Tech+ Mailbag: Not everyone wants to cut the cable TV cord, and here’s why
The TV cord-cutting debate continues with a reader who is flummoxed with all the fuss of bringing back old-school TV antennas. It’s a viewpoint I infrequently see in reader emails. But keep those questions coming, and to avoid missing a week, sign up for the new Tech+ newsletter at dpo.st/mailbag.
Q: I mostly have a comment. With the cut-the-cord discussion, you often suggest getting a rooftop antenna. Curious that time seems to go backward on that. I tried many options, styles of antenna for a TV in a bedroom that was just to see the news before sleeping, but it was horrible reception. Unreliable and easily affected by anything from weather to neighbors to wind and just because it felt like it. I have Comcast and finally broke down and got an extension and it costs me about $4 extra, plus I get all the cable channels. If technology is supposed to help, it shouldn’t be this difficult, cheaper and not going backward! There has to be better options than rooftop antenna. — Mary Habas, Denver Tech+: Very good point, Mary! This is going backward.
Cable was a godsend to people who really couldn’t get decent reception. But back in 1995, the average price of expanded basic service was $22.35 a month, according to the Federal Communications Commission. And that price tag was a livable trade-off for good reception. Today, or at least as of 2015, the same basic service has tripled to $69.03, according to the FCC. Add in internet (which, of course, is essential for cord-cutting) and TV bills have become a bigger chunk of a household budget.
I get why people want to delete $70 out of their monthly budget. Of course, the other reason is that they just don’t want to deal with the cable company anymore.
And way back when cable TV wasn’t an option, you needed a good TV antenna. So, yes, rewind to the days of bunny ears and spotty reception.
But with better antenna technology (omnidirectional, amplifiers), there is consistent praise from readers and experts that a rooftop antenna is the way to go here in the Denver area. Not so with indoor antennas, though I’m sure they do work for some people, especially if you live on the west side of Denver and have a clear view of Lookout Mountain, where most of the TV stations transmit.
Of course, moving to an antenna means you’re juggling a variety of different online video services, different payment plans/accounts and even sometimes different set-top boxes just to watch what you kind of want to watch. That hassle isn’t worth it for a lot of people — and that’s why there are cable and satellite TV services, which have millions and millions of paying customers.
The amusing thing (for me) about your question, Mary, is that you are on one end of reader extremes. The other extreme are those who gave me a tongue-lashing because I mentioned TV antennas aren’t perfect (“… you did a disservice to your readers, especially economically disadvantaged readers, by stating that over-the-air (OTA) reception of OTA
HDTV signals is ‘spotty, especially in Denver,’ ” emailed reader Michael Mason).
My advice remains to talk to the staff at your local electronics store because they know what antennas are selling and what may be best for your neighborhood. Talk to neighbors who have an antenna. And talk to antenna installers. HomeAdvisor says its average cost of antenna installation is $231 in Denver. If your monthly bill sans internet costs is $100 or more a month and you are able to live with newer streaming TV services such as Sling TV or DirecTV Now, you’ll break even before the end of a year. And after that, your monthly cost is either free or $20 or more per month.
And if that’s too much hassle, by all means, keep cable! If it’s doing the job, seems like a fair price and you adore its customer service, there’s no need to mess with cutting the cord.
Saving that kind of cash each month may not be worth it for you, Mary, because you shared with me that your monthly Comcast bill is $300. But at that price, I would have hoped Comcast offered you a concierge service and, at minimum, a whole-home system so you wouldn’t need to pay $4 extra to split the cable line in order to add an extra TV.
Q: Got a call from 800794-1970 saying to call back at 800-596-1758 because my license key for Microsoft Windows has expired and needed to contact them to bring it up to date. I did call them back but hung up before giving them any information; the voice was heavily accented. I do not want to upgrade Windows, but apparently I do need to update my license key. How do I do that? — Nancy Huffman, Pickerington, Ohio
Tech+: Oh, Nancy. You must have missed my earlier column on this topic (“Your Microsoft Windows license expired, so pay up (Nooooooo!!!)”), but because you don’t live in Denver, I’ll let it slide. Microsoft doesn’t have the staff to call consumers who already own Windows. They will never call you. The only exception is if you have initiated contact, which is spelled out quite clearly on Microsoft’s “Avoiding technical support scams” page.
As for expired Windows, this really doesn’t happen anymore unless you never activated your Windows software in the first place. If you want to double-check whether your version of Windows is activated, go to your Start button and, if you’re using Windows 10, select “Settings,” then “Update & security” and then “Activation.” This will tell you whether your software is activated.
You can pretty much do the same check for older versions of Windows — I suggest typing “activation” in the Windows search area.
However, the “expired” Windows problem did crop up in the year after Windows 10 launched. Microsoft helps troubleshoot the issue on its answers.microsoft.com discussion board. Microsoft also has a page with activation tips: “Get Help Activating Microsoft Windows” at support.microsoft.com. Miss a week? Then subscribe to the new weekly Tech+ newsletter to get this week’s question plus more delivered right to your inbox. Sign up, see past Tech+ answers or ask your own tech question at dpo.st/mailbag. If you’re emailing your question, please add “Mailbag” to the subject line.