Cable Companies

For decades, the only theft the cable industry worried about was people trying to get MTV and HBO without paying for them. Now some of the biggest cable companies - including Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Cable Inc. - are looking to do more than just safeguard their signals from piracy. They want to use their broadband service to protect your big-screen television, the couch in front of it and even the family jewels with their own home-security systems. They're not just feeling altruistic.

Re "Give TV subscribers more choices," Column, May 7 For satellite and cable TV viewers, I would propose something like the Disneyland ticket book the park had until the early 1980s. In this case, customers would buy their service and get to choose a designated number of programs to watch; everyone would get a few vouchers equivalent to Disneyland's old "E" ticket, which allowed access to the newest and most popular attractions. That and some competition between the cable companies would be welcomed.

In Sal Morales' response (letter, Dec. 5) to a commentary on Internet-access competition, he states that competition is alive and well. Competition in Internet access will never be alive and well until cable companies have to compete for customers. Presently, our choice is limited to the cable company serving our area or no cable at all. JEANNE EDWARDS La Canada Flintridge

After the coffee. Before getting my own late-night show. The Skinny: I went to the "Mad Men" party and bumped into Jon Hamm in the men's room. That's about as exciting as it gets for me these days. Thursday's headlines include the latest news on the Jay Leno-Jimmy Fallon front. Daily Dose: The economy may be showing some signs of turning around (although not in my world), but it's not trickling down to the pay-TV business. Although the number of people subscribing to a pay-TV service didn't decline in 2012, it  grew only by 46,000.

Santa Monica resident Dan Sanders was interested in a fully monogamous relationship with Verizon Communications. He already received phone and Internet service from the company. Now he wanted to add TV to the mix. Sanders, 53, was in luck. Verizon was offering a sweet-as-you-please deal of $89.99 per month for the first year of bundled TV-phone-Internet service. But Sanders knew better. He wanted to know how much the monthly cost would be with all the taxes and fees included.

Cable companies in Orange County have 15-to-20-year contracts with the cities in which they operate. These companies are subject to no regulation whatsoever! They may not like the increase in their tax assessments, but there is no reason why the taxpayers should bear their burden further. We already put up with the cable companies' ridiculous rates and horrible service. That is hardship enough! SCOTT M. PEARSON Santa Ana

A cable television company with operations in six states has ignited a controversy with its decision to drop the MTV music video network because of videos it considers borderline pornography. TCA of Tyler, which operates 53 cable companies, said Tuesday its 420,000 subscribers will no longer receive MTV after this Sunday. TCA operates in Texas, Idaho, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and New Mexico.

No solvent company ever pays any taxes. If a cable TV company's assessment is raised, the cable company will collect the increased taxes (from subscribers) and pass the money on to the government. The cost of litigation to the government will be paid by taxpayers. The cost of litigation to the cable company will be paid by its subscribers, who are also taxpayers. Most people have to budget their luxuries and money. If the cable companies pay more taxes, their services will drop in the priority list of subscribers, and cable companies will have fewer customers, which is why they fight so hard to stay competitive.

When the phone company was deregulated to "help the consumer," our phone bills went from a monthly average of $18 to $50. Now in yet another attempt to "help the consumer," my cable bill has gone up over 35%. Just who is "the consumer"? I am a recently retired high school teacher who was very middle class. That distinction may fast fade if any more government agencies step in to "help the consumer." Mr. Bill Rosendahl, a spokesman for the cable industry, appears on television and pontificates that "80% of the people served by cable will experience decreased cable bills, while 20% will have a slight increase."

In a move that is unique in the Southeast area, Bell and Cudahy city officials have established a joint cable television commission that will award an exclusive franchise for both communities. Three cable companies have applied to serve the franchise. Officials said a contract is expected to be awarded by the end of the year, and service could begin as early as 1986.

