Our locally-owned small town telephone/cable/internet company recently ditched the analog system and went to requiring everyone to have cable boxes. Obviously, one way to collect an additional $8 per month per TV hooked to cable. But worse, the cable boxes do not have an RF output, only composite and component (in addition to HDMI for those opting for HD service). Thus, anyone with an older TV with RF-only inputs are immediately out of luck. Yeah, I know you can get an RF adapter, but those are getting harder to find, and how many older people will junk their CRT TV's and be forced into buying a new flat screen model? Another thing to consider --- my cable boxes appear to use around 25 watts round the clock, and with 3 of those running in my house, that adds up to another 54 KWH of electrical usage per month.
