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You are here: Home / TV & Movies / Television / Cord Cutting

Cord Cutting

by John Cole|  January 28, 202212:18 am| 99 Comments

This post is in: Television

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I know this conversation is going to be very 2008, but I think I am finally to the point that I am just letting my cable channel subscription go. I don’t recall the last time I ever watched anything, it brings me no joy, I don’t watch any sports other than the Pens, and I just can not justify the expense. I’m getting closer to retirement age and 100 more bucks in the bank every month seems smarter.

My netflix, hulu, and prime queues already are large than I could ever possibly finish, so why do I keep funding right wing extremist networks?

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Reader Interactions

99Comments

  1. 1.

    RaflW

    January 28, 2022 at 12:24 am

    Definitely cite Fox Nudes in your cancellation letter.

  2. 2.

    ruemara

    January 28, 2022 at 12:29 am

    I did that. I only have internet and streaming. I don’t really miss much besides Hallmark movies.

  3. 3.

    MattF

    January 28, 2022 at 12:30 am

    I did that several months ago. I resolved to give the Comcast service rep who took my cancellation call monosyllabic negative answers to any questions and not offer any explanations. It worked, and I’m done with them.

  4. 4.

    ant

    January 28, 2022 at 12:32 am

    we made the switch a couple of years ago.

     

    I think we pay more now than ever before with all the subs.

     

    Netflixs, hbo go, amazon prime, hulu, and apple tv. I think that’s everything.

    It is certainly not difficult to find something good to watch like this. But my god, that’s a lot I guess. My husband likes and watches a lot of TV. We have the luxury of not fighting about money.

  5. 5.

    El Cruzado

    January 28, 2022 at 12:32 am

    When I moved to the West Coast I only got Internet service from the cable company and that was 11 years ago and never missed cable channels.

    Comcast really wanted me to buy the pack. Less so these days. Didn’t help that initially they’d assume that my name meant all I wanted in life was fútbol y telenovelas. Surprisingly they completely stopped with that after some screaming at customer support so I guess there’s a field in their customer database for “do not try to sell this man fútbol y telenovelas”.

  6. 6.

    frosty

    January 28, 2022 at 12:34 am

    We cut it this summer. The only problem, not an issue for you, was NFL. We solved it with an antenna that pulls in Baltimore and even Washington. Dunno if we’re saving money, considering all the streaming services … but we were paying for Prime and Apple anyway.

    ETA We still have to pay Comcast for internet. No other good source.

  7. 7.

    ChuckInAustin

    January 28, 2022 at 12:46 am

    Yeah, I feel you. I pay for YouTube TV just for live sports. It’s not worth it, but I still pay it.

  8. 8.

    CaseyL

    January 28, 2022 at 12:49 am

    Did the same a few months ago after trying to for at least a year – I searched everywhere. Almost went back to Earthlink, FFS, which was my ISP something like 10 years ago (!) but the speed they offered for the price was… just insulting. When T-Mobile announced it was offering internet-only, for any device, I immediately signed up.

    This was after asking Comcast repeatedly for an internet-only account, which they claimed never to have… until I called them to cancel. Then, suddenly, they had one.

    I think Comcast is losing enough customers to ISPs like T-Mobile that it decided to up its game. It’s offering a promotional deal for $20/month, but I don’t know the speed you get for that price, or what the post-promotional “real” monthly fee is. I also don’t know if they’ll still be paying those damn fees to Fox.

  9. 9.

    Ruckus

    January 28, 2022 at 12:49 am

    I haven’t had cable since 2005 and the only reason I had it then was because I had to have the service to get internet where I was living then. I didn’t even have a TV, only a computer up until about 3 years ago when someone gave me one. The TV plays Netflix. When I moved to where I live now the cable companies tried their damnest to convince me to get cable, but the last call I had from them I decided to go full Ruckus and told them to fuck off. I still get mail from them but not one phone call since. I’ve thought about writing Fuck Off in red felt tip across the bill and sending it back…. Truly I think we should let them know how we feel about them, it’s a disservice not to be fully honest with them…..

  10. 10.

    CaseyL

    January 28, 2022 at 12:52 am

    @Ruckus: I think I told Comcast cost was an issue, which was true.  They kept adding more fees every month: my bill started out at $77/month and climbed up to $130.

