wolpert@hpisla.UUCP (wolpert) (08/27/84)
subject: ethics
I subscribe to a cable service. I pay for one "premium" channel,
but several others can be received with good quality (through
no effort on my part, other than selecting those channels on
the interface box provided by the cable company). Occasionally
I watch a program on one of these other channels.
Do I have an obligation to:
(a) pay the cable company for channels I did not ask for
(b) not watch those channels, and ask my guests not to watch
(c) tell the cable company that they are sending me channels
I am not paying for
(d) none of the above
I do not watch a lot of TV. If I were not receiving several
of the "premium" channels, I would probably not subscribe to
the cable service, since most local channels can be received
acceptably in my area. I feel that since my TV is on for about
12 hours a month, I am receiving less benefit from the cable
company than what I am paying for (no matter what I watch).
I do not record programs for later viewing (though I do not
consider that unethical).
This may seem like another "whatever they pump into my TV I
can legally watch" comment, but it's not: I do pay the cable
company money, just not as much as they get from some other
people who subscribe to all the channels. Since they charge
by the month, and not by the hour watched, I feel they are
getting the payment due them, and more. I would not do any-
thing "active" to get those channels (i.e. build a decoder).
If they "fixed" their system so that I could not receive
the other "premium" channels, I would not complain.
I am not interested so much in what is considered legal (by
this group; but what is the ethical thing to do?
-name withheld by request
(but you can probably figure it out
from my return address, if you care)dcm@dmcnh.UUCP (09/10/84)
I had a similar situation with my cable company for 3 years. I got 1 premium channel at the time I subscribed. Shortly afterward, they made another premium channel available in the area. Although I never requested it (and never paid for it), my box received it. I think that it is the cable company's responsibility to keep track of what channels my equipment does or does not receive and that it matches what I am paying for. I consider it similar to unsolicited material received in the mail. Dave McCracken ..!decvax!ittvax!sii!dmcnh!dcm