Poll: Are you For or Against choosing your cable channel lineup?

[wonderwes]

The FCC recently supported the option to allow cable subscribers to be able to pick and pay for the channels they want on their service. Obviously the cable companies are lobbying for this not to go through.

I am all for it, since I say half of the cable channels I have are crap. My service charge for Time Warner Cable I think is way to high. Do you think this is a good or bad idea?

P.S.= I used to have DirecTV and loved my service (was way cheaper too) but now that I am in an apartment, getting a dish cost too much in apt deposits.

[daryn]

how could anyone not think it's a good idea?

i assume that you have the option of just choosing ALL the channels, and paying the same as what you do now.

[FouTight]

it's not the cable company's, it's the people that own the networks that don't want it.

[B Dids]

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how could anyone not think it's a good idea?



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[Wes ManTooth]

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i assume that you have the option of just choosing ALL the channels, and paying the same as what you do now.

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prices would most likely go up due to cable companies having to hire more people for customeer service to handle a high responce to everyone changing there services options.

Well I said no because I have direcTV

[Brom]

You could vote yes for the poor bastards that don't have DTV. You don't want us to have any TV viewing choice or something?

[Georgia Avenue]

I have dtv, but I may be switching over soon to integrate with modem junx...

Here's a thought...wouldn't being able to pick the channels kill all the fun of cable? I love the fact that if I want to watch Elk Hunting, or Commemorative Statue Sales (They're figurines!) I can. I never do, but there it is.

Also, would the fact that no-one would pick, say, TCM or IFC mean that these kind of guiltily conscience programming channels would disappear?

I still voted yes,
--GA

[d10]

This is definitely yes. I only watch like 5 channels, but one of them happens to be only available in the package that gives you pretty much everything short of premium channels.

[astroglide]

i wish there was an 'it depends' vote, but i voted no.

the way this works is that when directv or comcast or whoever negotiates, they get bundles. "yes you can have hbo, but you must also take the golf channel and oxygen". channels that own other channels bundle them together and use it as a way to financially support the smaller ones. if everything were a la carte, it's quite possible that stuff like techtv (whatever it is called now) and other special interest channels will die, or that other niche ones would never get made.

voting yes here would be analagous to voting yes to a poll that asked whether you want all crappy blockbuster movies to not get made. but companies like sony own companies like focus features, and the financing of the juggernaut is what enables them to take risks with the little stuff. another example would be the record industry, etc.