Media mogul John Malone is returning to his roots. Malone's Liberty Media is acquiring 27% of cable television operator Charter Communications for $2.62 billion. Liberty is buying 26.9 million Charter shares and 1.1 million warrants at a per-share price of $95.50 from private equity firms Apollo Management, Oaktree Capital Management and Crestview Partners. As part of the agreement, Liberty will have four seats on the Charter board. In return, Liberty said it would keep its holdings in Charter under 40% and not engage in lobbying on behalf of other potential board members as long as its own spots on the board were safe.

A New York cable company fired the opening salvo in a long-anticipated media war that could give consumers more choices in subscribing to pay television - and upend the way companies have long done business. Cable operator Cablevision Systems Corp. filed suit Tuesday in federal court in New York accusing Viacom Inc., parent of MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central, of anti-competitive behavior. At issue is whether Viacom uses its leverage to force distributors such as Cablevision to carry low-rated networks in return for access to its popular channels, a practice known in the industry as bundling.

Re "Cable rates on rise as users fall," Column, Jan. 29 The problems with cable companies are not limited to the rate increases. Some channels cannot be viewed simply because certain carriers refuse to offer them. For example, the new Pac-12 Network has exclusive rights to televise certain college sporting events in that conference. So if you are a UCLA or USC football or basketball fan and your cable company has not bought into the Pac-12 Network, you will be unable to view many of the games you'd like to see - at any price.

Few cable companies have been as vocal about the rising costs of sports programming as Time Warner Cable. "What was a minor problem is turning into an astronomical problem," Time Warner Cable chief executive Glenn Britt told the Wall Street Journal just over a year ago. "The ultimate solution is to get that programming on some sort of smaller packaging scheme. " But Britt's words don't match up with Time Warner Cable's actions. As of late, few cable companies have been as instrumental in driving up sports costs as Time Warner Cable.

Time Warner Cable plans to drop the small Santa Monica-based channel Ovation from its programming lineup at year's end -- a blow to the independent network that has attempted to elevate TV coverage of the arts and contemporary culture. The nation's second-largest cable television provider said its decision came down to simple economics. There hasn't been enough demand for the channel, which was seeking a modest rate increase when negotiations over a new distribution agreement stalled several months ago. “Steeply escalating programming costs are forcing us to closely assess each network as it comes up for renewal,” Time Warner Cable said Tuesday in a statement.

Re "Sports cost, even if you don't watch," Dec. 2 The story about all cable and satellite customers paying the cost of sports channels even when not watched left out an alternative: an antenna. A year ago I installed a rooftop antenna; those who live in areas with strong signals can probably get by with new rabbit ear-type antennas. My TV now receives 45 channels, many in glorious high definition, for free. Recently I added an online video box, and the free content is beyond amazing.

Responding to a jumble of changes in federal cable television laws, local governments are considering a plan to join forces to police the county's cable companies. The move comes after cable companies earlier this month angered Ventura County residents by raising rates and jeopardizing basic network channels. "Some people are really upset," said Steve Weingardt, general manager at Century Cable in Ventura.

After months of discussions and more than an hourlong public hearing, the City Council this week granted new 10-year franchises to the city's two cable television companies. The franchises are for half the length of time sought by the companies. Council members' views ranged from support of three-year contracts to endorsements of 20-year agreements. "What we have here, for all intents and purposes, is a monopoly.

In the dark Saturday's football game between USC and California will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks, which is carried by only a few local cable companies. A list of cable operators who will - and won't - be offering the game: Has the game: Suddenlink, Cox Cable Communications, Time Warner Cable, Dish. Doesn't have the game: AT&T U-verse, Calneva Broadband, Catalina Cable TV, Champion Broadband, Charter Communications, Lone Pine TV, Mediacom, Verizon, DirecTV.

The Federal Communications Commission is expected to phase out rules that required cable operators that own programming to make that content available to rival pay-TV distributors such as satellite broadcasters. On Friday, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski signaled that he is not interested in extending the so-called program access rules beyond their expiration date in October, people inside the regulatory agency said. An FCC chairman rarely pushes an item unless he feels he has the support of the majority of the commissioners, which means it is unlikely the rules will get a last-minute reprieve.