DTV News: Move to digital TV may be costly to some cable customers
Source: Seattle Pi Online
A story from Seattle Pi Online today gives a small glimpse into upcoming ethical issues and the Digital Transition (scheduled to occur on February 17th, 2009).
Cable providers in Florida are charging customers costly fee’s to rent digital converter boxes. In one particular instance, a 63 year old customer was quoted $5.95 per month for the conerter box, per television set, plus $60 for a service call to install it. With five televisions in her home, the conversion would increase her bill by 75 percent.
Although the government is providing assitance to consumers by alloting 2 digital converter box coupon’s per customer, these coupons are only good for “over the air” converter boxes, and not cable digital converter boxes.
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2 Responses to “DTV News: Move to digital TV may be costly to some cable customers”
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Will we beable to get a better reception than we get now and will we beable to pick up more channels. I currently get 2 and 39 on different Tv’s. So I have to go to different rooms to watch Tv. It is boring only getting two chanels. Are we going to have to pay for this new kind of reception? I hope not We can’t afford to pay. I would hate to lose the one free thing left. Everything else has been taken away. People on low incomes can’t afford anything else, everything goes up, except our income. If this new service is going to cost and there will not be anymore channels available, then why do we need to change. Most cabel co already offer HDTV Or the other one. So if it is not going to improve our service, why do we need it? So someone else can get rich?
Because I am low income. I subscribe to the lowest tier available from Comcast, [ I live in Central Vt.]. The cost has already been questionable , for what I receive. Now, I am finding Comcast is moving two of my channels[ effective 7/15/08], not replacing them with another channel & NOT reducing the bill. The only way I could continue to receive one of the channels is to RENT from Comcast a set-top converter box @ $3.95 per mo. The only way to continue getting the other channel is to- both rent the previously refenced box AND move to a higher [$$] subscription package !!! I will be going without TV. as I cannot receive anything ” over air” at the present. I do not watch a lot of TV, BUT it is a source of entertainment & “company”, as I am disabled . I’m sure I am not alone. This is NOT A GOOD deal for the average consumer.