There was a time when televisions had antenna, there were only a handful of channels but it was free. Today there is so much more choice, literally hundreds and hundreds of channels are available at the flip of a remote.
There is a down side to all of this, the digital divide and a lack of choice. Comcast cable packages can cost upwards of $94.00 per month for their premium package including HBO and Showtime, the most basic service costs $53.98 per month, to bundle services, phone, high speed internet and television is $99.00, with promotional exceptions.
But there is competition; consumers can have a choice of companies. Not always and even then it is very limited. There is the RCN Cable at $80.00 for an internet and TV bundle; the Dish Network and Direct TV run $35.00 or $40.00 per month. That is about it, four companies not much competition at all. Even then all of the services are not available in all areas. Comcast is the industry giant and there are many neighborhoods where that is the only option.
Imagine many subscribers surprise a few years ago when Comcast went all digital, multiplying the number of channels by five or six, offering hundreds and hundreds of channels.
The price for Comcast then skyrocketed, they improved service, offered more selection, whether consumers wanted the added channels or not. Improved offerings consisted of not one HBO or Showtime but four or five and other channels like the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s music channels, the jazz and blues music channels, the metal and rap music channels and these are not videos, just a blank screen or the picture of a CD cover and music, or channels for the deaf that provide only the audio for a movie, not the picture. Did anyone ask for this?
The problem with this is greater than a decided monopoly of certain neighborhoods by certain cable service providers. It is also what many refer to as the “Digital Divide.” Not everyone can afford $50 or $100 per month for TV and internet services, so they are denied information. They are denied 24 hour news, denied C-Span to watch their government in action and a two tiered system is put in place for information and entertainment.
There is an old saying a journalism professor at NEIU once said, “There is no democracy unless you know democracy.” With out city wide real competition between cable companies these companies will continue to change what ever they want. The question is how many can afford to be in the “know” at these prices.