Major cable television providers can be frustrating entities to deal with. Bills keep going up even when no new services or channels are added, and there's no guarantee of even getting all the channels you want. Since many cities and towns have only one cable company, you may feel that they have you over the barrel. Still, there are alternatives that may better suit your needs, depending on your location, price range and viewing habits.
Over The Air
The least expensive alternative is to use an antenna to pick up the local broadcast channels available in your area. However, if you have an older analog television, you'll need a converter box to receive the channels now that the United States has transitioned to all-digital broadcasting. And, the number of channels you get will be limited compared to basic cable.
Satellite TV
Major satellite providers like DirecTV and Dish Network offer comparable features and service as cable providers, and sometimes can have lower monthly rates and different programming packages to choose from. Another type of satellite TV is Free-To-Air (FTA), which doesn't rely on subscription providers, but rather allows the user to scan different satellites to pick up any of the channels available on that satellite. FTA is more widely used in other countries--in the United States it is limited to independent and niche programming; the popular broadcast and cable networks most likely won't be found.
Telephone Companies
Lately, telephone service providers have branched out into TV service as well, such as Verizon's FiOS and AT&T's U-Verse TV. Though basically similar to cable TV, the rates may be lower due to competition if you live in an area where these are offered and, like satellite providers, it may give you more options for choosing a particular programming package that fits your tastes.
Online
While not technically qualifying as television service, many of the programs shown on the broadcast and cable networks are streamed online for on-demand viewing, either on that network's website or linked to other sites such as Hulu.com.
Tags: broadcast cable, broadcast cable networks, cable networks, channels available, satellite providers