[tkmd]

I don't watch alot of TV- but usually watch discovery/history / CNN/ comedy and the local channels (ABC,NBC,CBS and fox) I never had a need to have HBO or any of the premium services. So I fall into what they call the standard package, which , by the way I hate these packages- why cant I choose which individual channels? I only watch maybe 7-8 channels - have no need for shopping network or cspan and to get the Sci fi channel I would have to upgrade to the next tier! But that is another story..

Anyway standard cable is now going to 50$ and comcast cable Internet is now also 50$- this is unacceptable- 100$ a month and in the past year they have raised the rate for standard by $5/month. I'm paying more for garbage selection of channels and expensive internet access.
What are my alternatives? Is there any company willing to break ranks and offer channels on an individual basis?

[rickey939]

Call Comcast and threaten to switch over to DSL and they'll throw you a nice discount for the next 6 months to keep you on board. At the end of the 6 months, do it again.

[Sherman Homan]

Ditto rickey939, I called Comcast and reminded them that Verizon was offering a voice, TV and internet package and Comcast cut almost 20% off of their package. The problem with channel selection is that the channels are almost always decided by the local town licensing department. Is that how they do it in Michigan?

[jokell82]

Try signing up only for the internet - it appears that by turning on the signal for the cable internet they have to send along tv signals as well. I know someone who's been getting free cable TV along with their internet for about 6 months now.

[rickey939]

Originally Posted by jokell82 

Try signing up only for the internet - it appears that by turning on the signal for the cable internet they have to send along tv signals as well. I know someone who's been getting free cable TV along with their internet for about 6 months now.

Haha, they are lucky...trust me, that isn't "normal" behavior.

[Nebagakid]

I have a similar situation to the one above, but I don't even want the cable channels. I want to get Over the Air HD, but that is near impossible in Michigan. So, I get Comcast with HD, but it is expensive and more than I need. Is there anyway to talk to the Comcast people to get lower cost NETWORK channels with HD?

[Nebagakid]

I just did some research on the inter-Net, and it says that comcast offers a package called Limited Basic which includes the local channels, as well as a few cable channels. It is cheap, around $10 bucks a month, but it is not luxurious. (also, it includes the local channels in HD, as all comcast packages do)

[el chupacabra]

cable companies can do whatever they want because they have monopolies do their nature of business. The government should control cable, and phone lines, no need for this to be privatised.

Drop the cable TV portion and just use the interweb to watch the shows you want to see.

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by el chupacabra 

cable companies can do whatever they want because they have monopolies do their nature of business. The government should control cable, and phone lines, no need for this to be privatised.

While I don't think it's a good idea to start a huge debate about this outside of the PWL, I'll say this: NO.

[IceEnclosure]

Originally Posted by el chupacabra 

The government should control cable, and phone lines, no need for this to be privatised.

reeeee, tarded post.


"We've removed Adult Swim from your channel line-up. Sorry for any inconvenience."

[Big Mac]

Originally Posted by el chupacabra 

cable companies can do whatever they want because they have monopolies do their nature of business. The government should control cable, and phone lines, no need for this to be privatised.

I have to agree, this is one of the stupidest MacNN posts ever. You don't like cable TV monopolies, so you want the government to take over cable TV and phone lines?????????? That's how you think the consumer will benefit - from handing over monopoly power over all communications to the government? Did you eat paint chips as a child?

[mac128k-1984]

Originally Posted by Big Mac 

Did you eat paint chips as a child?

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by IceEnclosure 

reeeee, tarded post.


"We've removed Adult Swim from your channel line-up. Sorry for any inconvenience."

I dunno... DirecTV made the Fox Movie Channel a premium service for some odd reason I haven't figured out yet. Local carriers do weird stuff like that frequently. The Evil Empire TimeWarner Cable here has a history of manipulating "basic" and "basic plus" packages to give customers the absolute minimum service and still jacking up the rate for these useless packages every few months-which is why I'm on DirecTV in the first place.

I'm hoping that this AT&T Universe thing really works since I use their landline service for phone and DSL and I have a Cingular multiphone plan...I may cut back to the smallest DirecTV plan if I can get the programming I want through AT&T. And it'll let me thumb my nose at TimeWarner yet again...always a fun thing.

[Big Mac]

Glenn, are you referring to AT&T U-Verse TV service?

[macintologist]

Get rid of cable and just torrent all your favorite shows.

[mitchell_pgh]

I'm currently living "off the grid."

I don't have cable TV, internet or a home phone (I do have a cell phone which is set to the lowest amount of minutes possible).

To be honest, cable is wasted on me. I miss The History Channel... and that's about it. I get NBC, ABC and CBS at near cable quality, and I'm fine with that. Not having internet isn't that bad. I do cheat from time to time by jumping on my neighbors wireless, but I would say it's about once or twice a week.

I just can't wrap my mind around paying $100+++ for such services. I'm also on the $4.99 netflix plan which is perfect for me.

[goMac]

Originally Posted by rickey939 

Haha, they are lucky...trust me, that isn't "normal" behavior.

This is completely normal behavior. As long as the cable is active, they are required to send you all channels you could get over the air for free.

Originally Posted by mitchell_pgh 

I'm currently living "off the grid."

I don't have cable TV, internet or a home phone (I do have a cell phone which is set to the lowest amount of minutes possible).

To be honest, cable is wasted on me. I miss The History Channel... and that's about it. I get NBC, ABC and CBS at near cable quality, and I'm fine with that. Not having internet isn't that bad. I do cheat from time to time by jumping on my neighbors wireless, but I would say it's about once or twice a week.

I just can't wrap my mind around paying $100+++ for such services. I'm also on the $4.99 netflix plan which is perfect for me.

You, sir, are un-American.

[olePigeon]

DSL + Blockbuster + BitTorrent. I remember when paying for Cable meant commercial free TV. Back then it was worth it. Now it's just a ripoff.

[sek929]

Whatever TV I have is only due to my Comcast High speed internet, personally, I wouldn't even want to pay $10 a month for all 10 channels of commercials.

[mitchell_pgh]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

DSL + Blockbuster + BitTorrent. I remember when paying for Cable meant commercial free TV. Back then it was worth it. Now it's just a ripoff.

Well, for those that live outside of a big city, cable is still great. I'm able to get good reception with rabbit ears so it's just not worth the extra expense and "one more bill" that comes in the mail.

I must be getting old.

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by goMac 

This is completely normal behavior. As long as the cable is active, they are required to send you all channels you could get over the air for free.

This isn't rebroadcasted OTA channels - this is the Cox Expanded service (about 100 channels) that he gets for free alongside his internet.

[Nebagakid]

I would much rather go without cable, but it is near impossible to get HD service around here without a HUGE antenna, so, I deal. I need my HD, baby.