Cable Subscribers to be Hit with New Fee as FCC Rule Could Require a Set-Top Box on Every TV

The FCC’s new rule going into effect December 10, 2012 will allow all digital cable companies to scramble local channels and basic cable.  That means if you have a TV set, HD or not, that currently does not have a cable box attached, you will have to get one. You’ll get one or two free for a year or two, then you will have to pay a monthly fee. HD boxes are currently about $10 a month.  Do you have TVs without cable boxes? How do you feel about having to pay for boxes for HDTVs that work well today without a box? Please click the RED BUTTON below to add your comments or read others’.

Airline CEO Calls Consumers “Idiots”

Add you comments about the airline CEO who called consumers who pay some of his exorbitant fees “idiots.”  (Click the RED button below)

Coming Soon: Buy with a Credit Card, Pay a 2-3% Surcharge

Under a settlement with Mastercard and Visa, any seller of goods or services will be allowed to charge customers extra if they pay with ANY credit card (not just Visa/MC). The typical surcharge to cover the merchant’s credit costs is between 2 and 3 percent.

What do you think of sellers (not just retailers) being able to charge you extra to use a credit card? Will you use a credit card less if you have to pay more? Please add your comments before (click the red responses button).

Your Comments about Consumer World’s New Design

Please take a look at the new design for Consumer World’s homepage — this is an ACTUAL WORKING VERSION here.  If the page does not seem to render properly on your computer, please let me know what you see. (The entire width of the homepage should be viewable on most monitors without scrolling to the right, with many newer ones having a charcoal border around the narrower white content area.)

Among the changes, we are going to a three-column format, thus removing a lot of clutter. Some menu items have dropdowns, such as the “Resources” menu item at the top. It reveals a dropdown box with a number of subpage categories including ones for Auto, Agencies, Buying Advice, Legal, etc.

Please offer your honest comments, suggestions, and criticisms by clicking the red button below.

Thanks in advance.