I chose the last option. These are HD channels. They are being delivered in HD. The source content may not be HD, but the delivery is.
There are lots of valid questions. Should content providers move to HD source content more quickly? Should content providers distort source content by changing the aspect ratio? But the content on those channels is 4:3 SD upconverted to HD. Complain that it is upconverted. Complain that it is 4:3. Complain that it is stretched. But don't say it's not HD when it arrives because technically, it is.