Before, you could get Basic Cable for $12-24/month, with any extras (HBO, Showtime, Cinemax) being $12/month extra each.
NOW, you have "al la carte menus", "special tiers", etc. So, not only is it expensive, but confusing as well.
I had a friend who worked as a Customer Service representative for Comcast....for one month. He said that after 30 days, his nerves were shot from all the people cussing him out.
“Congress got into the act to regulate Cable Costs. Needless to say, Cable costs skyrocketed after that.”
Do you mean the FCC? They have no regulatory power over cable whatsoever.
The cable companies are happy for you to think it’s the fault of Congress.
Cable companies charge exactly the rates they negotiate with your city. If your city threatened to fire them and hand the franchise over to another provider, your rates would drop. You might even get pay-per-channel, although that’s a fight the cable companies need to have with the cable networks — they’re the ones who insist on “bundling.” Again, not Congress. They make more money with bundling.
But city managers are either timid or stupid, and sometimes both. They don’t have the wherewithal to negotiate deals favorable to their constituents with large entertainment companies. And they could get much better deals than they’ve got in most cities.