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Before I share my take, I think it’s worth clarifying what I mean by ‘cable cutting’.
In most cases, there’s no longer a cable to cut.
This is the Verizon FiOS deal that got my attention.
Yes, the company that is also providing their high-speed broadband Internet service.
There was also the matter of my service.
Optimum’shardware and reliability were abysmal.
This is the Verizon FiOS deal that got my attention.
All of our boxes kept rebooting, and we regularly lost internet and cable throughout the home.
The deal
As is often the case, I was spurred to action by a deal.
Verizon offered its 1Gbps FiOS for $65 a month to all existing Verizon Mobile customers.
The last time I’d be using a cable box and its remote
My family is on Verizon’s 5G plan with thebest iPhones, so I decided to investigate.
I’d beenan early FiOS customer(probably the first one in my neighborhood) in the early oughts.
This time, though, would be different.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
All I needed was broadband internet.
By the end of the call, I was signed up for a new Verizon FiOS Internet-only plan.
Installation would commence at the end of the month.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
“Sure theres nothing we can do?
You’ve been with us five years, said the rep.
He wasn’t pleading.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
He wasn’t pleading.
Seeing that I wasn’t moved, the rep hit me with a little nostalgia bomb.
I’ll admit, this gave me pause.
(Image credit: Future)
I have trouble letting go of things (see my basement).
The rep offered to port the number to a cell line for $25-a-month.
That was what snapped me out of it.
Packed up all my equipment – all those cable boxes and remotes – and returned them to Optimum
For phone calls, we all use our cellphones.
In the end, I said goodbye to the number and hello to a new experience.
I packed up all my Optimum equipment and hand-delivered it to a service center.
The Paramount Plus basic service includes a live stream that you cannot pause
That relationship was officially over.
No 500 channels to peruse.
I naively assumed I wouldn’t miss cable at all.
If you want Max, I suggest you don’t sign up through one of the streaming boxes or platforms like Apple TV or Roku
What I didn’t realize is that I still watch local news.
I also lost access to one of my favorite shows,CBS Sunday Morning.
And, like cable, it has a lot of channels I don’t care about.
Tubi has loads of on-demand content (with commercials) and a lot of live, streaming content, including local and national news and sports. And it’s all free!
I did look into buying an4K-supportingATSC 3.0antenna to pull my local networks out of the air.
Unfortunately, only one TV in my home supports the latest over-the-air broadcast standard.
Plus, I would only be bringing the broadcast to one TV (unless I bought multiple antennas).
Thanks, Peacock for streaming the parade
Over time, I had signed up for HBO (which becameMax) throughApple TV, and Peacock throughRoku.
I used to think this was efficient.
It can be, but a cable-free world reveals to you what was previously hidden.
Similarly, signing up for Peacock throughRokumeant that only Roku boxes and Roku TVs could access it.
The iPad could not run Peacock through the Roku App because I could not sign in.
Now we can sign in on any gear and watch Peacock where we want.
I performed a similar operation with Max.
It leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
