Audio Video News

Verizon calls its FiOS TV subscribers "ahead of the game" for buying into its advanced, all-digital service. That must be why the company feels no shame in snipping the wires on its customers' analog TV channels and taking them off the air beginning in April, almost a full year before the federally mandated digital TV switch deadline.

Granted, nearly all FiOS customers already have a digital set top box at home. Typically, though, that's only on one TV in the house. Until now, Verizon had been allowing its subscribers to watch analog channels on the other TV sets - such as the one in the bedroom, child's room, or kitchen - without a digital set top box or digital converter.

Verizon also says it has a few customers who pay the company for analogy-only channel access. Those customers will soon receive free digital converters from Verizon, but everyone else will get an up-sell from Verizon to deck out their other TV sets in digital splendor. At the minimum they'll have to buy digital converters, at the maximum they'll cough up money for a set top box, high-definition packages and other top-tier programming bundles.

Why should Verizon's multi-TV owning subscribers be forced to upgrade their extra TVs before the rest of America? Because Verizon made a deal and promised the Federal Communications Commission it would switch early. In agreeing to cut analog channels in 2008, Verizon was allowed to make and distribute set top boxes that operate using banned security functions. -Rachel Rosmarin

Verizon