    I didn’t tell them it was because of Fox, because I figured they wouldn’t care about that so much as they would about complaints about their pricing.

  11. 11.

    Stuart in Austin

    January 28, 2022 at 12:57 am

    Quit watching stuff in 1995. Have no subscriptions to anything but a couple of magazines. I do scrounge for interesting science videos on YouTube, a habit I’ve acquired since the second year of the pandemic. I read several hours every day.

  12. 12.

    Ken B

    January 28, 2022 at 12:57 am

    @ruemara: Frndly is abou $10 a month, has a couple of Hallmark channels, as well as some other channels. Weather Channel; Hitler, err, History Channel; Curiousity Stream; and I think they added A&E.

    I’ve been looking around for Hallmark streaming for my Mom, she wants to cut the cord but is a big Hallmark fan. It also has a couple of GAN (GCN?) channels. That means something to Hallmark fans, appatently.

  13. 13.

    NotMax

    January 28, 2022 at 12:58 am

    Since I cut the cable last year I receive two or even three offers each and every week in the mailbox to re-up at a “special rate” (fine print: for one year, then regular rates apply).

    If they’d stop with the mailings they could probably save enough money to lower the regular cost for all comers.

    Currently have plenty among which to choose.

    Netflix (lowest tier plan; it’s only me so why would I need to stream different programming on multiple devices at the same time)
    Prime (came along with Prime membership, although it is also available as a standalone for those who don’t want the whole Prime package; Mom is also included in my Prime account as the free to add to any membership additional person so she gets the streaming as well)
    Sling (primarily for MSNBC and TCM, although dip into other channels from time to time)
    Hulu (took advantage of the 99 cent per month for a year offer surrounding last Black Friday)
    Plethora of no additional charge streaming channels via Roku
    .

  14. 14.

    BigJimSlade

    January 28, 2022 at 1:00 am

    (like a chant at a rally):
    Cut the cord.
    Cut the cord.
    (ad nauseum)

  15. 15.

    Ruckus

    January 28, 2022 at 1:00 am

    @CaseyL:

    I doubt they give a damn about anything but you paying the biggest bill they can talk you into. Not service, not quality, not the word NOFUCKINGWAY…. They care that your check is big and clears. BTW in my experience Spectrum is the worst. Now I know that others may argue with me, that the service they now have is the worst, but these are the people that told me that all the things they offered me they did better than the competition, except that where I lived they were the only provider of anything at that address other than the phone company which would provide 1200 baud service. This in the last 5 yrs. And I didn’t have landline service, haven’t since 2005. I had to file a complaint with the FCC. Guess what happened when SFB was elected?

  16. 16.

    NotMax

    January 28, 2022 at 1:06 am

    Been contemplating adding an antenna to pick up over the air channels but hasn’t been anything compelling on them for so many years that keep putting it off.

  17. 17.

    NotMax

    January 28, 2022 at 1:11 am

    @Ruckus

    Spectrum here is head and shoulders above its predecessor companies when it comes to being an ISP and continuing to upgrade their coverage. Bandwidth to spare in my immediate neighborhood.

  18. 18.

    Ruckus

    January 28, 2022 at 1:12 am

    @NotMax:

    When I moved to my current address 3 yrs ago I bought a flat small antenna that was pinned on a wall inside the apt and was line of sight with all the LA area commercial transmitters on Mt Wilson, a tall mountain in the local range.  Perfect reception. I took it down after one day and it’s in the box, ready to go to electronic recycling so that I don’t throw heavy objects at my TV.

  19. 19.

    Ruckus

    January 28, 2022 at 1:14 am

    @NotMax:

    Not like that here in SoCal. Pure crap on toast. Whatever is making them good in HI doesn’t translate to CA.

  20. 20.

    ruemara

    January 28, 2022 at 1:18 am

    @Ken B: Yeah, I saw their ad. I think I’m going to sub.

  21. 21.

    NotMax

    January 28, 2022 at 1:19 am

    @Ruckus

    Can only speak to Maui. For all I know they suck nene balls on the other islands where they might provide service.

    ;)

  22. 22.

    Bnut

    January 28, 2022 at 1:20 am

    Disney+, student NFL Sunday ticket (so cheap), Amazon and basic Comcast and gig internet. Cheaper than Direct TV by itself. The wife is a Republican, she actually culls the costs on some of this shit better than me. Yes, come at me.

