About Us

If you’re new to the world of cord-cutting, it can seem daunting and complicated, especially with so many services and devices competing for your attention. If you read my “bio” in my "About" below, you already know my background has been hugely in Broadband Communications. In fact, my business life began in 1980 while still in school and living in Athens when a group of friends and I investigated the very new (and not yet an industry): C band Satellite Dish for home. My friends and I each contributed enough money to send me to a “gathering” (not yet an industry) in Dallas, Texas of like-minded electronic manufacturers and distributors, satellite dish manufacturers and distributers, and Entrepreneurs such as myself. The objective of this trip was to explore business opportunities for selling C band Satellite Systems directly to homeowners. I became one of the first in the Atlanta area to sell, install and service Home Satellite Systems. Over the years, my career progressed into the Broadband Communications Industry. More specifically… I developed, constructed, operated, and sold private cable systems for the most part in apartments and condos throughout the southeast. Mostly, thru joint venture business relationships with multi-family Developers and Owners.

 

Fifteen years ago in 2006, DirecTV in a joint venture with a Texas-based Venture Capital Group purchased my Broadband Communications company to form DirecPath. Other acquisitions followed and the ultimate goal was to provide traditional cable tv services over the internet. DirecTV knew way back then that Satellite TV had peaked and that it was time to get back on the “wire” utilizing the internet. Unfortunately, DirectPath was way ahead of technology at that time and ultimately disappointed expectations. What we today refer to as “Streaming” has only begun to flourish in the last few years.  And now DirecTV Stream has arrived with its alternative to satellite.  I will elaborate my thoughts about the new service in our Members section. 

 

The term cord-cutter has emerged to refer to those who end their subscriptions to cable, the industry that once held a monopoly of sorts on home entertainment. With its flat fees and bundled deals, the cable model often means that a subscriber pays handsomely for 200 channels, only to watch a handful on a regular basis. Now more than ever, consumers are leaving traditional cable providers behind and opting for a streaming service. A recent eMarketer report projects that there will be 45 million cord-cutters in the US this year, and that number will increase by 20% by 2022. Not only are more consumers cutting the cord, but they’re also saving money from the switch. According to a Leichtman Research Group study, the average cord cutter can save about $1,300 per year depending on the services they choose after canceling a cable subscription.