I noticed it around 2 weeks ago. From what I can see, they are duplicates of the 500 channels. I think the reason they're at this location vs up in the 500 range is MOST people won't see them in the 500s.
I need to block the ones at the channel 1 spot(s). When I want our local channels in the guide, I hit "000" to get at the start of them. Previously, it put channel "2" at the top and I could see it, channel 7 and 16. Now, I see a screenful of VOD channels.