  23. 23.

    Betsy

    January 28, 2022 at 1:28 am

    Jeepers!!!! Do people really pay a HUNDRED DOLLARS A MONTH to watch T.V.??

  24. 24.

    James E Powell

    January 28, 2022 at 1:28 am

    I have no cable, but I subscribed to directv streaming for sports. I have too many streaming services: netflix, disney plus, and amazon prime with three or four other subs attached. It’s a product of pandemic isolation. I’m always home.

  25. 25.

    sab

    January 28, 2022 at 1:35 am

    Getting cable was a condition for my now spouse moving in with his tv twenty years ago, so I am stuck with it. But at least we have Spectrum not Comcast.

  26. 26.

    Ruckus

    January 28, 2022 at 1:44 am

    @Betsy:

    Yes some people do. Many that pay that or close to it do so to have all the possibilities and many because they have low resistance to sales pitches. Here in the land of $4.50-5.00/gal gas and big 4×4 trucks that have never seen snow, or even dirt on a road, let alone ever been on a dirt road, are jacked 10-12 inches and have tires that assist their crappy gas milage into likely single digit range, I’d suspect that they spend money for some reason beyond human comprehension.

  27. 27.

    NotMax

    January 28, 2022 at 1:49 am

    @James E Powell

    I joined Prime for the (mostly) free shipping – package costs sent to Hawaii are stratospheric – and originally considered Prime streaming a bonus benefit. As mentioned above, also happy I can include in Mom at no cost whatsoever to her.

  28. 28.

    eclare

    January 28, 2022 at 1:49 am

    Awesome.  Nadal reaches AUS final.  He is currently tied with No-vax for Grand Slam titles.  I am not a tennis fan, but I know who I’m cheering for!

  29. 29.

    JCJ

    January 28, 2022 at 1:55 am

    @eclare:

    Yup.  I don’t follow tennis very much and my family not at all, but we were cheering for Nadal to get to 21 before Novax.

  30. 30.

    Grover Gardner

    January 28, 2022 at 1:58 am

    We haven’t had cable or dish TV for over 10 years now.  I don’t miss it one single bit.

  31. 31.

    Winston

    January 28, 2022 at 2:02 am

    Spectrum internet wifi here in Winston FL is 79.99/mo. They keep a barrage of snail mail and email at me wanting me to add their Cable at 45.99 each (internet and cable) , but I hate cable. Reading that Netflix was going to raise their rates, I was getting ready to cancel, but today got an email from them it was going up from 9.84/m to 9.99/m. That is tolerable. But I haven’t even been watching tv or browsing/streaming since I got books 5-8 of Outlander on Kindle. I added Starz for 20/6mo because they have books 5 and 6 Outlander streaming. Did I mention I am an Outlander freak?

  32. 32.

    JAFD

    January 28, 2022 at 2:05 am

    Maybe oneovdezedaze I’ll get myself a TV set …

    I’m told it’s a marvelous invention …

  33. 33.

    trollhattan

    January 28, 2022 at 2:12 am

    In Soviet our town, cable cut us. IOW the internet-phone-cable company decided “Eh” to running the cable side of things.
    For now we’re running various streaming services through a Roku box and TBH it’s a fooking mess, as each has its unique home page and controls, with varying capabilities to do simple things like pause and god help you, rewind. DVR? Nope. Bone simple remote and a lot of familiar controls are absent.
    Anyhoo, not a simple proposition. Think a smart teebee is in order and running the network through that, and not a connected box. It’s not entirely clear what looping from teevee to the receiver is like, versus the opposite as now. To be continued.​

  34. 34.

    Anotherlurker

    January 28, 2022 at 2:17 am

    I cut the cord years ago and never looked back. I stream Prime, mostly.   In season, I subscribe to MLB TV , for access to Mets games.   Yes, there is a bit of self loathing in my make up.

    I’m very happy with the move away from the sewer of cable TV.

  35. 35.

    trollhattan

    January 28, 2022 at 2:23 am

    Furrow Condition Yellow: Collins breaks out in swales over SCOTUS.

    January 27, 2022 at 10:54 pm EST By Taegan Goddard

    Sen. Susan Collins urged Democrats not “rush” to confirm President Joe Biden’s pick to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.

