[mythtv-users] Not quite OT, but close. A letter to congress.

[Eric Ladner]

I'm preparing to send the following letter to my congressmen.   Would
anyone here care to comment on the content or possibly make
corrections or additions before I do?  Once it's done, anybody would
be free to use this letter, also.

--------------------------------Start here----------------------------------
Dear <insert name here>,

I am increasingly concerned about the erosion of consumer rights that
the cable companies are inflicting on the American people.  By
increasingly encrypting transmissions, it's rendering modern
televisions, which include tuners for QAM, increasingly obsolete and
forces consumers to "rent" additional equipment from the cable
companies just to receive the signals.  Also, it forces consumers to
use proprietary (and typically lower in functionality) devices to
maintain an enjoyable television experience.  Basically, the cable
companies are trying to enhance their revenue stream not by
continually providing more and/or interesting content to the
consumers, but by increasing the amount of revenue from the consumers
on the rental of devices just so the consumer can continue to enjoy
the same level of service.

As for the cost issue, television makers are including turners to
receive these signals, which makes the television more expensive.  But
if the cable companies are encrypting the signals, it makes that
component of the TV useless, so consumers are paying more money all
around for cable service.  The TVs are more expensive, the cable
company requires you to rent more equipment to recieve the signals,
etc.

I am a busy person, as you are, and typically don't have time to sit
down and watch my favorite TV shows when they are broadcast.  I use my
home media system to record those shows and watch them later when it's
convenient for me.  Having the cable companies continually changing
the encryption of the signals that I'm paying for lowers my ability to
enjoy the shows that I like to watch by either forcing me to watch
them only when they are broadcast or not at all.

The FCC passed regulations stating that cable boxes should have a
functional FireWire port to allow consumers to record cable TV
programs.
That is not a viable policy at this point because there's no statement
in the regulation that says the transmitted programs be unencrypted,
only that the FireWire port be active.  If the port is active and they
are transmitting encrypted signals, it renders the port useless.

Currently the cable company in my area, CableOne, does not encrypt
these signals, but watching industry news and seeing big players like
Comcast moving in this direction, it's just a matter of time before
the axe falls in my area.

In all honesty, I can see the reason for encrypting things like
pay-per-view events, but if I'm paying money for a level of standard
service (excluding pay-per-view), why should I be limited in using
standard equipment to enhance my viewing experience?  Restricting the
shows that I can record and watch later in the privacy of my own home
is something that should stop.

To be clear, I am not a pirate.  I am not looking to profit or
improperly use the programs that I am recording.  I am just trying to
fairly use the service that I am paying for to enjoy the kinds of
shows that I like to watch in my own home for myself and my family.

Thank you for your time,

Eric Ladner
-----------------------------end here -------------------------------