I applaud Sen. John McCain for his stand on the escalating costs related to cable television. I recently joined the expanding list of people who have cut my cable back to basic cable. I saved $75. per month by doing this.
I enjoy watching TV as well as the next person, but at what cost? I can go to the movies 10 times a month for that price or spend my time actually doing a craft instead of watching someone else do it on TV. I can go to the library and read any number of magazines and other periodicals for free. My husband is a sports fan and is now listening to his team on the radio when it is not on one of the channels that are included in basic cable. THE RADIO IS FREE!
We have been sold the idea hook, line, and sinker that we cannot live without 967 channels, and it is our budgets that are sinking in the process. Our states regulate all other utilities and I assumed that they regulated cable TV, so why do they get to increase their fees so often and at such a high rate? It is time they are held accountable.
It seems that every special interest group is now getting a TV channel and they convince the cable company to buy it and they pass the cost on to the consumer, whether we are interested or not.
I would like to think that I could start a movement to convince people that there are other ways to spend your time with the money you spend on cable TV. At the very least, they should, as Sen. McCain advocates, charge on an a la carte basis. Then the channels that no one watches will fall by the wayside and not be bundled with the ones we really want. By the way, my daughter also reduced her cable to basic and she has a teenage daughter and son so it is possible to do this. Just think of how many times you can do another activity with the money you save.
Barbara A. Torino
Branford