    Said Collins: “I felt that the timetable for the last nominee was too compressed. This time, there is no need for any rush. We can take our time, have hearings, go through the process—which is a very important one. It is a lifetime appointment, after all.”

    Well Suzie, you didn’t bother to mention that at the time, now did you? I wonder why that might have been?

  36. 36.

    Poe Larity

    January 28, 2022 at 2:27 am

    Cut Comcast and just have microwave WISP for $35/month

    On and off again about Netflix, hardly use it. HBO, Showtime, intinerant roomie logs in Amazon and Hulu.

  37. 37.

    Ben Cisco, MSCIS Padawan

    January 28, 2022 at 2:28 am

    Ditched the satellite at some point after Mrs. Cisco passed. When I moved home I had to get a basic cable package to get internet decent enough to work with. Once I got to BHM I was finally able to get an internet-only package. YouTube TV and Disney+ and Prime. Good to go.

    Bonus: I got Mama Cisco off the dish for Christmas. She said best gift ever.

  38. 38.

    sab

    January 28, 2022 at 2:41 am

    @trollhattan: Jeez, that sounds complicated. We have a smart tv, but I am not, so that p’s a potential problem. There are a lot of programs I want, but Irish-American husband is phobic about all things British, so I am postponing that battle. (Silly man. Your wife’s people were mostly all Brits. Deal with it.)

  39. 39.

    mrmoshpotato

    January 28, 2022 at 2:53 am

    Would Hulu + live TV have the option of watching the skating tuxedoed birds?

    ETA – or YouTube TV? (thanks ChuckInAustin)

  40. 40.

    NotMax

    January 28, 2022 at 3:10 am

    @<sab

    It’s not that bad. Different channels may have different quirks much as different eateries may have Pepsi instead of Coke. If soon to be 94-year-old “I’m afraid if I press the wrong button I’ll permanently break something” Mom can proficiently navigate the Roku landscape….

  41. 41.

    sab

    January 28, 2022 at 3:20 am

    @NotMax: That’s heartening. I used to be quite mechanically adept, but I really cannot deal with being trained by twenty something male twerps. Kind of like the old days with record stores: why do you want classical music? This weeks latest pop/ rock is so much better.

  42. 42.

    sab

    January 28, 2022 at 3:27 am

    @NotMax: My younger stepson is a first adaptor, and actually very  decent at explaining stuff. I might try to corner him about Roku.

  43. 43.

    delk

    January 28, 2022 at 3:39 am

    Cut two years ago. Asked Comcast for internet only and had no problems at all. Took less than five minutes.
    Have Hulu + live which now comes with Disney +, I get HBO Max as part of my cell phone deal. I pay for britbox and acorn, prime, and Netflix.

  44. 44.

    Ascap_scab

    January 28, 2022 at 4:09 am

    I killed my Dish a year ago. Not looking back.

    I rarely watch movies and Netflix just raised their prices again, so it’s  going away at the end of the month.

    That leaves me with YouTubeTV ($65/mo), Amazon Prime (free since I pay for 2-day shipping), and Peacock ($5/mo or $50/yr). Between those and all the free apps, I have everything I need. If I really want a movie, there’s always RedBox down the street.

  45. 45.

    sab

    January 28, 2022 at 4:09 am

    @NotMax: Progress. Used to be they did push the button, break stuff, and then blame you.

  46. 46.

    NotMax

    January 28, 2022 at 4:10 am

    @sab

    Just for the grin.

    ;)

  47. 47.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 28, 2022 at 4:14 am

    Cut the cord and went to dish about 10 years ago, cut that off about 4 years ago, went with Sling which I cancelled last year.  Just Spectrum internet which is my only choice here.

  48. 48.

    sab

    January 28, 2022 at 4:22 am

    “Find me a four year old child.”

    Lol. Stepson (nearly forty) won’t laugh but I did

    ETA responding to Notmax at #46

  49. 49.

    NotMax

    January 28, 2022 at 4:23 am

    @BillinGlendaleCA

    Sling updated their interface not all that long ago. Some parts of it more streamlined, others now would befuddle the Minotaur.

  50. 50.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 28, 2022 at 4:27 am

    @NotMax: It was just too expensive, I needed to cut back anything.

  51. 51.

    sab

    January 28, 2022 at 4:28 am

    @sab: NotMax. I hate when they misspell my nym ( sab, not Sab.)

