The cable companies actually do own you.
Easy now, satellite TV is a little different.

By: David Fugit

What a beautiful morning

The fresh morning sunlight gently warms you as you sip your Saturday morning coffee. You can hear the late morning news buzzing in the background on your cable serviced TV. The highlights of last night’s tennis match flicker in your mind as you half-mindedly flip through the stack of mail on you kitchen table.

Coupons, ads, more coupons, credit cards applications, and then it happens … bill. You know it is coming, it comes every month, but there is always that feeling of being disturbed every time. You don’t even need to read the return address “Comcast cable TV” to know it’s your cable TV bill. The texture of the envelope, the color of the paper behind the see through window, it’s all so familiar you can almost smell it. You ordered a couple of pay per view movies last month, so you are really dreading opening this one.

The surprise visit

Just as you slide your finger underneath the flap of the envelope and begin to tear it open, your doorbell rings. You let that last sip of coffee rest in your mouth as you look up in surprise. As you contemplate who that could possibly be at your door you slide your chair backwards, lower the partially opened envelope and swallow that lingering sip of coffee.

On your way to the door you hear this hideous loud noise coming from your front yard. It sounds like someone is mowing your lawn (which is impossible because you mow the lawn yourself, every Saturday). The door is still locked, because it’s early. As you open the door, you hear the diesel engine of what sounds like a huge bus, or tractor – also very close to your house. At this point you’re thinking “what the heck is going on?”

“Hi, my name is Mathew, I’m with Solar, Inc.” says a young man, head to toe in supervisor-like apparel. “Just wanted to let you know your neighbor just got Solar Wall service, and we have to trench your front yard, and remove part of your fence. It should only take a few days.”

“What?” You are stunned. “I thought only the TV and phone companies could do that?”

“Oh … really?” The young man delivers a smug look. “Why would they be able to do it and not Solar, Inc.?”

You sit back down at the kitchen table. Your coffee is now room temperature, the sun is too bright for comfort, and the mess of mail on your table is just unacceptable. You quickly pick up the half opened cable TV bill and finish the job you started.

Realization and rebellion

It doesn’t take an amazing leap of the imagination to understand what happens in the next scene … The cable TV bill is literally thrown across the room. The folded loose leaf papers containing your super high bill separate and float down to the tile floor. They raised your bill again. Again!

The cable companies own millions of people all over the country, and they’ve accomplished this in a variety of ways. If you haven’t looked at your property survey recently, look again. The cable company most likely has an ‘easement’ on your property that they own the rights to. They can come and dig it up, cut it down, and install whatever they want down there.

You are literally mowing the cable company’s lawn for them, and then you get a bill.

So besides taking a little piece of your hard earned property, they go one step further and attempt to own your mind as well. Cable providers are desperately hoping that their dwindling customer base does not realize that they are operating with antiquated technology, and infrastructure that no longer makes sense. Many people don’t even look at their cable bill … and that’s the way they want it. This way they can continue raising your prices to cover the losses they are experiencing from thousands of customer s a day switching to satellite TV.

They go one step further. The cable TV companies work hard to spread rumors about satellite TV service which end up perpetuating myths in the minds of millions of dissatisfied cable customers. Myths like: the satellite TV goes out every time it rains (not true), Dish Network can’t give you your local channels (also not true), satellite TV prices are too high and they require that you lock into a contract (also not true).

But that’s how brainwashing works. It doesn’t matter if the information is true, as long as it’s repeated over and over again, the message will sink in eventually.

Satellite TV is a more flexible service in every way. We don’t take out easements on your property, you get to choose where the dish goes, you get to choose your commitment level, and if the weather is bad enough to shut down your service, your cable TV service would probably go out too.

Take a look at your cable bill, and your property survey … you’ll see what I’m talking about.

Until next time!

DVF

David Fugit is an expert in the field of satellite TV and is a published writer in several other categories. If you would like to republish this article, please include this credit block. David Fugit - www.satellitesolutions.com/dishnetwork. Please feel free to contact Mr. Fugit with any questions.