back!

Offline CellarDweller

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Re: Hey... I'm Back....
« Reply #7 on: February 11, 2011, 10:53:18 pm »
Welcome back Phillip!


Tell him when l come up to him and ask to play the record, l'm gonna say: ''Voulez-vous jouer ce disque?''
'Voulez-vous, will you kiss my dick?'
Will you play my record? One-track mind!

Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: Hey... I'm Back....
« Reply #8 on: February 11, 2011, 11:15:45 pm »
Welcome back Friend!
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Offline Lynne

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Re: Hey... I'm Back....
« Reply #9 on: February 11, 2011, 11:56:44 pm »
(((Phillip)))

It's great to see you, bud!

Without you and John, none of this would have been possible - a million thank you's.

And yes, the background could use a bit of an upgrade.  ;)

 :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-*
"Laß sein. Laß sein."