[mythtv-users] Comcast Equipment Update

[Gary Buhrmaster]

On Fri, Feb 3, 2017 at 11:24 AM, Tom Bongiorno <tbjr at bongohut.com> wrote:
....
> "It is never reasonable to charge me again per device to watch content that
> I have already paid for in my subscription.

You are not actually paying for the content, you are paying
for a license to view the content as authorized by that
license, which comes with various restrictions.  If your
lawyer told you you were actually paying for the content
you need a better lawyer.

Comcast corporate was apparently asked, and the answer
was that the current intention ("subject to change") is that
the "outlet fee" [which has nothing to do with an actual
outlet, but is a fee associated with their internal
authorizations], or something equivalent (even if named
differently), which is currently charged in many (although
not all) franchises for each CableCARD, STB, etc.(*),
would be implemented for any Roku's after the beta period,
maintaining parity with the existing solutions cost structure.

While I happen to believe that the HD Technology Fee
(which enables HDMI on DTA/STBs and has nothing to
do with HD content itself), and the Outlet Fee should
both be eliminated, as they cause confusion and customer
complaints, realistically any such change would need to be
revenue neutral for Comcast to move forward with such a
change(**), so the base fees would likely have to rise by
some amount.

It should be noted that many MSOs continue to struggle
with (a very common in certain locations) fraud that involves
one person signing up for service and then adding
many DTAs/STBs to their account and sharing the cost
of the base service between them as the STBs are
dispersed around the same MDU (or even city/town).
And while most individuals are likely ethical and moral,
there are some who are not.  "This is why we cannot have
nice things".  I am not sure Roku's make the problem worse,
depending on the details, but they certainly have such
a potential (there is a well known technical investigative
technique to passively identify fraud in the case of STBs,
but that may not work for Roku's).

I guess we shall see how Comcast decides to move
forward with fees and restrictions (the "subject to
change" part).


(*) And also sometimes included in some other line items,
so that you may not be paying it separately (the first outlet
fee is often included with the first STB, and the HD
Technology Fee is often included with a X1 box, for example).
You have to read the full and complete billing contract to
understand all the details (the "full" one provided once a
year, not the monthly summary one).


(**) It is like the airline bag charge.  Once you charge it,
a company is unlikely to stop doing so without raising fees
elsewhere, because there is real money involved, and
no one leaves money on the table.