DON'T MESS WITH MY DAILY FIX

For nearly 30 years our household was a cable TV family, and as time passed and broadcasting channels replicated faster than streptococcus in a Petri dish, we increased our network packages, until we were paying nearly a C-note per month for equipment and service. (Remember TV is my drug of choice.)

Now for that much money one would expect all the Premium channel packages as well as some nifty sports groupings in the awesome clarity of digital channels for the small extra fee of the digital box rental.

Well, not quite so. Since we live in a rural area, the equipment and boxes on our community poles hadn’t be upgraded yet (going on over 5 years), and, although we were entitled to -- and paying for --higher band, digital channel groups, a good portion of the channels were either fuzzy or just not coming through. When we called our cable service about this, we were told we could either wait until they eventually upgraded the equipment and be satisfied with the channels we were receiving on the higher digital bands, or they could shut off the entire line-up and block all the channels in the digital band, which would reduce our monthly bill by approximately $3.00.

What choice is that??? None! -- There is no compromise on the part of the Cable company. It is pay up or no more IFC, Bravo, Sundance, Lifetime Movie Channel which are a part of the high digital band that incorporates the 6 channels that we don't receive and the 4 or that are fuzzy and unwatchable.

Now since deregulation, the cost of cable has skyrocketed and just recently, increased again. Every time the government deregulates an industry – telephone, power, cable, -- it seems to me -- the consumer gets screwed! Costs increase, while quality and availability of services/products decrease. So deregulate this --

Saturday our satellite dish is being installed, and for less than cable was costing, we will be getting all the premium channels and all the digital stations that were offered by cable and then some. This means about 20 extra channels for $10.00 less per month, including TIVO as an extra feature!

So goodbye Cable TV ... it was nice while it lasted! The horse and buggy are being replaced by the horseless carriage. Given time, however, as more people switch to satellite dishes, I expect the rates will climb instead of decrease, the dish equipment deals and rebates will disappear, which logically doesn't make sense, but most likely will occur. But until then, we're cashing in on the savings by switching over.

Next stop -- HD plasma TV. (Told ya I'm hooked.)



- posted by rosemary @ 8:04 AM