  52. 52.

    David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch

    January 28, 2022 at 4:30 am

    I use a pair of binoculars and watch live sports through my neighbor’s window.

    For internet I go wireless using the fillings in my teeth as an antenna.

  53. 53.

    NotMax

    January 28, 2022 at 4:32 am

    @sab

    Trust me, I’ve been called worse.

    And here at B-J, we’re graced with raven, Raven and RAVEN, all the same fellow.

    ;)

  54. 54.

    sab

    January 28, 2022 at 4:34 am

    @NotMax: Isn’t there some other guy ( steep)  who has a different nym for every device?

    ETA I love steep. He has talked me through many computer issues.

  55. 55.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 28, 2022 at 4:50 am

    @David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch: You don’t use the 5G in the Covid vax?

  56. 56.

    sab

    January 28, 2022 at 4:53 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Cannot have 5 G anywhere near an airport. Yucks to you, urban elites.

  57. 57.

    NotMax

    January 28, 2022 at 5:04 am

    @sab

    “I phoned my stockbroker while near an airport and went back in time.”

    //

  58. 58.

    p.a.

    January 28, 2022 at 5:05 am

    Have been fios internet/phone only for 5+ years.  My employee/retiree discount is about 10% and I still won’t pay for the tv portion.  Miss some sports, but otherwise…  Have prime, barely use that.  Went 1 year with no tv quite a while ago just for shits/giggles.  That was tough.

  59. 59.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 28, 2022 at 5:14 am

    @sab: That’s not quite true, it’s just certain frequencies in the expanded 5G and it is right by airports.  I do know a lot about airspace, I’m studying for my remote pilot license.

  60. 60.

    sab

    January 28, 2022 at 5:19 am

    Uncut cord. Spouse, age 70, off into a cold winter night to drive his kid, almost forty, to work because kid had license suspended in DUI. Not drunk. Just high on some prescribed anti-anxiety medication.

    Whatever the source, his driving that night scared the shit out of the cops. He could have killed someone. I am so tired for making excuses for dangerous behavior. We all have problems. We don’t all deal with them by doing shit that might kill someone we do not even know.

  61. 61.

    David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch

    January 28, 2022 at 5:21 am

    @NotMax: ​
      Is that a Don Henley lyric?

  62. 62.

    oldster

    January 28, 2022 at 5:48 am

    Did Twitter just change their access policies?

    For years now I have been reading several twitter threads regularly, without having an account.

    Today, I can see about the top two or three items, and then a screen comes up that tells me I have to sign in if I want to read more.

    If it’s a choice, then the choice is easy — I’ll stop going to twitter. Get some hours of life back. No way that I will sign up for the hell-site.

    But it was never a choice before.

    Is anyone else having this problem, or is it because of my phone, my settings, safari, etc.?

  63. 63.

    MagdaInBlack

    January 28, 2022 at 6:11 am

    The First Lady has just posted a picture of Willow, the new White House Cat. ( on her FB page)

    Off topic, I know.

  64. 64.

    David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch

    January 28, 2022 at 6:18 am

    @MagdaInBlack: ​
      Thanks!

    It’s on twitter, too

    Meet Willow!? pic.twitter.com/Gl3SnsMnvW
    — Jill Biden (@FLOTUS) January 28, 2022

  65. 65.

    Gvg

    January 28, 2022 at 6:21 am

    @oldster: I had that problem for about a month….a couple of months back. Then it went away. Not sure why. I did several hard updates to my device and o/s updates but as I recall, it was happening on my work computer too. I think you may try clearing cache too.

  66. 66.

    Baud

    January 28, 2022 at 6:57 am

    @MagdaInBlack:

    @David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch:

     

    Oh yeah. I can hear the polls turning around.

  67. 67.

    BruceFromOhio

    January 28, 2022 at 7:10 am

    Do it! My AT&T Uverse cable box-DVR got unplugged last summer when I moved around the furniture and the big-screen in the tv room. I got everything back connected, but somehow neglected to plug in the power supply for the cable box. It was almost three months before either I or MrsFromOhio noticed it. I immediately dumped AT&T Uverse cable while keeping the internet service. The change in my AT&T bill freed up significant funds, and easily covered the various subscriptions to the streaming services.

