<html><head><style type='text/css'>p { margin: 0; }</style></head><body><div style='font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000'><hr id="zwchr"><blockquote style="border-left:2px solid rgb(16, 16, 255);margin-left:5px;padding-left:5px;"><b>From: </b>"Gary Buhrmaster" <gary.buhrmaster@gmail.com><br><b>To: </b>"Discussion about MythTV" <mythtv-users@mythtv.org><br><b>Sent: </b>Tuesday, November 5, 2013 6:23:44 PM<br><b>Subject: </b>Re: [mythtv-users] Comcast in Nashua<br><br>On Wed, Nov 6, 2013 at 1:38 AM, James R. Van Zandt <jrvz@comcast.net> wrote:<br>> ....(I<br>> thought they were required to make the broadcast channels available in<br>> HD and unencrypted.)<br><br>In Nov 2012 the FCC changed the rules to allow encryption of<br>all content, including "basic" (starting in Dec 2012). Comcast<br>has been the most aggressive to encrypt the content that they<br>provide, with a target completion date about the end of the year<br>across their footprint. TWC has done Maine, and is moving to<br>do the greater NYC area. I am unaware of any target completion<br>date for TWC, but probably sooner rather than later.<br><br>Depending on your particular subscription level, all the MSOs<br>(including Comcast) were required to provide some amount of<br>"free" equipment for up to five years (either zero, one, or two<br>devices, for either zero, one, two, or five years, depending on<br>your specific circumstances) to allow you to continue to<br>receive the channels you subscribe to. In particular, while<br>that does not help you buy a Prime(*) (or a Ceton, or a ...),<br>a CableCARD may be "free" for that period. So would some<br>other equipment. Comcast notified you on the bill, but since<br>it was on like page 3/4, it was easily missed.<br></blockquote>I got my free CableCard . . . but the local franchise's billing system isn't set up for giving anything away for free. They charge $1 for the CableCard and $9.95 for an "Additional Outlet Fee."<br><br>I have to call or Chat every month to have the fee removed. There's a helpful note in my account records to help me prove this.<br></div></body></html>