Bernie Sanders: The Cable Bill Is Too Damn High

[LordBrownTrout]

Even they must pay to broadcast a station..

So? It's cheaper, more competition, and the good old antenna works fine. Why do we need 200 channels of nothing. Why not go back to the antenna and pay nothing.

I live in da forest..

The best place to live!

If you don't mind bug bites.

The bugs, ticks, snakes and rabid animals are well worth it.

Have you ever been down to deadwood or spearfish?

 

[HenryBHough]

Antennae from the 1970's will not work with digital media..

Not accurate at all.

There ARE multiple issues, here are just a few:

1. Antenna that has been up from the 1970s is likely damaged and/or the transmission line compromised.

2. Good chance that a 1970s antenna was intended for VHF channels only. Today there's a mixture of UHF/VHF with UHF predominant.

3. In many markets stations moved their transmitter sites and the existing antenna is now pointed in the wrong direction.

A UHF/VHF antenna made in 1955, even but never installed, works just fine when properly assembled, erected and pointed in the right direction.

In any case, most apartment dwellers aren't allowed to put up antennae and the vast majority of homeowners would find it easier to maim themselves than to get good reception with a DIY antenna project. MOST. Not All.

Credentials for those fixated on such thing? FCC First Class RTO since 1959 with decades of experience in AM/FM/TV/Communiocations/cell installation.

 

[Papageorgio]

Digital antennas are an option, I know people that use them and save $100a year.

 

[HenryBHough]

For those in many urban areas an old-fashioned, un-amplified set of rabbit ears will get a lot of channels. Thing is ya gotta know how to use them. Extended length should be varied according to channel and rotated for maximum signal. The higher the actual channel the shorter the "ears". Yes, you can get creative with sticking aluminum foil flaps on the ears. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't. I have two amplified indoor antennae each with some foil added to the UHF elements and it about doubles the received signal strength for one but only adds about 25% to the other (different brands).

About the channel: You can't trust what the station calls itself anymore. What they tell you is the channel to which the station is "mapped" for your TV. Normally you can get that information from an official FCC website (TV Query) but today the site is somehow broken. By way of example, the ABC affiliate in Providence, R.I. was originally analog (VHF) channel 6 with a tower in Tiverton, Rhode Island. Now it's on a UHF channel (I've forgotten which one) and the transmitting antenna is on leased tower space in Rehoboth, Massachusetts. People who had antennas pointed at Tiverton and didn't get them rotated (almost 180-degrees) get bupkus and wonder why.

If you're going to experiment with indoor antennae pick up a set of rabbit ears for about a buck in a thrift shop and play a bit. If you get some stations OK then it might be worth putting money into a decent amplified indoor antenna or, if laws, rules, regulations, etc. permit, doing something outdoors. The higher the better but not worth risking your life over.

 

[Lakhota]

So? It's cheaper, more competition, and the good old antenna works fine. Why do we need 200 channels of nothing. Why not go back to the antenna and pay nothing.

I live in da forest..

The best place to live!

If you don't mind bug bites.

The bugs, ticks, snakes and rabid animals are well worth it.

Have you ever been down to deadwood or spearfish?

Several years ago.

 

[Iceweasel]

A digital antennae is what you want if you have reception in your area. Mine looks like a square metal farm fence. But I only get one channel reliably. I have had cable, Direct and Dish and they soak you for the service after the teaser rates. I dumped Dish not long ago and only do streaming now. Mostly with a Roku but also with an Android box with Kodi. The only access I pay for is Netflix.

The disadvantage is live sports and local news bu this is changing. Many news stations are streaming now, national and local. Many less commercials too since they don't have to pay to have it aired.

 

[Missourian]

I'd be gone from satellite if I didn't have a bandwidth limit on my internet.

Between broadband and a good old fashioned tv antenna, there's no real need to get screwed out of 80 bucks or more a month by satellite or cable.

Agree 100%, and also agree with Lakhota. Cable TV is a monopoly.

We also have cut the cable. We have an Antenna, Hulu and Netfilx...and Youtube, which also has a lot of interesting programs.

I do believe cable TV is going to go the way of the landline telephone in the next few year...everything will be streaming.

 

[Missourian]

I run into so many people that don't realize you actually can use an antenna to get TV.

Since I installed mine 3 years ago, six of my friends have installed and gave the finger to cable providers v

Have you seen this infomercial?



Made me .

 

[Lakhota]

It's a suckers game. TV may be considered a luxury - but to older people it's also a mental/physical health issue that helps make those golden years more bearable. Government regulation of these gouging bastards should be highly scrutinized - especially regarding older subscribers.

 

[HenryBHough]

Have you seen this infomercial?

Had not previously but watched it through.

It probably works. But not universally.

Size suggests it's designed for UHF but not VHF. In many markets that's OK because all the stations migrated to UHF but not in all markets where there are still VHFs.

The ad also suggests you can just hang the antenna on the wall. Which is true IF the wall is oriented in such a way that the flat antenna is broadside to the direction toward the TV station. If all the stations are on a common (or close together) site(s) then, cool. If not, it'll have to be moved around for best signal.

Here's a non-governmental website that'll help with figuring out what might work for you:

AntennaPoint.com - Antenna Locator

The "rf channel" is the actual channel on which the station is broadcasting. If it's higher than 13 it's a UHF. 13 or lower it's VHF. The "virtual channel" is the number your TV will tell you it's seeing. Most digital TVs can be put in a manual channel-finding mode as well as full automatic. Automatic is OK but can't move an antenna round (sounds silly, I know) so it will recognize only stations whose towers it's pointed toward and may not get enough signal to latch on to many others.

