Our local DISH has dropped the 2 ABC affiliates (Tyler & Longview) same BS !

Question is "Are they using this as a set up to raise rates on US !!"

Wonder what they'd do if they lost 30% of their subscribers all at once !

I'm running at 10Mbps for $41.95/mo thanks to the successful suit years ago by Earthlink and others. It's actually running a little "hot" at just over 11 Mbps lately.

Maybe more of us should just cut the cord and go antenna for local and streaming for all the rest. Refurbed Apple TVs are now $75. And then, there are the wi-fi, internet TVs out there too.

I value simplicity and convenience too much to cut the cord right now. There are too many hoops to jump through if you like a wide variety of programming.

A year ago, I returned our box/DVR from our bedroom so I could cut $20 off our cable bill. Since then, the bill has been raised nearly the $20 I initially saved. Bastids!

I just got a new Arris Surfboard because the old one was toast. The new one has the wifi built in, but the signal is not nearly as strong as my Belkin N750 DB, so I'm still running the bridge.

The big reason why I hate the Dish/DirecTV crap, contracts. We have until Oct. next year before we can drop them.

As much as I hate TWC, they at least don't have contracts that I know of.

This is kind of a shout out to everyone.

Mine does the same. They start you out at the good rate, then raise you after the "promo" is over.

If you have other providers to choose from, look up prices on those, and on your provider's website, what you would be paying if you signed on new. Use that ammo to get that rate if you need to. Usually just threatening to switch is enough.

I have been with my provider for 13+ years. Every year when the price went up I would call and get it back to the new customer rate, "or I'd switch" if asking nice doesn't work. I do have 2 cable options. If there's some reason you wouldn't want to switch don't worry, they don't want to lose you.

It's to the point where when it went up last time and I saw it on my bill, I called and they refunded me, and the rep actually told me to make sure I call every year and they will re-up my "preferred customer" rate or something like that.

They want your money. Any income with profit is better than no income. You can bargain with your providers as long as you have other options. If you have at least 2 viable high speed options in your area it's pretty much a lock on getting the new customer rate, or close to it. Just threaten them with switching.

I'm paying maybe about $10+ base more, than when I came on with them, not including HD charge, TV channels same but the internet speed has gone from a screaming 1.5M-256k at the time to 16M-2+M.

Crap, I didn't know they did that. After contract can you go month to month?

What cable options where you live?

Here we have Comcast/Xfinity and Verizon/Fios. I'll never, but never do any business at all with Verizon ever again. We don't have any local broadcast stations, so going off-cable is not an option. So Comcast it is. On the whole it's not too bad. I wish we could have an a la carte menu option. I don't see why I'm stuck with so many channels that I never ever watch but pay for. And yes, I know that all those crap channels subsidize the sports channels, which cost an arm and a leg. But the sports channels are what I don't watch at all. I can live without ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN News, ESPN U, Golf Channel, SportsNet, CBS College Sports, NHL Network, NFL Network, NFL Redzone, Tennis Channel. Really. Never ever watch any of them.