🚀 go-pugleaf

You have it lucky...  When my mother moved into her current
house in 1982 she wasn't sure about cable because it was to
expensive, but she decided since it was already hooked-up
that she would try it awhile.  Then it was $3.95/month, now
it is $35.95/month.  But hey if half the customers get disgusted
and put rabit ears up to pick up the one local station they
haven't bought up and closed down, they can always charge the
other half twice as much.

The other thing that pisses me off about cable companies
is they get you comming and going...  They charge extra
for things like:

  1) A converter so you can pick up the channels you are
     paying for.  (They always put local-community bullins
     on channels 2-13)
  2) A converter with a remote controle. So now you can have
     one for your TV, one for your VCR (both which won't work
     with a converter anyways), one for your sterio, and one
     for you converter.
  3) An addapter so you actually pick-up the sterio broadcasts
     they already raised your rates to by equipment for.
  4) Some-one comes and puts on a cable connector...  You can't
     do this your-self since you might not lock it properly.
     (Then some-one else might steal their cable...)  If you
     have a really motivated installer and a "special offer"
     they might permently scramble your VCR for you too.

Lastly, I've noticed in areas where thier is no cable compitition,
cable companies block-out programs to comply with Federal regulations.
(Reducing your varity of programming...  The oposite of what was 
intended by this FCC regulation.) In areas where there is
competition, they switch to another station during the dublicate
broadcast.(As was intended by the FCC regulation.)

Thank God, I can pick-up channels in France with-out cable.  (Too
bad that neither the French or the Swiss know how to make good 
television...)

                                   Bill