A while back, I wrote about my plan and intention to cut my family’s cable television service and rely on internet services for our video entertainment needs (as much as you can call entertainment a “need,” but that’s another post for another time).
We have decided to forgo this approach for now. We intend to revisit the idea when the kids are a little older.
I thought I would outline the reasoning behind our delay…
- The kids. As much as I tried to believe that internet sources like Hulu and Netflix would suffice in the kid department, I don’t think they are quite there yet. In addition, we need our kids to be able to access the shows that we allow them to watch without too much technological muss and fuss.
- U-verse. Quite frankly, much of my inspiration to make the move to a cable-free existence is the existence of our cable provider, Charter. Can’t stand ’em. Random outages, slow internet speeds during peak hours, bad HD functionality, high cost… not much to like as a consumer. When we looked into AT&T U-verse, we were totally sold. Working perfectly so far.
- Data caps. As our deadline to decision approached, I started reading stories about internet providers capping data downloads, essentially weeding out users of high amounts of content. Not crazy about the future ramifications of this development, as I believe innovation online will lead to larger download needs for the average user. At any rate, the prospect of getting our internet service disconnected or our bill increased due to Daddy’s (read: my) HD fascination was less than favorable.
QUESTION: Do any NoCamo readers have any responses to any of the three issues listed above? I’d especially love to hear from those who have cut their cable.
Not a Camouflaged Soul 
We have cut our cable and just survive on the internet, Netflix and the Library alone. What I have learned is that we live in such a media driven society that the hardest part of down sizing is detoxing our kids and ourselves from the instant entertainment options and making ourselves form new routines that don’t involve the television. Once you go through that detox it really isn’t that big of a deal and you find that you get more accomplished in a day. My family was forced to do that when we moved to Germany, so it made it easier when we came back stateside to get rid of cable.
Thanks Tammy. Interesting that today there are even more non-TV “instant” options. Waiting for a show to start on cable is almost antiquated these days!
When my husband and I moved last summer, we went without cable for almost six months. That decision was simply based on how expensive cable was in our new area. We waited for an insight salesman to come around and offer a really affordable deal. While we were without cable, we survived on netflix and other internet sources. It wasn’t too bad. We spent a lot of time reminiscing over shows and movies we grew up watching simply because we hadn’t even had Netflix before the move, so it was still pretty new to us. Now that we have cable, we hardly watch live television. We mostly watch things we record on DVR and things provided on the On Demand feature. I think we could probably live without it again if we decided to, but we don’t have kids yet either. So we didn’t have any of the concerns about options easily accessible for them. Good luck on making a decision!
Thanks Courtney! We’re pretty happy with our U-verse for now. The kids get a lot out of it, too.