    I live close to the local affiliates digital transmitters. I invested in a Tablo DVR hooked up to a digital antenna that sits in the window of an upstairs bedroom. For an initial $250 investment I get the local stations and the PBS affiliate that I can watch via Tablo app on my iPhone or the big screen. Two months of Uverse paid for it and an annual subscription to get all the guides. And all the NFL, NASCAR, Olympics and NCIS spinoffs I can possibly tolerate. The Tablo has a fast-forward feature that jumps in 30-second intervals or longer, I can compress time and watch the Chiefs beat the Bills in OT in under two hours and not miss a play.

    Obviously doesn’t work well if you live in a rural area with weak digital tv signals. Nevertheless, highly recommended. If you want the details, hit me up at Brucefromohio AT gmail dot com.

  68. 68.

    satby

    January 28, 2022 at 7:12 am

    Cut the cord so long ago I don’t remember. Did satellite for a while till ATT bought Direct TV and ruined that service, so now only streaming. I get Prime, Hulu (about to cancel), and Netflix (also about to cancel); I find I don’t watch anything but stuff on Prime, where I also have both Acorn and Britbox. Acorn is about to get the heave-ho too. Prime make a it easy to drop and then readd a channel. Still haven’t even taken the Roku TV I bought out of the box, thinking of just reselling it.

  69. 69.

    BruceFromOhio

    January 28, 2022 at 7:15 am

    @oldster: ​

    If it’s a choice, then the choice is easy — I’ll stop going to twitter.

    Excellent choice. Use the time for self-care, reading a book, learning a new language, cleaning the kitchen, or staring off into space. Your life immediately improves.

  70. 70.

    No name

    January 28, 2022 at 7:18 am

    @oldster: Not just you; this just started happening for me this morning.  Was working as you described as late as yesterday evening.

  71. 71.

    Geminid

    January 28, 2022 at 7:27 am

    @No name: Same for me with Twitter. They actually loosened up a few days ago in that they started allowing me to follow up various replies. That had not been the case for months. But now access is tighter than ever. Like a carrot and stick approach.

    I’ll probably end up joining, but I’ll wait a bit.

  72. 72.

    No name

    January 28, 2022 at 7:41 am

    @Geminid: I’ll wait a bit and see if it stops ? Haven’t cleared cache in a while so will try that first.

  73. 73.

    MazeDancer

    January 28, 2022 at 7:42 am

    For $25 a month you can have unlimited hotspot data and phone service. Visible by Verizon. Party Pay Plan.

    That’s all I pay for internet and phone.

    “Pulse” the streaming services for 1 to 3 months to binge, then drop them.

    Get MSNBC via their web site either listening by “podcast” or watching clips. If need it live, stream free at https://livenewschat.eu/politics/

    Paying Optimum for pricey internet or YouTube TV 65 a month did not add up to savings. This saves me $165 a month over former cable/internet/phone.

  74. 74.

    HeartlandLiberal

    January 28, 2022 at 7:49 am

    We cut the cable cord over ten years ago, after realizing we were much so much money for wife to watch two shows. Which are now on Netflix and Amazon Prime. Among Netfllix, Amazon Prime, Acorn TV, and MHXChoice for European series, we have access to more shows from around the world than we will ever have time to watch, plus we have discovered that most of the rest of the world makes a lot better TV series, especially mysteries, than American TV is capable of. The South Korean and Chinese period costume pieces set anywhere from 100 to 400 years ago are the best. Check out Netflix “Rookie Historian” for a great example from South Korea. For Chinese, check out “The Princess Weiyoung.”

  75. 75.

    Mimi Haha

    January 28, 2022 at 8:12 am

    I’ve never had cable. I only bought a tv about 20 years ago (yeah, I’m old). Between Jeopardy!, streaming and dvds from the library I have enough to watch. I do remind everyone* I know who have cable they’re paying Tucker Carlson.

     

    *If you really need cable to get any signal at all I will lay off.

  76. 76.

    artem1s

    January 28, 2022 at 8:24 am

    Might want to consider getting rid of Hulu too. It’s got the same problem as cable. You can’t get away from the ads no matter what package you get and you are supporting their contracts with Fux News even if you’re not paying for the live version.

