Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!uwm.edu!lll-winken!telecom-request From: RAF@cu.nih.gov (Roger Fajman) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Cable TV vs Telco Connectivity Laws Message-ID: Date: 31 Mar 91 02:15:20 GMT Sender: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Organization: TELECOM Digest Lines: 17 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 258, Message 1 of 11 > While pricing for all three tiers is NOW the same as the basic package > was before, IF they break out the pricing and you then need to > subscribe to each tier separately, you can bet that that will lead to > the scambling of the channels in tiers two and three. Once that is > done, you are then forced to use a cable company converter box for > each separate TV to descramble tiers two and three. That sounds logical, but does not appear to be what is happening. For the month of March, subscribers to the first two tiers have to use a converter box, but not subscribers to the highest tier. As of April 1, they are renumbering the channels and converter boxes will not be required for those not subscribing to the premium channels (HBO, etc.). The strange thing is that there is no obvious relationship between the new channel numbers and the tiers. Changing tiers requires a visit from the cable company, which suggests that they are doing something in their boxes on the poles.