Staff Editorial: Is it really 'Comcastic?'

Cable behemoth Comcast Communications has been cleared by the Philadelphia City Council's Public Property Committee to take over the last vestiges of non-Comcast controlled cable in the city.

So now, all of Philadelphia will have its cable provided solely by the media giant -- and that includes Penn. While the University currently provides its own cable, the move to Comcast has been viewed as a way to better the quality of cable television access for students.

But in reality, this optimism might be unfounded.

It is true that allowing Comcast to take over the University's cable access will result in a wider array of services, namely an increase in channels, particularly the popular Comcast SportsNet channel. Yet while having more channels is great for viewers, one must still look at the consequences that will arise from such an endeavor.

This move will result in a cable access monopoly in Philadelphia; gone will be any source of competition, leaving Penn viewers essentially at the mercy of the cable provider, including any price spikes that might occur.

And you can expect they will.

Comcast is notorious not only for the number of advertisements that accompany its programming but also for its cost. Yet now the University will have no other choice but to fork over payments to Comcast for continued cable access. Mike Palladino, Penn's Associate Vice President for Networking and Communications, said that a deal with Comcast is very likely to affect prices for students eventually: "Once we start going in and changing the channel lineup, it might have a cost impact."

And the costs might seem reasonable if the product itself were outstanding. However, while Comcast might be well known in the Philadelphia area for its acts of philanthropy, it is equally well known for its baggage, including but not limited to outages and poor customer service, both prone to occur in such a large network.

Palladino added, "We will probably be in a better position to get more programming, possibly at a better price -- but you never know."

Indeed, while students may be enticed by the allure of new channels, everyone should keep in mind what the potential costs will be.

After all, television is no fun to watch if you can't afford it.

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