  77. 77.

    cleek

    January 28, 2022 at 8:38 am

    i was so happy when we finally dropped DirecTV. 50% of the channels were 24/7 infomercials and 25% were PPV movies.

    now we do NFX, Hulu and Prime, and I don’t think we miss anything at all from cable.

    if i want shrieking wingnut garbage, there’s always OAN from the Samsung streaming service built into my TV.

  78. 78.

    WaterGirl

    January 28, 2022 at 8:40 am

    @oldster: Pretty sure it’s Twitter.

    Their current business model seems to be “make it more and more annoying and difficult to see what’s on twitter without having an actual account.”

  79. 79.

    The Pale Scot

    January 28, 2022 at 9:39 am

    You can use VIP League to stream sports, and https://nhlvideo.net to replay games in full, no commercials, NFL Replay as saved me oodles of hours. The streaming services have the occasional hiccups so you might have to reload the page, and you’ll have ads opening up as you get to the stream, it takes a minute

  80. 80.

    The Pale Scot

    January 28, 2022 at 9:48 am

    @Ruckus:

    I understand that Spectrum is a subsidiary of Sirius Cybernatics.

    They too were the first up against the wall when the revolution came

  81. 81.

    The Pale Scot

    January 28, 2022 at 9:54 am

    @Poe Larity:

    just have microwave WISP for $35/month

    What is that, the google is inconclusive

  82. 82.

    ruthie

    January 28, 2022 at 9:58 am

    I have been enjoying Pluto tv. So far it’s free and has all kinds of stuff on it.

  83. 83.

    The Pale Scot

    January 28, 2022 at 9:58 am

    @sab:

    but Irish-American husband is phobic about all things British,

    Is he from the island? Or Boston? Or Rockaway?

    That’s hysterical, give him this

    https://www.rte.ie/player/onnow

     

    @sab:

  84. 84.

    Miss Bianca

    January 28, 2022 at 10:22 am

    what are these “cable” and “streaming” things you all are speaking of?

    Doesn’t everyone make do with DVDs borrowed from the library that you can watch on your non-smart TV? No?

    OK, I really am a hick from the sticks.

  85. 85.

    WaterGirl

    January 28, 2022 at 10:32 am

    @ruthie: Hi there, you posted as “ra” and it kind of looked like “ra” might have been a mistake, so I checked and you had commented previously as ruthie.  So I changed your nym on this comment to “ruthie” and then approved it.

    If you want to stick with ruthie, you will want to change “ra” to “ruthie” before you post your next comment.  If you really intended “ra”, then post again as “ra” and I will approve that comment, and then going forward, all your comments as “ra” will show up right way for everyone.

  86. 86.

    Poe Larity

    January 28, 2022 at 11:35 am

    @The Pale Scot: Wireless provider, using mesh network. They install a dish on your roof and point it at another building that is in the mesh. Microwavey.

    I never had cable, but comcast internets which had been very reliable would drop out every morning randomly. For months. Can’t have that WFH. Got the WISP as a backup (WLAN failover) and decided it was reliable enough to be primary, then unplugged comcast for awhile and decided I could live without it and use cell hotspot for work emergencies.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_Internet_service_provider

  87. 87.

    ruthie

    January 28, 2022 at 11:46 am

    @WaterGirl:
    Thank you. I will change it to ruthie.
    ​

  88. 88.

    Nancy

    January 28, 2022 at 11:47 am

    Good for you, John Cole. Invest that $100.00 and retire a happy man–or as happy as you ever are.  (would you really be happy if you were happy?)

    I’m making plan to retire for the second time in the past 10 years, while still working. Eventually I want to do the things about a job that I like and not do the things I don’t. Seems reasonable, doesn’t it?

    I’ll let you know if it works.

  89. 89.

    ruthie

    January 28, 2022 at 11:50 am

    @WaterGirl: I’m an idiot. I changed it now.

  90. 90.

    J R in WV

    January 28, 2022 at 12:26 pm

    @NotMax: ​
     

    And here at B-J, we’re graced with raven, Raven and RAVEN, all the same fellow.

    You really think they’re all the same guy? Hmmm…

    ;~)

  91. 91.

    J R in WV

    January 28, 2022 at 12:51 pm

    We have a broadcast antenna next door up on the ridge. Here in our hollow we are protected from all RF signals. We have an Ethernet connection to the neighbor’s, where there is also a sat dish for internet connectivity. We get NBC, ABC, and Fox over the air, and CNN and MSNBC streaming from the sat dish. No cell service at the house, the phone stays in the car, and a full charge lasts a month or more.

