Cable to temporarily pause digital switch

The cable TV industry is pausing its transition to digital TV to reduce consumer confusion over the broadcasters own transition to digital happening early in 2009, according to letters sent to members of Congress Wednesday by the industry's trade association.

Kyle McSlarrow, president of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association also said in the letters that cable operators planned to offer free equipment to analog customers who asked for them for a year. The program will be available to these customers until June.

Cable operators have been migrating their channels from analog to digital for over a decade. Some cable operators are much further along in their migration to digital than others. For example, Cablevision, which serves the New York metropolitan area, has converted about 90 percent of its customers to digital service. Nationwide about 60 percent of cable customers have already switched to digital, according to the NCTA.

But the consumer advocacy group Consumers Union says it has noticed a surge in cable operators across the country migrating analog channels off their basic cable tier to a more expensive digital tier, which requires customers rent cable set top boxes.

The group has argued that cable's timing for moving channels off basic service to a higher tier service has been done deliberately to capitalize on the confusion around the over-the-air TV broadcast digital transition, which takes effect on February 17, 2009.

Earlier this year, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission opened an inquiry into this practice.

Cable operators say the channel moves are merely a coincidence. Like TV broadcasters and cell phone operators, which have also switched to digital transmission, cable is migrating to digital because it's much more efficient than transmitting using analog technology. This means that cable operators can free up more bandwidth to offer services like telephony, video on demand, and more high-definition TV programming.

But in an effort to appease policy makers, the NCTA said in its letters that it's taking additional steps to ensure that consumers are not confused. Specifically, cable operators are proposing that they will institute a "quiet period" starting December 31 and lasting until March 1, in which cable operators will refrain from moving most channels from the analog tier to the digital tier. The industry organization also said cable operators will offer a promotional package of broadcast basic tier to new customers starting on December 31

Once cable operators start moving analog channels to digital, from March 2 to June 30, the NCTA is proposing that cable operators also provide analog customers with free equipment for a year so they will not lose channels.

Union applauded the move. But said it was only a start in helping consumers navigate the confusion surrounding the digital TV transition.

[ddanckaert]

I have Comcast... in Montgomery County MD, and right now, there is no MSNBC or CNBC in the digital channel or HD digital channel range. Comcast's digital transition is a complete farce...

"cable operators planned to offer free equipment to analog customers who asked for them for a year. The program will be available to these customers until June." Someone should tell Comcast.

I just called them to ask if they would be providing--for free--their analog customers with a box to access the digital channel range. Their response, sure, for a year (trial period), after which the customer would have to spend $4 per box per month.

It would be nice to see some real reporting on this issue, not the drivel in this article.

[Chapmaniac]

Cnet doesn't normally take a hard stand on issues. They typically just report the facts and inform.

[ddanckaert]

My point is this: In order for cable companies to make it so analog customers can be enabled to access the digital channels, they need, effectively, a cable box. As most of you know, analog cable can be accessed merely by connecting a coaxial fpin cable directly to the back of a cable-ready TV.

Right now, Comcast, one of the nation's largest providers, if not THE largest, currently offers such a cable box to its customers for $4 a month, per box, rental fee.

Comcast's (not using promotional or trial prices here) base rate for *analog* Cable TV is $58.85 per month. If you want access to *digital* channels, you have to pay an additional $15.95 for "Digital Preferred Services" (includes non-HD digital channels and basic HD channels if you have a HD cable box or cable card). This $58.85 + $15.95 does *NOT* include, as I mentioned above, the $3.95 rental fee for the cable box which enables an analog TV to access digital channels. For context: the HD cable box is $7.95 a month. The HD DVR is $13.95 a month.

So when I read that the cable industry is going to provide "Free" boxes to enable its analog customers to watch digital channels (again, we're not even talking about HD here), I scoff... Free would imply that the cable industry is not going to charge a hardware (cable box) rental fee (e.g., $3.95, $7.95, etc.), or tack on an additional service charge (e.g., $15.95) to access the digital channels.

