Cable service costs continue to rise

debodun

debodun

SF VIP
Location
way upstate in New York, USA
Now my cable bill is over $200 a month. I got out my invoice for January and compared it to this month's. Here is a summary:

In January - Basic TV was $84.98, Internet was $54.99 and phone was $28.94, taxes & fees were $8.78 and "other" charges were $12.65.

In July - Basic TV was $84.98 (same), Internet was $59.99 (increase), phone was $28.94 (same), taxes & fees were $11.54 (increase) and "other" charges were $14.69 (increase).

The last time they jacked up the prices, I called and asked if there was any way they could find to lower my bill. The only reply I received was yes, there was, but that would involve having to give up something. End of conversation.

They keep dropping channels and sometimes the TV picture pixelates. Earlier this week, both my phone and Internet were out for a few hours.
 

Sounds like I did the right thing, Stopped watching TV, about 4 years ago. Now I use the computer.
Same stuff if you can find it , without commercials.
Ever see John Wayne speaking chinese? lol
 
I remember back in time .. 6 years ago, when I had a $200 monthly cable bill and got 900 channels!.. Now who in the world needs 900 channels??
It was my husband's entertainment budget back then, and he recorded everything too, and rarely watched what he recorded.
After he died, I pulled the plug on everything.
I live just fine these days with a $25 indoor antenna and maybe 40-50 stations.
 
I cut the cable several years ago; the cost was ridiculous. I now have a Roku box and stream Netflix (which I am on the verge of getting rid of), Britbox, and Acorn, for a total of about $25 per month (I also stream stuff in from YouTube -- amazing how many shows and movies are on YouTube). I never have a problem finding something interesting to watch.
 
We have cable, high speed internet, and a landline bundled together. Around $150 per month if I remember correctly. If we had just high speed internet and a landline it would be more than half of the cost of the bundle. (Need the landline for our alarm system.)

We live in an area where there are several provider choices for cable/internet/landline so the prices don't get too far out of hand.

Bottom line: my husband enjoys certain programs that are only available through cable so we haven't cut the cord.
 
Meanwhile streaming services continue to expand. Perhaps the quickest way to make a fortune in the near future would be to start a book store!:geek:
 
debodun said:
Cable has a monopoly here, so they can do virtually anything they want unless you want to go dish. Some people have told me that dish reception stinks.
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Dish reception is interrupted by storms but only for a few minutes. The reception is razor sharp and there are no "cable outages."
 
I use just cable and it is over $100 now. I won't give it up because, like deb, there are channels I like on there. My son pays for my Netflix and Amazon and my smart phone. Someday I will probably have to cut the cable but none of the other options have what I want as yet. Internet is through my landline, the cost is kept down that way. Not saving much but less than bundling still. I'm waiting for government mandated internet. I have a feeling that is coming. Just pay for internet, streaming TV will come along with that, and cable with it's bundling will become obsolete.
 
Where we live, service providers are quite limited....certainly no "over the air" TV. Our local utility company strung Fiber Optics through this area a couple of years ago, and we went with them. 250 TV channels, 100MB internet, and unlimited land line phone runs about $150 a month....that's about $20 a month less than we were paying for Dish and Windstream phone/internet. The TV is extremely sharp, with fiber, and the Internet is super fast compared to the 5 MB(on a good day), that we had before.
 
Judycat said:
We are still waiting to be connected to fiber. Some areas have it others don't.
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If Fiber Optics becomes available in your area, I would Highly recommend it. Our 12+ year old Plasma TV is now as clear as most of the new TV's, the phone is crystal clear, and the Internet speed Never varies more than a small fraction of its rated speed.
 
Judycat said:
Sounds like you moved into the space age compared to here.
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We live in a very rural area, and the local Utility company is a Co-Op.....as such, they are not "profit driven" like most electric/tv/phone companies. We even get a "rebate" on our utility bills every year, when they factor in their costs, vs. profits...and they return any excess to the subscribers.
 
Butterfly said:
I cut the cable several years ago; the cost was ridiculous. I now have a Roku box and stream Netflix (which I am on the verge of getting rid of), Britbox, and Acorn, for a total of about $25 per month (I also stream stuff in from YouTube -- amazing how many shows and movies are on YouTube). I never have a problem finding something interesting to watch.
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"amazing how many shows and movies are on YouTube). I never have a problem finding something interesting to watch. "

I love You Tube. The more you dig, the more you find.
 

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