    I won’t say what we pay for connectivity, way, way too high. Land line at home, Verizon cell, Viasat internet.  We will never have cell connection here. Line of sight to a cell tower required, will never happen. Line of sight hits stone walls, steep hillsides…

  92. 92.

    StringOnAStick

    January 28, 2022 at 2:34 pm

    We had to get our ISP with cable when we moved here 1.3 years ago because we needed the extra bandwidth for husband to WFH.  The higher data rate was only available if you got cable too and he was concerned we could hit their data cap if we didn’t, so we got a 2 year contract.  We’ve heard rumors this is no longer the case and will be cutting the cord for cable at the renewal point; I am planning to make SURE they know we are cutting cable because it supports FOX.

    Thanks for the hint that Hulu supports FOX too, we bought the cheapo service when they had their $.99 sale in December, but the ads are nearly constant so we don’t like watching anything on Hulu and will be cancelling that as well.

  93. 93.

    Ruckus

    January 28, 2022 at 3:32 pm

    @oldster:

    I got kicked off twit because their computer can’t read, so I’m in the same position. The site didn’t let me read anything for a bit then I got the very few responses blocking screen like you, then I could read all I want, now I’m back to the few responses and blocking screen. I have vowed to myself not to sign back on with twit, and I think it has improved my life.

  94. 94.

    Ruckus

    January 28, 2022 at 3:41 pm

    @Mimi Haha:

    We had a B/W 9 in TV back in the early 50s. It was never good, ghosts, washed out picture, interference from everything but WE HAD TV. Folks got a new TV about 60-61, a 19 in portable on what looked like a TV tray. Nothing like staying current… It’s been sort of downhill since – I was given a 65 in flat screen a couple of years ago. I watch Netflix on it, maybe on average a couple of hrs a day at most.

  95. 95.

    Carol Van Natta

    January 28, 2022 at 4:25 pm

    My late partner was an avid consumer of TV/movies, so we signed up for DISH premium and got Comcast for internet only.

    I don’t watch much TV, so I paused the DISH service for 6 months, just in case I missed it. I didn’t, so bye, bye DISH. I even gave away the giant TV + sound setup. I decided I’d rather the living room be designed for something besides worshiping the gods of entertainment.

    Our city is installing fiber internet. As soon as the service goes live in my neighborhood, I’m saying bye-bye to Comcast internet, too. The service is decent but expensive at $85/mo. — the city’s will be $20 cheaper. Comcast internet only barely misses being a monopoly because the landline phone company offers slug-slow internet service as competition.

    Comcast spent nearly $1M in local ads, mailers, lobbying, etc. to defeat the ballot measure that authorized the city to do the fiber thing. The measure passed by a wide margin. Comcast’s latest tactic is to offer a low-price, two-year contract with an astronomical early-termination fee, thereby tying up the customer base. They’re hoping the citizens will be unhappy that the city fiber project isn’t making its revenue targets and pull the plug.

    Not fucking likely. We still remember how Comcast wouldn’t upgrade our bandwidth for years, and that it took three or four weeks to get a service technician. And especially how they initially told residents we’d get “unlimited traffic,” which turned out to mean a secret limit that they’d only tell you about once you hit it, and try to strong-arm you into buying their business-rated service.

  96. 96.

    Janus Daniels

    January 28, 2022 at 4:43 pm

    Why would anyone pay for cable TV, let alone Concast?
    Even if you like Concast politics:
    https://billfixers.com/blog/21-times-comcast-worst-company-america

  97. 97.

    Bonnie McDaniel

    January 28, 2022 at 5:14 pm

    I have a Fire TV with Amazon Prime, Netflix, Disney/Paramount Plus, and Hulu (although that’s on hold right now–I like that with Hulu you can put it to sleep for up to 12 weeks at a time) and You Tube TV. For me, the main thing with You Tube TV is the unlimited DVR recording. And even with all that, I’ve saved $50 per month.

  98. 98.

    WaterGirl

    January 28, 2022 at 7:51 pm

    @ruthie: hahaha

    Your other ones are fixed and you are good to go.

  99. 99.

    The Pale Scot

    January 30, 2022 at 12:29 pm

    @Poe Larity: 

    Thank you

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