Cablevision is under attack
April 21, 2008 by Henry E. Powderly II
The Consumerist, one of the most widely-read blogs on the planet, is going after our local cable company. And we’re not sure why.
According to the blog, Cablevision customers who do not subscribe to digital service — who plug their televisions directly into the wall instead and receive Cablevision’s Sixty-ish analog channels — received notice from the Bethpage-based company that it is transferring a few of those channels to the digital tier: Animal Planet, The Learning Channel, A&E, E!, Sci-Fi Channel, Travel Channel and C-SPAN2.
Consumerist claims Cablevision is using the FCC’s February 2009 deadline to switch all signals to digital, as the reason for migrating the channels. But Consumerist says it’s really an attempt to upsell customers to the digital tier.
The blog also recorded a few conversations with Cablevision’s customer service department. They claim the phone rep is making the case that the FCC is mandating these channels migrate to digital. LI Biz Blog listened to them and didn’t hear it. Rather, it sounded like the rep said “February 2008″ when she should have said “February 2009.”
Check the posts out and decide for yourselves.
Cablevision blatantly lies to subscribers as the FCC twiddles its thumbs
Cablevision claims they are not lying liars, but mysteries remain
Cablevision’s letter clearly states that the FCC isn’t making them migrate the channels, and they even offered to give people digital services and boxes for free for a year.
It seems Cablevision is offering analog subscribers a soft entry into digital. A year from now, you’ll have no choice.
Perhaps that’s the bigger issue. Viewers who only want a few channels, and no cable box, will have no alternative when the 2009 switch to digital takes place. And digital service does cost more for the subscription and the box.
So, as of February 2009, basic television service will cost more. Will any of you turn off the TVs?
Dude, the switch to digital is only mandated for BROADCAST signals. If Cablevision really cared about their customers instead oof their digital box rental and ¨navigation¨ fee, they could down convert the signals to analog and continue to supply them over the cable.
I vaguely recall them promising some such service for people without digital televisions when the whole digital broadcast mandate got passed. Of course, that was BS then just as it is now.