That's exactly my point.Call the FCC and see what they regulate?Been there,done that.Have a problem with your cell phone company,call the FCC and see what they can do for you??Nothing!Each state needs to regulate the satellite industry,that would go through the Public Utilities Commision,or the Public Service Commision,it's called different things in different states.You than have hearings when there is price raises,why there is need for contracts ect.Your not a direct tv employee are you???
Here's an idea: TELEVISION IS NOT A UTILITY! It is not a human rights issue. It's not even something you need to for living a happy, comfortable life. TV is a luxury that you pay for. Contracts are there to subsidize the equipment and the first-year discounts that you get. Most of your pricing goes to the networks that are bundled to provide a sizable discount on the channels you get. I'm not sure about other providers, but the DirecTV wont even make a profit on a new 2-year customer until about 4-6 months from the end of their commitment.
Let's not forget the costs of continual improvement! How much do you think it cost to develop MoCA, RVU, KA/KU satellites, MRV, SWM, and the HMC-5 (Genie product)? Do you think R&D is free? How about running a broadcast center? And all of the call centers operated by DTV? Let's not forget about paying and training competent technicians, providing a fleet and fuel to get them to your home, and deploying all of the hardware necessary for them to support you, the customer?
Finally, let's talk about regulations. It was already mentioned that the satellite industry is regulated by the FCC and SBCA. I'll also note that there are regulations by the FTC, however I haven't taken the time to read up on them, so I'm going to acknowledge that they do exist and they have something to do with consumer pricing (and corporate responsibility), but I don't know the details. So that leaves us with the FCC and SBCA. The FCC regulates the broadcast frequencies that we all have access to from the satellites in the sky and other over-the-air reception means. The FCC only regulates cable companies in their satellite usages and how much signal can leak from their cable (seriously, find an analog cable distribution point and fire up a ham radio to see what I mean by "signal leak"). The SBCA is the more important of the two. The SBCA lobbies and defends your right to have satellite TV, antennas, long-range wireless internet reception devices, etc. This includes people living in apartment complexes, renting houses, living in buildings with historical significance, etc. They don't regulate prices, as nobody does. Subscription TV is a private paid service, and there is no reason to regulate the prices, as they're still reasonably fair. You get what you pay for and nothing less.
So in summation: if you don't want to pay for it, don't subscribe to it. Get netchix or Ho-low instead. Install an antenna and watch your locals. Send an email to the VP of Operations at your cable provider. I don't care. The prices are the best that can be gotten from network providers plus the cost of company overhead. Your arguments are weak at best, and I'm going to be nice and assume you're just misinformed or ignorant of how commercial services work.
tl;dr: subscription tv is a service, not a utility.
EDIT: ps. NEC also regulates the satellite industry: ground your dishes!
