Have you "cut the cord" on EXPENSIVE cable TV? Why or why not? A PBS guide

[Lydia Leftcoast]

159. I get my Internet through Comcast, and I used to have full cable TV service

but then I noticed the quality of the cable stations deteriorating: A&E went from arts and foreign programming to true crime, Discovery and History added more "reality shows," Bravo went from foreign and independent films to celebrity poker and fashion, and even BBC America went through a phase where it was all Top Gear and Ramsey, and Lord help us, Star Trek: The Next Generation and the U.S. edition of Dancing with the Stars.

Coincidentally, my business went through a slow period, so I began cutting back on channels. Finally, I was down to local channels plus public access, and that's where I'll stay. For one thing, I like having dependable access to PBS (my neighborhood is right under a flight path, and I understand the digital transmissions are easily interrupted here) as well as MHz Worldview, which runs on one of the public access stations and features news broadcasts from around the world during the day and European dramas and mysteries in the evening.

Otherwise, I have a Roku, through which I get Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Acorn Premium. I also order DVDs of British and European programming from Amazon UK.

With all this, I have more content than I have time to watch, and it's all to my liking. Boo to the dumbed-down cable stations!