cord cutting, redux

[kaysixteen]

A trip down to the local Comcast office a couple weeks ago, to pay my bill, has revived my thoughts of cutting my losses.   They keep cutting channels (though I am happy to now have access to their brand new Music Choice 'Yacht Rock' channel), and raising their prices-- they just jacked me up thirty bucks, for my cable, internet, and landline package (I have never even hooked up the landline, but it came with the package).  So I decided to pay the bill in person so I could ask the service rep what my options were in terms of downgrading the cable plan, since I do not ever watch more than maybe 25-30 channels.   He cancelled the landline, which saved me $3/mo, but told me that the only smaller cable package was 'basic', which he intimated was largely just the local broadcast channels, and specifically said that things like CNN, ESPN, etc., were not included.   I asked him for a printout of the basic package channel offerings, but he said no such printouts were available anymore-- he may have been lying, but he was really young (c. 20), and, well, a quick search of their www site suggests that they have indeed limited the amount of packages greater than basic.   Certainly what I do actually watch is almost not covered on basic.   So I then asked him how much I would have to pay should I decide to kill the cable cord and just buy internet from Comcast, and  was told my current $246/mo price would go down to $130/mo, for the internet speed and level I have now, which is fine, and does allow me to stream stuff from the net.  I have asked around on the local FB group, regarding other ISP offerings covering our city, and apparently both Verizon and T-Mobile have at least some of the city covered, but I saw many customers of these complaining abou the speeds and reliability, relative to Comcast, and I could not get much price info for them, either.   My TV set is very old, and I would not be able to stream anything on it without keeping the cable box (and thus the cable charge), so anything I would stream would have to be streamable on the computer.   One more thing- I have heard conflicting things regarding the current availability of local broadcast TV stations on streaming services-- anyone know about this?

[clean]

It doesnt hurt to shop around.  Please search AT&T and see what their packages are. 
Cable and internet packages seem to be something where the market plan is that they give you a great 'introductory' rate for a year, and at the end of the year the price jumps, in the hope that you wont notice the jump on your credit card. 
Some other company will be glad to change you and when you call the current provider and ask for 'customer retention' or say 'stop my service' a real person will come on and make a similar offer.

[EdnaMode]

I cut the cord years ago and everything I watch is on streaming via a Roku on my not so smart anymore 10+ year old TV. I have not missed a thing about having cable. I have my cable company's "it'll do" speed internet and phone service (I wanted a local phone number) for less than $100 a month. If I need local stations, I have an over the air antenna but have been known to watch the local news on my PC if I want to see anything they have on. I pay for BritBox, Netflix, and Prime, and there are loads of free things available through the Roku and all together it's less than what my cable bill was, even with the recent increases in streaming prices.

You say your TV is old and won't stream. Here's the thing, TVs are relatively cheap these days, and just for grins, I looked at what Sam's Club had to offer and you can buy a 50" Smart TV for $239, so that's less than your current cable bill. That said, my TV is over 10 years old, and it will run on the Roku just fine.

[jimbogumbo]

What EdnaMode said. I use Hulu Live, and locall channels are no issue.

[Sun_Worshiper]

I cut the cord years ago and everything I watch is on streaming via a Roku on my not so smart anymore 10+ year old TV. I have not missed a thing about having cable. I have my cable company's "it'll do" speed internet and phone service (I wanted a local phone number) for less than $100 a month. If I need local stations, I have an over the air antenna but have been known to watch the local news on my PC if I want to see anything they have on. I pay for BritBox, Netflix, and Prime, and there are loads of free things available through the Roku and all together it's less than what my cable bill was, even with the recent increases in streaming prices.

You say your TV is old and won't stream. Here's the thing, TVs are relatively cheap these days, and just for grins, I looked at what Sam's Club had to offer and you can buy a 50" Smart TV for $239, so that's less than your current cable bill. That said, my TV is over 10 years old, and it will run on the Roku just fine.

Same. Haven't had cable in over a decade and I'm doing just fine with streaming services. I used to miss NBA basketball, but now I can stream games on Amazon Prime, so there is really nothing cable has to offer me anymore.

[bio-nonymous]

You say your TV is old and won't stream. Here's the thing, TVs are relatively cheap these days, and just for grins, I looked at what Sam's Club had to offer and you can buy a 50" Smart TV for $239, so that's less than your current cable bill. That said, my TV is over 10 years old, and it will run on the Roku just fine.

Like EdnaMode said, a new TV can be had very cheaply, and with internet service you will make up the TV cost by not paying for the cable channels very quickly (wireless wifi streaming and all of the Apps on the new TVs make things very easy). There are also all sorts of "free" streaming services (with Ads) for example, so you don't even really have to pay for AmazonPrime or NetFlicks (though together you would be looking at an average of about $25/month or so for the two services).

Another easy option would be streaming from your computer by running an HDMI outlet to your TV to  give you a "Big" screen to watch whatever you can grab on your PC, without any cost beyond a cable... Lot's of options. HD antennas can get you the local channels, but they are sketchy with results depending upon your set-up and individual location (reminds me of old rabbit ear antennas!). I do have one for local disaster news if the cable/internet goes out (hurricanes are not unheard of here).

I HATE cable TV but we have it at my house currently. I was off the cable for quite a few years, but we hooked back up again a while ago. We are getting ready to cancel service because our usage doesn't justify the $$$ (only really watch streaming services anyway). I am looking forward to not paying that bill!

[Wahoo Redux]

Roku has surprisingly good selections.

And you know, K16, depending on how up-to-date you want to be, you can buy a DVD player and find DVDs at Goodwill and online for incredibly cheap. This might be the best option if you have an elderly TV.  Do I remember correctly that you work at a library?  Certainly they have a collection.  You would still have your broadcast channels for news and game shows and sitcoms and you could curate the classic movies and intelligent PBS stuff on your own shelves all you want. Tons of religious documentaries and Great Courses (I've got several of those myself).

I kind of miss those days, actually, before everything was streaming.

I know that cost is an issue for you, so those are just thoughts. 

[apl68]

All I've had to view at my house for over a decade now have been DVDs.  One can indeed find quite a few of them out there used for low cost.  That's how I get most of mine.

[jimbogumbo]

If you have a computer and internet you can always view ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox. No subscription needed.

[mythbuster]

We cut the cord several years ago in terms of cable only providing the internet, and then streaming with either You Tube TV or Hulu.

K16 mentioned sports in his post so I will say- live sports is what can really drive up the cost. Both Mr. Buster and myself are sports fans, and Mr. Buster is particularly a fan of international soccer. This has resulted in us having a combination of streaming packages (Hulu+live TV/ESPN currently) with a cost almost as much as a cable package. Once March Madness is over, we plan to eliminate the live TV aspect and see what we feel we can and can't live without. We are already planning to pick up a Peacock subscription for the period of the Olympics.

Mr. Buster has been doing his research on how best to balance cost and what we actually watch. There is no clear winner right now, so my suggestion is to try out one of the services and see if it provides what you want.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Ouch! That is some pricey internet and cable. We haven't had cable since 2006. Ha! We have one of those old 'black boxes' that lets us watch local tv and a couple of 'dumb' tvs. We also have some things like hulu and nf, but we may get rid of one since prices keep going up. I agree with the comment about using a laptop to watch news, etc. Really, it depends on what you like to watch...

[Vkw10]

I recently bought a $20 antenna from BestBuy that claimed to have a range of 35 miles. It picks up ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, and about 20 miscellaneous channels. I live in a 3rd floor apartment in a small Midwest city where taller buildings are rare. Partner was happy to see some of the NCAA basketball games w/o $300 cable bill.