Thursday, December 06, 2007

Cablechangeaphobia

The ownership of the cable system in Springfield has changed hands several times in the approximately 35 years (?) the city has had a cable provider. The changes in the past have never made much difference to me, but the upcoming switch from Insight to Comcast is making me nervous. Not because I’ve heard anything bad about Comcast (I don’t know anything about them really), but because I’ve got so much invested in the cable system as it is right now.

I have my internet broadband service through cable, I have my landline phone service (Vonage) running through my cable lines and, of course, I have several tiers of cable TV service including a DVR set. I’m looking at the possibility of rate changes, services changes, equipment changes, billing schedule changes, and, worst of all, possibly having the whole channel lineup change. I really don’t want to have to learn a whole new set of channel locations. And they better not get rid of any of my favorite channels. Gag, I’ve become a complete cable junkie. Just give me my stuff, I have to have it, man.

Update: Uh-oh. This doesn’t bode well. I’ll assume for now it’s just a “Chicago thing” (you know how those people are).

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I never liked Comcast when I lived in Chgo for the weak reason that they didn't accept payment at the corner Currency Exchange, which is where all young, respectable 20-somethings paid their bills, usually on the day when service was cut. Comcast required payment through the mail, which usually meant 3 or 4 days of no cable. But the techs were always good for a one-time payment for HBO.

Anonymous said...

are monopolies not grand? I always assumed that consumers had a choice in the market...but I guess they really dont. Ah well.

ThirtyWhat said...

I'm leary ... but I read an article that Comcast cut a deal with Tivo to use their software on their DVR boxes. I would be the happiest ThirtyWhat in ThirytWhat land if my cable-provided DVR had the Tivo software! Oh, how I miss those little bloops ...

Here's a link:
http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/11/comcast-begins-long-awaited-rollout-of-tivo-set-top-box/