<p dir="ltr"><br>
On Oct 29, 2013 9:43 AM, "Michael T. Dean" <<a href="mailto:mtdean@thirdcontact.com">mtdean@thirdcontact.com</a>> wrote:</p>
<p dir="ltr">> The OP was just saying that Comcast in Portland, OR has quit sending clear QAM channels (as all cable companies will be doing, now that the FCC no longer requires them to send clear QAM channels).</p>
<p dir="ltr">So far, with the exception of CableVision(*), which was granted<br>
an early wavier, Comcast has been the most aggressive with<br>
this rollout. I happened to talk to a CSR after cutoff, and while<br>
the numbers were not huge, they did mention a number of people<br>
who did not realize that viewing TV without paying for it<br>
(internet only contract) was technically theft of service in<br>
most jurisdictions in the US (they were trained to not use such<br>
language, but to help(?) the customer purchase the right<br>
service for them). I expect that Comcast's experience<br>
will encourage other MSOs to also move and capture that<br>
lost revenue, in addition to helping the enviornment(**)<br>
sooner rather than later. And long term that also means<br>
fewer field techs. More saving (and more profit).</p>
<p dir="ltr">Gary</p>
<p dir="ltr">(*) There were special circumstances involved.</p>
<p dir="ltr">(**) Less truck rolls will reduce pollution, helping<br>
the environment. There was even EPA numbers<br>
used in that argument.</p>