the pod bay door

:: The homepage on my folks’ computer defaults to the Shaw high speed internet site. I’ve always detested the fact that Canadians cannot subscribe to US cable networks such as HBO, Cinemax, Nickleodeon, Showtime, etc. Imagine my shock and awe when I noticed the words, “Interested in HBO? Take the Poll” on the above page. I clicked and came to a page that reads:

INTERESTED IN HBO? HBO, ESPN, Fox News, Nickelodeon Kids, Showtime and more!

You may have recently read that Shaw has applied through the CCTA (Canadian Cable Television Association) to allow Canadian cable distributors the ability to offer American Networks such as HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, VH1 and others. This application was in response to numerous requests we have had from our customers through our call centers and retail locations.

Currently, the only way to access these popular networks is through Black Market illegal satellite systems. The majority of the 400,000 Canadians with illegal satellite are using it to access these popular networks.

We are interested in your opinion on this issue. Do you think that Canadians should have access to these American Networks? Click here to cast your vote.

Thank you for taking the time to share your opinion with Shaw. We look forward to serving you better!

After picking myself and my jaw up off the floor, I quickly voted, and noted the results to date: 96.5% – YES, 3.5% – NO.

I checked the CCTA web site, and found this 19 June 2003 news release, providing more details about the application. The 24-page application is available here, in PDF format.

If you support this application, PLEASE go to this page and cast your vote in favour of Shaw’s efforts. Note that you can only cast your vote once. But please, do it!

This entry was posted on Friday, July 18th, 2003 at 10:09 and is filed under Pop Culture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.