[sci.electronics] Supreme Court and cable TV

ray@cs.rochester.edu (Ray Frank) (06/02/88)

In the paper this morning I read that the SC struck down a government
proposal that would require local cable companies to carry all local
stations.  What this ultimately will mean is that in the future, your
cable company will not carry your local stations forcing you to use
rabbit ears or some other form of aerial which to me would be a giant
step backwards.  In my area of the city, viewing locals via an antenna
is almost impossible because of ghosts and just plain poor reception.
So, you will literally be paying more and more and receiving less and less.  
I would like to be the first the thank the Supreme Court for sticking it
to the people once again and please ask them not to do me any more favors.
Oh, by the way, my local cable company, expecting such a ruling, sent out
notices to all their customers that equipment is now available from them
for switching between the cable box and an antenna.


ray

todd@uop.edu (Dr. Nethack) (06/02/88)

In article <10231@sol.ARPA>, ray@cs.rochester.edu (Ray Frank) writes:
> In the paper this morning I read that the SC struck down a government
> proposal that would require local cable companies to carry all local
> stations.  
> Oh, by the way, my local cable company, expecting such a ruling, sent out
> notices to all their customers that equipment is now available from them
> for switching between the cable box and an antenna.

This reminds me of a sarcastic editorial in (I think it was) Elementary
Electronics a LONG time ago, where cable tv was on the rise..

The rates were as well, and the editor made the comment (after a long
descriptive article on how ultimately people will have their own sattellite
dishes, etc.)  That some lowly person will rediscover you can pull in
some of these stations FOR FREE with an antenna, and a new customer
anarchy will erupt.


        "The more things change, the more they stay the same"
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wtm@neoucom.UUCP (Bill Mayhew) (06/03/88)

The regulations require your local friendly :-) cable company to
make an A/B siwtch available to you.  ..So that you can choose to not
watch the cable if you desire.  That is how they think they can
prevent a monopoly.  Sheesh.  Of course, the A/B switch is not
necesarily free.  Our local friendly :-) cable company is quite
happy to sell it to you for a paltry sum of $10.

There was some hope of getting access to cable-like programming
though satellite DBS, but the lobbying efforts of the cable
interests have pretty much squished that out of existance.
Interestingly, direct-to-home satellite braodcasting looks like it
has a chance of taking hold in europe.  In europe, something like
only 10% of urban homes are wired for cable, though.

--Bill

kamath@reed.UUCP (Sean Kamath) (06/05/88)

In article <10231@sol.ARPA> ray@cs.rochester.edu (Ray Frank) writes:
>In the paper this morning I read that the SC struck down a government
>proposal that would require local cable companies to carry all local
>stations.  What this ultimately will mean is that in the future, your
>cable company will not carry your local stations forcing you to use
>rabbit ears or some other form of aerial which to me would be a giant
>step backwards. 
>
>ray

It get's worse.  I heard on the news a few days ago that the cable companies
will be required to blank out any syndicated show that is airing on the
non-cable companies.  This means that if reruns of M.A.S.H. are on at 11pm
on your local station, and you have cable and TBS runs M.A.S.H. at 6pm, the
cable company will require the cable operator to blank out the TBS one, even
if it's a completely different episode, running at another time.

This is just plain outragous.  I'm glad I don't have cable, and I don't
really watch T.V.  Robin claims my computer is my T.V. set. :-)

Sean Kamath

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