So my point above is to say that this reporter has NOT done her homework and is effectively pushing Cable Industry propaganda because she's too clueless or lazy to do her homework.

[Lerianis]

True. The government should mandate that Comcast has to provide a basic cable box for no cost once we totally go over to digital, the same way that satellite does. As long as you have service with a satellite provider, your box is free (or the charge is rolled into your VERY reasonable monthly charge for TV service).

[sotoa]

Cablevision charges over $6.00 for each regular digital box. I have 4 TV's but I only use "basic" cable, no digital. I recently had to get 1 digital box in order to watch some channels that were moved from analog to digital only (like Sci-Fi channel). They gave it to me for free for 1 year.
What frustrates me is that I would later have to get 4 boxes for my 4 TV's as they remove more analog channels. Very annoying to re-hook up recorders and other equipment with these. Why don't they invent ONE box for the entire house and that way my TV's would not need 4 boxes? One central hub at my incomming point and then hook up the outputs accordingly to each room. Have some HD outputs and some non-HD. I'd like that.

[ddanckaert]

By getting rid of the analog channels, cable companies get more bandwidth to use for value added services (for which they can charge more money).

They can also force people who have been using analog connections to rent boxes and pay for digital channels.

A scam, pure and simple. FIOS and UVerse can't come fast enough to enable me to drop Comcast's bloated and unresponsive a$$ in the gutter where it belongs.

[Lerianis]

What the first poster in this thread is asking for is impossible. You need a DIGITAL TUNER IN EACH ROOM, that is the reason why the 'one central box' solution is never going to work and has never worked.
Now, you can buy cheap TV's (less than 200 dollars) with digital tuners in them today, so what is really the problem here, in all honesty?
If you have a TV that is over 10 years old, you should be thinking of updating and upgrading anyway, since: newer TV's use less power, have more channels, come equipped with digital tuners, come equipped with HDMI, S-Video, and AV inputs AND outputs (in some cases), and have numerous other benefits.
Yes, I know that this is a 'time of economic uncertainty'.... but frankly, that is no reason when things are THIS FREAKING CHEAP if you have a job making over 30K a year to not be buying this stuff.

[mpar99]

$4.00 A month? it's worse than that! I was told by Comcast it will increase to 6.99 a month per box after a year. I have 4 TVs OUCH!!! They even told me what a great deal I was getting? The same thing but I get to pay more? There is no upside here. I agree with the previous person who termed this article "drivel" or possibly the author is a paid publicist for Comcast. Comcast rearranged the channel line-up several months ago then basically took the local channels with a handful of channels that are sub par at best and termed it basic and put everything else on digital which requires a box to be rented. All the news stations most of the superstitions that were part of the basic package is all gone! I went from about a 100 channels to 16-17 channels Basic is not the term I would use for these channels I'd term it pathetic!!! and Comcast actions would be more like robbery. Maybe with the new administration and someone at the FCC will get serious about regulating this company. Write your congressman and the FCC because Comcast don't care they just want you more of your money!!!---and more, and more,and more, and more......

[swamprat]

Aah the big switch. Should call it the big ripoff. Going from 8 analog signals to 3 digital, NOW THAT'S PROGRESS. Stupid me,, I should move to some crime riddled mega tropolis not more than 15 miles out. I guess I will have to give up NCIS and HOUSE! No, wait, I see them, they are on satellite on USA.
The wonders of Digital TV. Pay Extra for a HDTV and pay extra for HDTV Reception and pay EXTRA for Cable AND pay extra for digital cable access all to get CBS and NBC. NOT Of corse my amazingly lousy local ABC and non worthy FOX stations BLOCK me from receiving decent programming from DIRECTV. I do believe someone's chickens is gonna come home to roost and boy howdy I wouldn't want to be an elected official on record having supported this joke. Seems like FALLING OFF A CLIFF effect. Smells like an EDSIL to me. Anyone remember the brilliant idea of Susan B Anthony coins. They were quarters weren't they?????????