The Twilight of Cable Television

Cable television has existed since the 1950s, and it is one of the more regulated, expensive, and left-wing media.  Shows like The Newsroom and Bill Mahr outnumber shows with alternative views. Libertarian views are mostly unknown, with one or two exceptions like Reason TV and John Stossel.

The unregulated Internet has a greater diversity of views, and not surprisingly, innovation has occurred at a faster rate on the unregulated Internet than on regulated cable television.  In my rural township, Olive, New York, there is only one cable provider that can come to my home, Time Warner, and its prices are high.  The high prices may not be surprising because of my area's sparse population, but in the more competitive Internet field prices are not so high, even where I live. Government regulation harms rather than helps consumers.

Websites like Amazon.com and Netflix are increasingly offering  online video that works better than cable, at least in my area, and Netflix makes new programs.  Amazon has a collection that is available for free to its Prime subscribers.  The last time I looked Prime cost $79 per year or so while my cable subscription, which includes a premium package and some purchases of on-demand videos, costs over $300 per month or $3,600 per year.  ISP subscriptions run $29 per month or so, and Netflix costs $16 per month.  If you add $7 per month for Amazon Prime (which includes free shipping on Amazon-based sales, so the real cost is much less and most likely zero), $16 for Netflix, plus $29 for an ISP service, the cost of home entertainment only needs to be $52, rather than the astronomical $300 cable bill I pay each month.  My cable bill is almost enough to lease a new Lexus ES 350.

Netflix series like Lilyhammer with The Sopranos' Steven van Zandt (Silvio) and a cameo appearance by Tony Sirico (Pauli Gualtieri) and House of Cards with Kevin Spacey are as good as the HBO and Showtime series.

I don't mean to detract from the excellent TV on cable, both on prime time television and on the premium channels, but cable television's business model doesn't work. It is a financial drain on the consumer, and it takes advantage of a regulated market that prevents entry and competition--with the result of exploiting consumers.  My brother-in-law has discarded both his land line and his cable subscription, so he relies on a cell phone and the Internet.  He's a professor of physics, a smart guy, and I think he has the right idea.

Stop Regulation of the Internet

Mike Marnell just forwarded this e-mail from Americans for Prosperity urging you to write your Congressman and Senators to oppose the Obama administration's attempt to regulate the Internet.  I wrote the following letter:

Dear Congressman Hinchey/Senator Schumer/Senator Gillibrand:

I oppose Julius Genachowski's and President Obama's efforts to squelch freedom of speech on the Internet.  The Internet does not need regulation, especially from a bonehead like Mr. Genachowski.  The very proposal is evidence of the authoritarian, fascistic intent of the Obama Administration and the Democratic Party.

Sincerely,

Mitchell Langbert


>Washington wants to take over everything it can get its hands on. The banks. Insurance companies. Automakers. Our health care.

Now Obama FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has set his sights on taking over the Internet, and we're launching a major national effort to stop him.

Too many dominoes have already fallen. We need to hold the line. The Internet as is exists now is the most powerful tool for grassroots activism and communication that the world has ever known. We simply cannot risk allowing the FCC to succeed in its efforts to impose heavy-handed regulation by "reclassifying" the Internet as an old-fashioned public utility.

Today we are launching a major national effort to educate and mobilize Americans against this newest threat. Check out our new ad, which is running nationally starting today, on http://www.nointernettakeover.com/.

Robert McChesney, founder of the left-wing group Free Press (whose communications director was hired by FCC Chairman Genachowski to assist his effort to regulate the Internet) is honest about the stakes, telling SocialistProject.ca: "What we want to have in the U.S. and in every society is an Internet that is not private property, but a public utility."

Please take a moment right now to head over to http://www.nointernettakeover.com/ and view our new national TV ad called "Dominoes." If you like the ad, please consider clicking on the donate button. Your donation will help keep the ad on the air to educate and mobilize more Americans to demand that Congress step in and stop the FCC's Internet power grab.

The new site also has a petition that I hope you'll sign, and tools to write Congress and demand they stop the FCC. Chairman Genachowski and his two Democratic allies at the FCC could, with just their three votes, take over a sector of our economy roughly the same size as health care.

Congress cannot let that happen. As the legitimate legislative branch, Congress must step up and take responsibility. And we need to send a clear message that if this Congress will not stop the FCC's Internet takeover, we need to elect one that will.

With your help we can finally stop Washington's takeover streak.

Tim

P.S. Please forward this email to your friends and share our new www.NoInternetTakeover.com site on Facebook and Twitter. We need to make this a major issue so that Washington will understand that we're paying attention and will not accept another big government takeover. Thanks.