Re:cabele companies (Score 1)

Cable companies are required to carry and station within 50 or 70 miles of the local office (where ever you go an pay locally and pick up a new equipment). But it is not mandated at what quality standard they carry it in. Federal government has mandated that all stations broadcast their signal both in analog and digital, eventually everything will be broadcast in digital. But digital doesn't mean HDTV. HDTV uses 7-8 times as much bandwidth as regular broadcast channels so of course their not going to offer it for free with the regular package. If you have that many local stations that are broadcasting in HD just get an HD antenna.