The battle that could drive consumers over the edge

Now all of the major television networks in Canada are joining together to get the consuming public on their side regarding a push to charge cable and satellite companies carriage fees to carry their signals, which of course the cable companies oppose.

I had to think a while about this issue. I am no friend of the cable company considering what they charge me for the channels I want, the lack of real choice in terms of a-la-carte programming, the sheer lack of on-demand programming and the constant increases in monthly fees with no perceptible increase in performance or quality or value.

But I have to say that I kind of see the cable companies' point. People don't have to pay any carriage fee (or any fee at all for that matter) to watch Canadian networks over the air, so why should cable companies have to pay Canadian networks? And why should they be expected to 'suck it up'? It could be argued that cable companies pay foreign networks for access, but they wouldn't be able to get access otherwise. Can you believe this? Karl arguing on behalf of the cable companies. Be afraid.

But I see this for what it really is - a cash grab by networks to get some of cable TV's profit pie. Unfortunately for cable, this just helps the case for consumers getting their entertainment for free online. You can already stream movies from online providers for a nominal fee. As more and more online entrepreneurs find a (legal) way to undercut cable's monopoly by offering options that cable refuses to (such as real on-demand programming), their empire could come crashing down.

More and more people are walking away from watching network television as it is (which is one reason ad revenues are down so much) and this kind of bickering doesn't help the industry's cause. Think about this for a moment - consider the entertainment value and potential you get with your internet connection based on the price you pay for it. Does cable TV compare? If you could watch your favourite shows online and even hook your TV up to the internet directly or indirectly, would it be worth it to keep cable TV around anymore?