Growing up, I always had cable television. I even had one right in my room so I could watch what I wanted, when I wanted. It was my source of relaxation when I finished my homework.
When I moved out of my parents’ house at the ripe age of 18, I decided that I still wanted cable, and signed up with Rogers. Over the years the bill kept going up—more stations, more options, and on-demand services. Before long, I was staring at a cable bill of more than $80 per month. One day I decided enough was enough. I cancelled my services and attempted to get only the over-the-air channels offered locally. Sure, I only get four channels now, but for the most part, I get to see the programs I’m most interested in. And the most important factor: it’s free!
Over the past several months, if you’ve watched any local television programming, you’ve probably seen the ongoing battle between local television stations and the cable and satellite providers. Each side claims the other is making millions of dollars per year in revenues—local television providers claim the cable and satellite providers are making over $2 billion a year in profit, and the cable and satellite providers are claiming that the local television stations are making hundreds of millions in operating profit.
The root of the issue is fee for carriage. Specialty channels get a portion of the fee each subscriber pays to their provider, whereas local television stations such as Global, CTV, and CBC, among others, are not getting any money for their channels, which are being broadcast across the country.
After months of public campaigns on television, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission held a hearing on March 22 and confirmed that, in fact, the local television stations are losing money, and encouraged both sides to work together to come to an agreement.
This announcement also provided both sides with methods of recourse if they are unhappy with the way negotiations are going. Cable and satellite providers can simply drop the local television stations from their lineup, and local television stations can choose to blackout programming from airing through the cable and satellite service.
Perhaps it’s time to totally revamp the way cable and satellite providers bill for programming instead. I think it would be a much better solution if consumers had the option of choosing specifically what channels they want, and charged a flat fee per channel. There would be no confusion about who is paying for what, and it would eliminate having to choose a package that probably contains tens (or in some cases hundreds) of channels that you have no interest in. It would also allow consumers to better control the amount they’re paying each month, which will help everyone (except the cable and satellite companies) save money.
Maybe an even more extreme step should be taken by students. Why not do away with cable and satellite altogether? We should be spending our time reading and studying and stimulating our brains to become knowledgeable members of society. Television detracts from this. It takes away our imagination and our motivation.
I know that might sound a bit extreme to some, especially those who have to know how the finale of Lost turns out, or need to see which team is eliminated on The Amazing Race this week. But what it comes down to is that television has become an overbearing element in many lives across all generations. There was a time before television, and I believe there will be a time after television. But in the mean time, I think everyone should play fair.
