I Hate my FREEDOM!
So I'm sitting in training today at my new job, and I'm talking with some of my co-workers about the cost of cable vs. available channels (very thrilling stuff I assure you). One of the ladies that I work with was saying how she had heard that there was soon to be a law that would require cable providers to let you pay per channel for your cable. This means you would basically be able to come up with your own packaging for your cable service. Neat right? Sounds like a good idea.... if you spend most of your time thinking with your knee. A LAW!!?? A freaking law telling cable providers to let you choose your channels! I couldn't believe it. Here we have companies providing a service that in no stretch of the imagination could be considered vital, and yet some people out there are willing to walk all over the owner's rights as Americans for the ability to pick their own channels! Where in our constitution does it say you have a right to cable, and the right to pick your channels? How stupid is that? This just pissed me off to hear about the ease with which some people would give up their rights and the rights of others. Grow up America, there are some things you can't have, and you shouldn't use the government to get. Get over it, and move on with your life!
Random thoughts from long ago...
2 comments:
Hmmm. This is a sticky subject. I agree, the government shouldn't fix every little problem, and choosing individual stations might be one of them.
But then you've got the issue of monopoly and America does have anti-monopoly laws. Now, while a Cable TV Service isn't a "utility" the providers of those services, with Comcast being the largest, are starting to be looked at as Utility Providers due to the fact bandwidth (which is their business, they sell bandwidth for TV and internet) is a commodity now.
I can't choose my cable provider. That's not an open market! There's only a handful of major data providers in the country to choose from. Much like gas service and electricity, you're stuck with whoever is in your area, and you're stuck with their prices. So, in this one little move (getting individual channels) the gov. is over-reacting, but do we need oversight on the cable providers? Heck, yes.
There is a rare case where you only have one provider available to you. If it's TV you want (keep in mind it's a WANT not a NEED) you can go over-the-air, cable, FiOS, or satellite. Hardly a monopoly. For internet, you have cable, air card, DSL, or, once again, FiOS. Both internet and TV are deeply ingrained into our culture now, but if they are important enough, you will pay the price for the service that best suits your needs. Otherwise, you will do without. Government has no business interfering.
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