[opendtv] Re: :Scrambled channels irk cable viewers
- From: "John Willkie" <johnwillkie@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 15 May 2004 11:09:01 -0700
I tend to doubt that Mass state regulations do what you allege, since the
Federal government has exclusive jurisdiction over cable (save franchising,
which IS state) and specifically, since the passage of the 1992 Cable
rewrite, cities and franchising authorities have had ZERO to do with rates.
I have informally consulted with the City of San Diego official who handles
cable franchising as to how they can exert what little pull they have with
the FCC. Basically, they can write letters to the FCC about rates, which
can be ignored.
As to the cable box and what is charged for it, that is also something that
was covered in the 1992 rewrite.
If the basic channels are sequestered in the lower channels (a common
industry practice) then the people who ran TCI and AT&T are PURE IDIOTS.
(Who would have known?) When they installed these customers, an
oh-so-simple low pass filter would have prevented leakage of extended basic
channels. No additional truck roll was required: it is generally done at
the same time the cable is initially installed. The last time I had cable
installed in the U.S., I was given access to extended basic cable because
the guy in the truck did not have an effective filter combination to handle
low pass, plus the notch filter required to pass HBO.
If I'm not mistaken, cable modems use frequencies either below or above and
below TV channels.
Several months later, the auditor came by and installed the appropriate
filter. I knew something was up, because my cable modem crashed, and when
everything came back up, I lost CNN, etc.
John Willkie
-----Original Message-----
From: opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Gary Hughes
Sent: Friday, May 14, 2004 7:49 AM
To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [opendtv] Re: :Scrambled channels irk cable viewers
> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Willkie [mailto:jmwillkie@xxxxxxx]=20
> Sent: Thursday, May 13, 2004 10:58 PM
> To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Spam:[opendtv] Re: Scrambled channels irk cable viewers
>=20
>=20
> Price increase or service decrease to make people pay for=20
> what they actually receive? I think this is of the same=20
> order as saying that broadcasting is an economic term.
>=20
> $8.95 a month for basic basic cable is about half the charge=20
> in San Diego for the same service.
>=20
Mass state regulations set the price for the really-really-basic=20
service, and I think say something to the effect that the caco
cannot charge extra for any equipment required to receive that level
of service. At least that is my recollection from my time on various
town cable committees.
The upshot is that most systems in the state have locals in the bottom
20 or so channels, unscrambled. It is certainly the case on the Comcast
that serves my home.
I have no idea what the take rate is for that lowest tier of service,
although if you have a cable modem the bundling incentives make it
effectively free (which I suppose is a price increase from a year or
so back when it worked out about a buck cheaper for HSD+Lifeline than
for HSD alone). Maybe they make it up in volume :-)
gary
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