[Discuss] Comcast goes all encrypted video in Cambridge

[bogstad at pobox.com (Bill Bogstad)]

On Wed, Sep 25, 2013 at 1:58 PM, Richard Pieri <richard.pieri at gmail.com> wrote:
> Jerry Feldman wrote:
>>
>> I think there are a few motivations for this:
>
>
> It's because their physical infrastructure is completely insecure. Anyone
> can tap the lines without Comcast knowing it. By encrypting the signals and
> controlling the decryption side they can lock out the moochers.
>
> At least, that's the idea, anyway.

I doubt if this is actually about people who climb up a pole and tap
into Comcast's wires.   I think this is about people who have more
than one TV in their house and decide they only want to watch the
local broadcast news in their bedroom or PBS in the kids room and
therefore don't lease additional equipment from Comcast.   BTW, the
wires being "tapped" aren't owned by Comcast.   They (like Verizon)
might offer to fix them (for a fee), but they haven't claimed to own
them in a long time.  I admit to not having followed changes in the
law about "must carry" and how much Comcast has to pay local broadcast
stations for the right to carry their station, but when they start
encrypting the local school district's channel, I think they have gone
too far.

Bill Bogstad