4 Things to Consider When Cutting the Cable Cord

It is said all the time that we are in the midst of a digital revolution, well, it also appears we are in the middle of a transition from the cable age to the streaming era.

Considering these four key factors will help you decide if making the transition to streaming or “Cutting The Cord” is the right move for your household.

Four Primary Factors To Consider When Deciding Whether Or Not To Cut The Cable Cord.

• Expensive Service Agreements: The primary reason people are making the move is directly related to their pocketbooks, aka the expense associated with cable TV. Most consumers would agree that even basic cable packages are not cheap.
• Rental Fees: In addition to the fixed costs of your agreement to receive your cable package or bundle, there are often rental fees associated with equipment required by the cable provider to access the service. And, you as a consumer don’t really have many options in terms of the equipment you are required to rent each month.
• Flat Fees: With traditional cable agreements, users are charged a flat fee per month regardless of usage. So, if you ended up not watching certain premium channels in your package, you are still paying the same fee as if you were. You are also often forced to go with various bundles that include networks with little or no programming interest to you.
• Contracts: Again, with most traditional agreements there are contracts involved tying the user to the provider regardless of usage or contentment with the agreement.

Compare to Streaming Service

When directly contrasting these factors with a streaming centric solution, it’s clear to see why so many households are making the move:

• Expensive Service Agreements: There are many options to access streaming services and many have much lower baseline expenses making the point of entry more affordable.
• Rental Fees: You might have to purchase a small piece of hardware or equipment to make the move to a non-cable household but you own that equipment, and it usually ends up costing quite a bit less than recurring never-ending rental fees.
• Flat Fees: With a streaming alternative you only pay for what you want to watch, you don’t end up getting bundles of networks that you are not interested in viewing or paying for.
• Contracts: There are no contracts with a provider when you enter into a streaming alternative.

It sounds quite simple and basic but it is often surprising to spend time dissecting the regular monthly charges on a cable bill. You will often find a portion going towards your “Package” which is usually the bulk of the fee.

Getting Started or Pull Out Your Scissors

Once you have considered the above four factors, the next step is in your decision-making process is to do an analysis of your current cable bill to get a true handle on what you are currently paying each month. It sounds quite simple and basic but it is often surprising to spend time dissecting the regular monthly charges on a cable bill. You will often find a portion going towards your “Package” which is usually the bulk of the fee.

Next, you will likely find an area “Equipment and Services” which will likely include lines associated with products tied to specific TVs in your household or internet equipment rental fees.

You will also often come across an “Other Charges” field which can include Broadcast TV fees, Regional Sports Fees, and more. Then you will get to the taxes, surcharges, and fees.

In doing a simple review, you will find that the math does indeed line up, and more importantly, it adds up. While this is not a fun exercise, it really is the only way to put pen to paper and understand just how the cable company is getting to that overall fee of regular monthly charges. Simply reviewing your most recent bill might be what it takes to motivate you to “Pull Out Those Scissors” and make that change. If nothing else, it might highlight a charge or two that you can look to have reduced and removed from your monthly bill moving forward.

If you do end up deciding to “Pull Out Those Scissors” and begin the process of Cutting The Cable Cord, a TekHelper would be happy to help you navigate the process and guide your family into the age of streaming.