If you're going to use the manual mode use the website above to determine what stations you SHOULD get and point the antenna broadside to the direction toward the greatest number or those you want most. Then you can specify each channel and, watching the signal strength display, twist the antenna around for best reception. You may find you have to reorient the antenna for best results when you change channels. That's why motorized rotors are nice for outdoor antenna installations.

Thing is, a lot of Americans aren't watching broadcast TV anymore - rather are watching stuff that's only on cable. For now. But the day is coming when there'll be internet services which allow you to pay for ONLY the channels you want. Stations and networks are fighting it tooth and nail but they WILL lose. Just a question of when.

Right now I have cable and decent broadcast reception of about four channels (rural area). I'm watching about 25% direct off-air pickup (some channels are duplicated on cable but the broadcast picture is better), 30-40% cable-only and the rest using an Apple TV internet adapter. The cable portion is slowly dwindling as more internet service grows.

BTW, that broadcast reception (4 channels) is with an indoor set of amplified rabbit ears. If I put up a 40-foot mast with a big rotatable antenna I'd increase that number to 6 at best and neither of the two I'd acquire have any programming that interests me.

Big changes ARE coming. Probably TV by internet predominating. Right now I don't see any need for any congressional action to make any of it happen but I can think of scenarios where cable companies may come up with some nasty innovations that might have to be reined in. I think existing laws would cover it but only if we had a government interested in enforcing those laws instead of just piling on new ones.

 

[Harry Dresden]

I know you have thought of Satellite TV and Internet! Any reason you didn't subscribe to the cheaper "DISH" provider?

Yes, because some of my neighbors have DISH and Direct TV and they don't seem too happy with them. In the old days I had a 13 foot dish and the picture was EXCELLENT. The price was also reasonable - until they figured out how to gouge on dish. I like cable because it seems the most reliable. They are all gouging.

I like cable because it seems the most reliable
when i had cable it was down a lot,sometimes for an hour or more,and they never apologized never gave you a free movie,nothing....i went to Dish....much better....now i have U-Verse...i laugh at cable.....

Had the same problem with cable, so I switched to Fiber about 8 years ago, I can count on one had the number of times it went down in that time.

i have had U-Verse 3 years now,has gone down maybe 2 times for a couple of minutes each time,and so far NO increases in price....with cable it seemed like every 6 months they were raising it for some reason...

I rarely have two months in a row when the price hasn't risen. I then call my cable company and complain. They usually find some "miracle" to reduce it back to the previous month price. It's a scam of attrition for those who just get tired of fighting them. I'm 68 and still have a pretty good mind - but I really feel sorry for older people whose minds are failing them and they no longer have the energy or brainpower to fight back. They just pay the bill.

i hear ya,but thats what kids and care givers are for....

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Can Progressive figure out anything on their own? How to they even manage to breed?

 

[Lakhota]

Yes, because some of my neighbors have DISH and Direct TV and they don't seem too happy with them. In the old days I had a 13 foot dish and the picture was EXCELLENT. The price was also reasonable - until they figured out how to gouge on dish. I like cable because it seems the most reliable. They are all gouging.

I like cable because it seems the most reliable
when i had cable it was down a lot,sometimes for an hour or more,and they never apologized never gave you a free movie,nothing....i went to Dish....much better....now i have U-Verse...i laugh at cable.....

Had the same problem with cable, so I switched to Fiber about 8 years ago, I can count on one had the number of times it went down in that time.

i have had U-Verse 3 years now,has gone down maybe 2 times for a couple of minutes each time,and so far NO increases in price....with cable it seemed like every 6 months they were raising it for some reason...

I rarely have two months in a row when the price hasn't risen. I then call my cable company and complain. They usually find some "miracle" to reduce it back to the previous month price. It's a scam of attrition for those who just get tired of fighting them. I'm 68 and still have a pretty good mind - but I really feel sorry for older people whose minds are failing them and they no longer have the energy or brainpower to fight back. They just pay the bill.

i hear ya,but thats what kids and care givers are for....

Yeah, like a lot of them really give a shit.

 

[Papageorgio]

My cable bill hasn't gone up in awhile. I limit TV channels and instead use the Internet.

 

[The Rabbi]

Vote for Bernie Sanders for more free shit!

 

[Lakhota]

Vote for Bernie Sanders for more free shit!

What free shit is Bernie handing out?

 

[The Rabbi]

Vote for Bernie Sanders for more free shit!

What free shit is Bernie handing out?

He's getting around to free cable. Attacking the cost is only the first step.
You'd go for free cable, right shithead?

 

[Lakhota]

Vote for Bernie Sanders for more free shit!

What free shit is Bernie handing out?

He's getting around to free cable. Attacking the cost is only the first step.
You'd go for free cable, right shithead?

So, you think trying to regulate the cable mafia is a bad thing?

 

[Maryland Patriot]

Vote for Bernie Sanders for more free shit!

What free shit is Bernie handing out?

he has said that he believes in redistribution of wealth.
how can you do that without giving away something someone worked for to someone that didn't earn it.

 

[HenryBHough]

What free stuff would Nutty Old Uncle Bernie hand out?

Remember how you had to "pass it to see what's in it" with Obamacare?

Well that worked out so well you damn well oughta understand you gotta electe it to find out what's in it.......for you.