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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!caip!im4u!milano!paver
From: paver@milano.UUCP (Bob Paver)
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Re: Cable Television
Message-ID: <318@milano.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 6-Jan-86 11:16:17 EST
Article-I.D.: milano.318
Posted: Mon Jan  6 11:16:17 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 7-Jan-86 07:08:00 EST
References: <249@decwrl.DEC.COM>
Reply-To: paver@milano.UUCP (Bob Paver)
Organization: MCC, Austin, TX
Lines: 43
Keywords: cable deregulation
Summary: De-regulation generates bad attitude

In article <249@decwrl.DEC.COM> rosen@exit26.DEC (Barry Rosen) writes:
>
>THE PROBLEM:
>
>    News has just "leaked" that a notice will be sent to all 
>subscribers with the February invoices that there will be a rate 
>change.  The town heard of this and some selectmen are arguing that 
>the 2 year rate moratorium is still not up and some are stating that 
>the period has not even begun.  The cable company's position is that 
>they are now de-regulated and can charge what the market will bear and 
>anyway, the 2 year period is up...
>
>o   ATTITUDE:  The company states that since there is now competition, 
>    consumers can shop around if they do not like the rates which they 
>    are being charged.  They cite the FCC deregulation order...
.
.
.
>
>    Has anyone out there in NETland encountered a similar situation?  


Our local cable company has started exhibiting the same attitude
although what they've done to date is relatively minor.   They
added a couple of channels on 1 Jan and took that opportunity
to move CNN from channel 11 (basic service) to channel 23 (2nd tier).
WTBS (Atlanta) moved from 23 to 11.  The stated reason for doing
this was to put the "information" channels close to one another.

The cable commission (appointed by the City Council) and I think
that it's a move to encourage people to have more than basic
service.  CNN is generally considered one of the better features
of cable, at least in this part of the world.  However, given the
de-regulation, no one's optimistic about dealing with the cable
company.  I suspect we'll see more disregard for the original
agreement made when the franchise was awarded.

If my kids didn't like the Disney channel so much, I'd
disconnect the whole thing.  Reception is not a problem for us.

By the way, one of the new channels they added is VH-1, music
videos for the 30-50 crowd.  The stuff they play makes me
embarassed to be 36!