Nov 30, 2006

Satellite Isn't The Answer

November's been a rather depressing month for me. My uncle got a staph infection paralyzing him from the waist down, and a family friend (Miss Ruth) passed away. The show must go on, so, here's the rant.

I hate cable. I hate the cable industry and all it represents. But what I really hate about cable is the fact that it's a monopolistic practice that really punches the consumer on a yearly basis, raising the prices for their own benefit and not really looking out for those that pay them.

We need choices in cable service.

Okay, I can hear a crowd murmuring "Why don't you quit whining and subscribe to satellite?" I would, but I'm confused at which one would be right for me. Should I go out for Dish or DirectTV? Choices. But that's the kick, my friends. With satellite, you do have a choice of services. With cable, you don't have that luxury.

Choices are great because you aren't stuck with just one thing, system, or service. I could get delivery from Pizza Hut or Domino's. I could get a burger from McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, or Hardee's. I could get gas from Exxon Mobil or BP-Amoco (wait, bad example). I could watch Starz, Showtime, or HBO.

I only have Cox Cable, and I don't want them anymore. Fortunately for me, choices may be on the horizon.

Verizon's planning to expand its FiOS cable service to my neck of the woods within a year, and they actually have channels that I want that Cox is too cheap to acquire, like Boomerang, FUNimation, @MAX, 5-Star MAX, AZN, American Life, Fox Movie Channel, Sleuth, and ESPN U, among others. A smaller phone company, Cavalier, is also planning a cable service as well. Will it be as diverse as FiOS? Who knows? Who cares? It's a choice that Cox Cable doesn't want around these parts, so it's good enough for me.

The days of the Cox monopoly may be over. Until then, I endure the pointless annual price gouging, the limited choices, and their arrogant "we're all you have" attitude towards the consumer for at least one more year.