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RCN to analog customers: Phtbhpt!
By adamg on Tue, 11/11/2008 - 3:56pm
Seems RCN pulled the plug this morning on its Boston customers still using analog service. Like 4 a.m. to be exact, Nicole Atchison reports:
... I called RCN this afternoon, and spoke to a nice young man in the Chicago call center. He told me that they have been getting complaint calls from all over Boston since 7am. ...
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Comments
Did they violate federal law?
I thought the federal government specified February 17, 2009 as the transition day. No sooner.
Don't think so
I believe that's the day for stations to broadcast over-the-air analog signals. I don't think cable companies are bound by the same deadline. Verizon Fios stopped providing analog stations in June, I believe.
After reading the post I'm
After reading the post I'm not sure they have any right to complain. It sounds like they were just plugged into the cable jack getting the OTA stations for free from RCN. No account or anything. How can you complain about getting cut off from a service you don't pay for an have no account for, how would you even be contacted?? I don't see what the problem is anyway. They could just stick and an antenna and still get the stations they were getting from RCN, or get a digital converter.
Explanation
RCN killed it's analog *distribution* of channels. Over-the-air transmissions (like direct from the TV station to your house) are currently analog and also digital and you get them from an antenna hooked up to your TV. The analog signals will be turned off in February (thus freeing those wavelengths up for new signals that the FCC desperately needs available).
On its cable lines, RCN was using both digital and analog packaging to send information on the cable. This is unrelated to the FCC through-the-air signals in February. However, the point that you can pack more digital information into the same amount of "space" than analog is essentially the same whether it's radio waves in the air or bandwidth through the cable line. RCN turned off its analog versions on its cable line (thus they'll repurpose that bandwidth for more digital channels).
Here is the crux of what happened on people's TVs: If you had cable service without using a cable box (using a "cable-ready" TV, for example, to show the cable signals), then you were watching analog information (digital info would seem like static). You also didn't necessarily have to be stealing free cable to have this problem if you simply had RCN long enough to be "pre-box" installation or if you chose not to use your box (some people turn them back in to save on their bills) for whatever reason. With no analog signals going out any more, only digital channels are watchable and only with an interpreter (box) to let your TV read the decoded digital info.
I don't recall getting anything from RCN telling me this would be happening today, so for that, they did pretty poorly at warning people it would be happening any time soon. But in the end, this is a great thing. They can fit in more HD channels and more variety in the space saved by switching out of analog completely now. Yay!
There was actually an
There was actually an article in the Globe about this a while ago. Interviewed RCN customers were not happy about the upcoming change - people with multiple TVs apparently often watch non-premium channels with a cable-ready TV on the secondary/tertiary sets. Now they'll have to shell out some $$ (5?) per month extra for every TV they want to watch.
Anne
The article says: I am in
The article says:
I'm surprised. Does Mass. or Boston actually have an arrangement for this?
By the way, if she has a legitimate complaint, I'm guessing that the Mass. Dept. of Public Utilities would be a good first stop.
She's going to learn the hard way
There's no arrangement for you to get network television through a cable in the wall for free just because it was analog and left as an open connection into your place. If anything, she's probably going to be glad that they don't back-charge her for stealing cable.
If she wants the free *public airwaves*, then she should get an antenna, because that's what is free. Cable isn't free and nobody is entitled to the cable company's signals just because it's also available as a free public resource elsewhere. She can't barge into my office and use my Poland Spring tap just because there's a free bubblah in the park across the street.
She should just be glad she wasn't getting free Comcast instead. They removed or encoded nearly all of their analog signals months ago...the *nerve* of some companies!
Comcast still has analog signals
at least they do in Somerville. A few channels such as MSNBC and CN8 went away, but most of them are still there.
Yeah, they took away 10 or
Yeah, they took away 10 or so in june but kept the rest.
I know this because we dont want to pay for a box for the 2nd smaller Tv
digital cable
Consumer Reports has a front-page article on this very issue this month. Apparently, it's a way for cable companies to charge you more for what you already got (the digital box is a monthly rental fee per month. Having digital-ready TV isn't enough, b/c the signals are scrambled to MAKE you pay).
They suggest calling the company to complain, and to ask for a free digi box for each TV and free installation. If the company tells you it's federally mandated, they suggest calling the DA.
Susannah, that is if you
Susannah, that is if you already pay for analog cable service but had no box in the past (used cable ready connection). Now cable companies are removing their analog channels to make room for digital channels (this is separate from the over the air digital transition mandated by the government.) With no analog channels the cable ready tv will need a digital box to receive service. Yes this a a ripoff in a sense, but cable companies will argue you are getting more service - more channels, on demand, digital music, etc. City residents have had to deal with this inconvenience a bit longer as cable companies began to encrypt their analog signal to prevent cable theft in some densely populated areas. A box was then required to decrypt the signal.
Original poster very confused (and grouchy)
I just read that original post, and that woman is very confused.
She seems to think that there is free cable service available.
I think many cable subscribers must be upset that they now have to pay more for digital cable than they were paying for analog (to rent the digital box) since most analog signals have been moved, and I don't blame them, but the woman who wrote that post really doesn't seem to know what she's talking about & she wrote some angry-sounded comments back to people who tried to explain it to her.
By the way, I tried to post this without bothering to login & got a Spam Filter message that wouldn't allow me to post a comment.
maybe Boston did have free cable for broadcast-only stations?
It sounds like the city of Boston may have had some special deal with the cable companies to provide this bare-bones service at no cost, and now that's going away?
Maybe
I suppose they might have, but not in my neck of the woods.
GREEDY
RCN is now scrambling their digital signal requiring us to rent a converter box for second TV's. So sell me a box...but don't charge me rental fees for life.
HAVE YOU FOLKS HEARD ABOUT CUSTOMER LOYALTY ???
I'm cancelling
Not Grouchy, Nor a Thief
I live in a high rise apartment building in Downtown Boston. We have a master antenna included in the services provided to each apartment. The antenna not only provided FREE LOCAL NON-CABLE NETWORK stations, but also our intercom. We could turn to channel 8 and see who is coming through the front door downstairs. RCN shut off the master antenna to the entire building, before the digital change was scheduled to happen, with no prior notice to our building, or apparently any other building in Downtown.
Additionally, RCN had just ended a ten year exclusive contract with my building. Meaning, for the first time, residents could choose another carrier.
Ive always lived in large apartment buildings and Ive always had access to the master antenna. So having my entire TV service shut down in the middle of the night was disturbing. I dont steal. But more offensive than the accusation of stealing cable, was the idea that if I WAS stealing cable, I would do so on a blog that included my full name city and photo.
I now have a bundled service with another carrier. They are making hundreds of dollars that RCN lost due to p*ss poor customer service.
Thanks