Talkback
-- Multichannel News, 12/7/2009 2:00:00 AM
Fifty Bosses, or One?
(RE: “Congress Asked to Pre-empt State VoIP Regulation,” Dec. 3): The demonstrated anarchy of individual state political influence requires that any commerce threaded through the national infrastructure be regulated nationally. It is particularly important that telco, cable and wireless infrastructure be separated from content ownership in order to provide more and better choices at competitive prices.
The U.S. lags — depending on who’s counting what — 14 to 23 countries in broadband reach, service and speed, and in integration of services through broadband. VoIP is no different: It is the future, and effort must be made to ensure competition and the opportunity for innovation.
Barry Dennis, Maryland
Ask Subs What They Want
(RE: “Time Warner Cable Asks Customers: Should It Roll Over or Get Tough on Programmer Price Hikes,” Dec. 2): “Tough call. Perhaps slimming down some of the junk will help clear cash for more wanted programming.
I should be frank here — cable programming packages are arranged in such a way as to force the junk on us with channels we want. We’ve all seen it, forced to take a given tier only because we’re interested in one or two channels in the package. That comes from the cable companies, not the providers. In essence, they are playing the same game with their customers as they say is being played with them from the providers.
In their quick poll, they don’t specify what is at risk. I would submit that the poll is useless unless we know what we are discussing here.
I opt for getting tough, but with the caveat that we’re not left with a score of junk channels nobody wanted in the first place.
Perhaps if they did away with those pointless packages and allowed customers to build their own lineup based on what value a particular channel holds for the customers, a better picture of what is worth a fight and what isn’t will emerge.”
Joe Hochstuhl, Ohio
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