Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
> The technology must exist that would allow us to make our own menu of
> stations to watch. I have digital cable with high definition. So far, we
> only get six HD stations but that will increase soon. Of the couple hundred
> options, I only watch a handful. Discovery, Discovery HD Theater, History,
> Food Channel, and a dozen others tops. Network TV has gone to hell a few
> years ago. There are no worthwhile sitcoms. Of course, that is good for
> book sales!

The technology does exist, and cable television companies used it widely
at one time to provide paying customers with the programming they wanted
to see. But that was while small cable companies were able to operate as
independent concerns, before cable television was deregulated. After
deregulation, fee schedules and equipment rental charges were
immediately increased, small local cable companies were consumed by
larger regional ones, and the larger companies tossed the *spirit* of
customer service out the window in their quest for profits. The true
custom package and a la carte channel selection became history.

Now, the regional cable companies are national "digital service
providers" well on their way to internationality. Customer service as we
knew it is a thing of the past. Providers have their eyes on the prize,
and as mere cable television customers we are not the source of the
prize any more. Digital service providers have bigger fish to fry.