Quote:
Originally Posted by
chitchatjf 
This HD technology fee bugs me.
My friend has an HD set AND an HD box yet they blocked off ALL of her HD channels EVEN THE LOCALS!
She gets the Digital starter tier.
THIS IS UNFAIR!
I believe it's also illegal. I'm of the understanding that they are required to pass through all local broadcast channels in HD unencrypted, unless something has changed in the law.
That said, I'm hoping to fight back, and you folks should join me. I threatened to do this a couple of years ago, and finally gotten around to it, as it's an election year and maybe if enough people send this, it will gain some traction. Here's a copy of an email I sent to Sen. Scott Brown yesterday. Feel free to cut and paste it and send it yourself to:
https://www.scottbrown.senate.gov/pu....cfm/contactmeQuote:
I know there are other pressing issues than the one I'm going to delineate, but this is an issue that affects over 80 million US households. I'm speaking of the equipment monopoly enjoyed for years by the cable industry. Remember the days when the phone companies enjoyed the same situation, where every household had to lease their phone AND pay by the outlet? This was made illegal by the government, and the telecommunications industry flourished and a new industry was formed by telephone manufacturers. Phone features improved and prices plummeted, and millions of household saved money while tens of thousands of new jobs were created. Win/win, right?
Now we are in the exact same position with the cable industry. We are forced to pay monthly rental fees for set top boxes, DVRs, and additional outlets, when the technology exists where customers should be able to purchase these items on their own. I pay $12/mo.each for HD converter boxes that should cost, at most $100 each to purchase. I'm on my seventh year of doing this and I have three such units. ( My math indicates it's cost me over $3000 for $300 worth of equipment and there is no end in sight). My DVR is 5 years old, so I've paid $15/mo. or $880 for a box that should cost me around $200-$300. I also pay $5 per month for each HD outlet, although I own the wiring inside my house, just like my telephone wiring, and Comcast only brings one cable to the outside of my home. Same as Verizon for my four telephone outlets, yet I pay only one fee. And now, since the digital conversion, I am forced to use a DTA because Comcast, and others, used the excuse of digital conversion to encrypt their signals. The effect? All of our fancy new flat screen TVs with built-in digial HD tuners are obsolete. We can't use these tuners as we must use these DTA. So now my nice clean, wall mounted install with no wires showing has a cheap plastic box attached to be able to view TV I pay for, and have the built in ability to watch on my HD TV. Except that these DTAs, which are free to use, don't pass through an HD signal, so millions of Americans like me have to watch standard definition TV on our HD screens. Unless, of course, we pony up another $10/mo. for an HD box PLUS $5/mo. for the additional outlet fee.
So, no, this isn't as important as world peace, or the horrible job market, or even the war on terrorism, but is IS an issue that affects millions of Americans right in their pocketbook. And in an election year, especially in this weak economy, people will vote with their pocketbooks.
This is an issue that you, Sen. Brown, could champion and make a huge number of your constituancy very happy indeed. Do it and you'll have my vote for life.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
