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Thread: Wanted - Someone Who Has Artistic Skills

  1. #1
    Member concernedwnyer's Avatar
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    Wanted - Someone Who Has Artistic Skills



    To draw up a rendering of a leg kicking a pig in the butt that will be used as a template to make a wooden statuette to be mounted on a pole. You see the pigs are at it again. By that I mean a local cable company is raising their cable rates for the sixth time in four years. I vowed two rate increases ago to dump them but I never got around to researching my alternative choices for high speed Internet access and TV programming provider options. Like so many other people I just paid the increase amount and thought about looking at other options while moaning about it. I feel it is now time to do something about it instead.

    How this all came to be one might ask. Well, you see, I blew a gasket while watching the January 14 evening local news clip showing a representative from certain cable company sitting at the Buffalo common council meeting giving the bad news about the rate increase to all Buffalo residents. This cable company representative went on to express how much they would like to remain part of part Buffalo. Immediately I thought to myself man wait a minute if this guy is announcing a rate increase for Buffalo cable rate that means the suburbs will most likely get a rate increase too. Sure enough Saturday’s evening local news stations were announcing all the cable rate increase for all areas in Erie County.

    This spring when I put up a pole for the satellite receiver, I do not want to mount it on the house, I would also like to mount the statuette on it as well. Sort of like a reminder and a conversation piece for those who may just be curious on what is up with that pig being kicked by a leg on the pole.

  2. #2
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    We use Adelphia here too.

    We get everything. By that I mean all the stations available plus a DVR.

    According to THIS article, Adelphia is asking for rates hikes of 4% to 8%, which is about $3 to $4 dollars more a month for the average subscriber who will then be paying roughly $49 a month for service.

    Not much at first blush, but when you extrapolate that over a year ($36 to $48), it's like adding another month’s payment.

    My monthly cable bill is a little over $140.

    As a way of protesting this latest rate hike, I'm dropping everything but "Adelphia Classic Cable" and their internet service which should lower my bill about $50 a month or about $600 a year.

    Next rate hike, I'll get a dish for my televisions.

    The following, I'll get DSL for internet service.

    I don't know who is running the show now at Adlephia, but I have only one question for them, "how do you like them apples?"

    BTW...does anyone know what the "franchise fee" is all about?

    Mine adds $6 to every month’s bill.

    Why does the consumer have to pay a franchise fee?

    It sounds like something the company should have to pay for the cost of gouging us.

  3. #3
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    I think the franchise fee is the charge the city of buffalo places on adelphia. (thier cut) I can be totally wrong but I think Buffalo collects a fee from them to not allow another cable company to come into the area. Direct tv/dish network are not cable companies so they probally don't have to deal with Buffalo. And just so you know I think our direct TV bill just went up a few bucks so don't think adelphia is the only one at it.

  4. #4
    Gold Member Night Owl's Avatar
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    By that I mean a local cable company is raising their cable rates for the sixth time in four years.

    And, what's you're point? If it isn't the cable, then it's the gas, or electric, or the phone, or the water, or groceries, or clothing, or gasoline, or milk, or coffee, or beef, or (yes, I'll even say) toilet paper. Everything goes up and there's not much to do about it except find a way not to live above financial means, the only difference is that people can live without cable and I'm sure more people are opting out of their premium packages.

    It's is simple, if it is becoming too much to pay for, then just have the cable turned off. Switch back to dial-up. Can't cruz with a Benz on a Neon budget.

  5. #5
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    Originally posted by WNYresident
    I think the franchise fee is the charge the city of buffalo places on adelphia. (thier cut) I can be totally wrong but I think Buffalo collects a fee from them to not allow another cable company to come into the area.
    So...the city charges the cable service provider a fee so they can have exclusive rights (i.e. monopoly) and then the cable service provider charges the consumers a fee to cover their fee to the city?

    So in essence, the consumers are charged by the city to prevent competition for cable service?



    Originally posted by WNYresident
    And just so you know I think our direct TV bill just went up a few bucks so don't think adelphia is the only one at it.
    Yes, there is inflation everywhere...Burger King is now charging more for their Whoppers...etc...etc...I know this. I'm brown bagging it lately.

    Back to the cable issue...for me, this is how I deal with inflation...the buck stops here.

    Their going to raise their rates $3 to $4 dollars a month, thereby pissing people like myself off who will as a way of protesting their pricing increase drop $50+ of services and now their back to square one.

    There has to be more creative ways of increasing revenue then raising prices.

    I remember during one rate hike the rational was the addition of more stations.

    I don't know about you, but of the 150 stations available to us, we never (I mean never) watch 60% of them.

    How about a more individual and inclusive al la carte subscription opportunity.

    I think they'll find very little interest by most for some, if not allot of television stations currently packaged with the more popular ones.

    Drop those stations and cut the programming costs.

  6. #6
    Member 300miles's Avatar
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    Cable TV is a 'nicety' not a necessity.
    If you can't afford it, cancel it.

  7. #7
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    Originally posted by 300miles
    Cable TV is a 'nicety' not a necessity.
    If you can't afford it, cancel it.
    Most of modern American life is unnecessary.

    Affording it isn't the issue...at least with me it isn't...value is.

  8. #8
    Member Curmudgeon's Avatar
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    So...the city charges the cable service provider a fee so they can have exclusive rights (i.e. monopoly) and then the cable service provider charges the consumers a fee to cover their fee to the city?

    So in essence, the consumers are charged by the city to prevent competition for cable service?
    Yes. You are correct. Except what they call a "fee" is really a "tax". You (and everybody else) pays the city of buffalo $6/month for pretty much absolutely nothing.

    Don't blame the cable company - they don't want the fee there - it drives up the cost of cable to the consumer AND they have to do the dirty work of collecting the money for the city, which is an expense in itself they they bear.

    Blame your taxaholic local government who would tax bowel movements if the technology for counting B.M.'s existed.

    It's just another shakedown by your welfare/entitlements/public-sector employees cartel.

    You want to stop paying the $6? Go with the Dish.
    Data is not the plural of Anecdote.

  9. #9
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    Originally posted by Curmudgeon

    Blame your taxaholic local government who would tax bowel movements if the technology for counting B.M.'s existed.
    I think it's factored into the water bill.

  10. #10
    Member 300miles's Avatar
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    OMG... i think we've hit rock bottom when B.M. enter the discussion.

    ;-)

  11. #11
    Member Daisy H's Avatar
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    Originally posted by 300miles
    Cable TV is a 'nicety' not a necessity.
    If you can't afford it, cancel it.
    I agree. It's unfortunate that their rates are going up again, but it's CABLE TV- not water, heat or electricity.

    You have the option not to have it, just like you don't HAVE to have satellite radio.

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    Originally posted by Daisy H
    You have the option not to have it, just like you don't HAVE to have satellite radio.
    This weeks winner of the "Firm Grasp of the Obvious" award.

  13. #13
    Member Daisy H's Avatar
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    Originally posted by 300miles
    OMG... i think we've hit rock bottom when B.M. enter the discussion.

    ;-)
    Oh, trust me, B.M. entered the discussion even before Curm's post!

  14. #14
    Member HipKat's Avatar
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    In my way of thinking, rate hikes wouldn't be a problem if our incomes rose accordingly....
    Let me articulate this for you:
    "I'm not locked in here with them. They're locked in here with me!!"
    HipKat's Blog

  15. #15
    Gold Member Night Owl's Avatar
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    Affording it isn't the issue...at least with me it isn't...value is.

    I would probably 'value' my gas bill over Fox News.

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