Can You Own Your Own Cable Box On Comcast?

[Bytemeister]

I remeber a law being passed several years ago saying that you can own your own cable box to receive cable channels. I am part of a community that receives basic Comcast service as part of a Home Owners arrangement. However, Comcast will NOT sell me the boxes and will only rent them to us for INFINITY and BEYOND!

I have a real problem with someone charging me an INFINITE PRICE for a piece of equipment that has a FINITE PRICE!!! I am 100% against that...It is PURE MONOPOLY in its UGLIEST!

I see Scientific Atlanta cable boxes (the same ones that are being used here in Florida by Comcast localy), for sale on the Internet all the time. I want to buy one but I am not sure if it will work. My question is..."If I buy one of these boxes which are the same as Comcast offers, and I hook it up like I would hook up one of Comcast's own boxes, will the box work or will it be blocked because THEY, Comcast would have to activate it?

Thank you in advance

[jayn_j]

Comcast needs to authorize the box. Further, any box you purchase will have been stolen and is traceable. They do not sell boxes under any conditions, so all units sold on e-bay are rental units that were not returned. If you connect to the system, they will be able to trace it and will come recover it.

Bottom line: don't waste your money.

[Bytemeister]

Why hasn't anyone or a group of people brought a class action law suit against Comcast for not allowing the purchase of these boxes? They are clearly in violation of Anti-Trust laws by making us pay essentially an INFINITE AMOUNT OF MONEY for these boxes! How else can you look at it? If you have one of "their" boxes, then you pay for the box FOREVER!!! There is NO LIMIT on the amount you will pay for this box over time...That has to be construed by any judicial body as ILLEGAL!

[DishDave]

Here we go again beating a dead horse over and over again.

[yaz96]

Why hasn't anyone or a group of people brought a class action law suit against Comcast for not allowing the purchase of these boxes? They are clearly in violation of Anti-Trust laws by making us pay essentially an INFINITE AMOUNT OF MONEY for these boxes! How else can you look at it? If you have one of "their" boxes, then you pay for the box FOREVER!!! There is NO LIMIT on the amount you will pay for this box over time...That has to be construed by any judicial body as ILLEGAL!

Guess what, first box is free with Comcast, so an INFINITE AMOUNT OF NOTHING! FOREVER! NO LIMIT! LEGAL!

Guess you never have paid Dish or Direct box fees every month or you would have had an aneurysm by now!

[HTINSTALLER]

Ummm... first box is not free . I only have one Comcast box and im not only charged for it but im charged for the stupid remote as well.You should just buy an HD TIVO box.The FIRST cable card is FREE through Comcast.

[jayn_j]

Ummm... first box is not free . I only have one Comcast box and im not only charged for it but im charged for the stupid remote as well.You should just buy an HD TIVO box.The FIRST cable card is FREE through Comcast.

As with everything regarding Comcast, YMMV.

Every locality has its own rules and policies. Please check your local office before making any decision. Some areas are now eliminating analog tier and making the basic digital box free. Some are not.

Reported rates for everything vary across the system.

[bicker]

I remeber a law being passed several years ago saying that you can own your own cable box to receive cable channels. I am part of a community that receives basic Comcast service as part of a Home Owners arrangement.

Here's where things have gone off the rails for you: The community you live in has, on your behalf, made decisions that affect your choices. You really need to direct your energies in that direction, to either get your community to change their agreement with Comcast next time it comes due for review (the laws you refer to guarantee that your community can insist on what you're asking for) or impress on your community leaders the need for your community to return to a normal way of interacting with service providers, i.e., each home owner contracting with the service provider independently, rather than through a community agreement.

Best of luck!

[deathmetal]

you sure can own your own box,its called hdtivo,it requires a cablecard,which in most areas is free for the first one.

[Paradox-SJ]

Tivo-Semvo.....Its called a Moxi -
Moxi - Home, HD DVR, HDTV, Digital Video Recorder, Premium Media Center