I like the idea of being able to tailor-make your tv environment. I don't watch most of what's on tv. If I could have sports, educational programming, history channel, discovery, sci fi - I would probably have everything I want. I wonder how this will play out in the future, given that companies eschew technology advances when it won't make them money.
I don't like the fact that we don't have choices when it comes to certain things - like electricity and cable tv. It's true, Adelphia owns Buffalo. You can't get away from their advertising (I noticed that the big screen on Chippewa (e:Paul) posted about recently pimped Adelphia). Cable TV and other business sectors own monopolies all over the USA. In general I like my Adelphia internet - it is much much better than DSL and costs the same. I also like my digital cable. I've discovered lots of programming that I never knew existed. One thing I know for sure is that if other cable providers were allowed to compete with Adelphia in the Buffalo market we all would get better service and better prices. Will that ever happen? HA! No way - like the article says local governments are complicit in this kind of travesty.
When are utilities or cable providers ever subject to competition, like every other kind of business? I'm beginning to move toward the left when it comes to regulating certain industries - it is obvious we are being taken for a ride when it comes to energy. I remember back in Jamestown - the city of Jamestown has its own electricity company, under the authority of the city government. Service is great and prices are cheap. Oil companies are making record profits. Energy companies make backroom deals with politicians to screw us over.
I'm beginning to think that certain industries are too important to leave to our capitalist structure - energy being the most important. We also will be slow to receive technological advances in this industry because of profit concerns. There are so many political decisions made in the interest of keeping our energy needs intact. I can't wait for the day when we can tell the middle east FUCK OFF, KEEP YOUR DIRTY OIL. I am not naive enough to think this can happen overnight, but we should be making a serious push to a near-future of energy independence. Well, at least as long as it isn't in our own back yard!
Jason
I love my digital cable. There are a couple new Indemand chanels now. You can find almost any interest on cable with all the stations they have.
I do remeber that there used to be competion. In the City you got TCI the suburbs where Adelphia there where actully differant packages of chanels depending on where you lived in the burbs there where 2 differant Adelphia's. I belive Cable Vision and TCI competed for some time. There where rummors of Warner Brothers cable coming into buffalo and competing. Adelphia bought out TCI. Not sure if Adelphia was bought or if it merged. There is competion but it is in a dish. I know there are two companies and maybe a 3rd small one.
I think competion is good. It helps keep prices down and would get more options of picking stations. One thing I do have to say about Direct TV is they do have the NFL package that almost got me to try it. I want to look into what NFL on demand is that Adelphia is offering it was free for a little whiele when there wasn't a NFL Season. NFL network came on so late the season was basicly over but this season I did watch some of the Bills scrimadge. I look forward to seeing what it has. I wish Adelphia would get WWE 24/7 I might get it depending on price. There are a lot of stations out there we don't get that if there was competetion we might. Like why don't we get all the local candian stations and a couple more NYC stations.