Posted on 08/10/2017 12:10:13 PM PDT by tje
I’ve been planning this for quite some time.
We dropped it when the Internet package price with basic cable was higher than the cost of Internet, alone.
It’s interesting to note that the media, despite their frequent corporate links to broadcast channels and/or carriers, will talk about cord-cutting all day long but assiduously avoid the subject of channel bundling.
Bundling is an anachronism completely obviated by modern digital technology but it has been kept around since it provides camouflage for less desirable and/or profitable channels - like CNN and MSNBC.
It is a slush fund for carriers as well since so many channels in a tier may be infomercials or other advertising vehicles.
For reasons unknown neither the FCC nor Congress will touch bundling with a barge pole.
But subscriber behavior can and will eventually push carriers to change their own behavior or they will continue to see people voting with their feet. $25 for a select number of channels that people actually want or $200 for a huge number of channels (I use the term advisedly) that they don’t want? It’s no contest.
I am currently in the process of cutting the cord with Comcast, starting with the landline # we’ve had for 26+ years being ported to my new cell phone. After that will be getting an HD antennae, and then looking for a new internet provider. Screw $250 a month for something I hardly use (land line and cable tv). Would rather just have the internet for streaming youtube or netflix. The rest is crap. The antennae will only be for getting local stations so I can watch my Seahawks games.
You’d think these idiot companies would figure this out. What makes me fume is being a long time customer and they raise your rates but let newbies in with next to nothing rates.
We don't get commercials with Amazon Prime and can get commercial-free Hulu and other such streaming.
I hated the idea that we were subsidizing MSNBC, CNN, and all the free Over-The-Air networks (they get rebroadcasting fees).
Folks, STARVE THE BEAST!
Pretty sure my TV won’t work without a cord.
What drove me nuts the most about those guys, along w/other comms companies, was the annual above-inflation rate increase.
It was a yearly game of switching, or threatening to switch, providers to keep your rates from soaring through the roof.
I guess someone on the business side thought this was a good idea, but it was a big driver of getting me to cut the cord. It was always, “Sh*t, now I have to drop everything and deal with these guys again.”
Their consultants are probably the same group of folks consulting republicans.
Cut my cable last month.
Yep. July 2017 was the last month of cable-crap for me.
Just do it. Easier than you think.
I never bought a television until January of ‘90, and I got rid of it in March of ‘95.
The book is always better.
I did that a couple years ago and I’ve not missed it one bit. What I get off the antenna and through Netflix and Amazon Prime is enough. I also have a Roku that has a bunch of free streaming providers.
Pretty much all the entertainment I need I can get from YouTube.
so now everyone will demand a direct subscription. Disney, amazon, facebook, youtube, netflicks, cbs, espn, foxsports, nfl, nhl, nba, and so on....
You can get a HD antenna and a converter box for less than $50. You can hook it up to your computer. Lots of options.
“For reasons unknown neither the FCC nor Congress will touch bundling with a barge pole.”
Reasons unknown?
It’s called $$$$ in Congressmen’s pockets.
AT&T shot itself in both feet by sunsetting AT&T U-Verse and pushing those customers to DirecTV.
Most did not want the hassle and took the opportunity to take the off ramp.
Cut it over 10 years ago. Had a 6-month stint at one point just for the Olympics, ended when the introductory fee shot back up - and the only thing watched with any regularity was House Hunters.
Step back from TV long enough, and ads become intolerable, and it’s amazing anyone gets anything done while watching so much (I only have time for 2-3 movies a month).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.