RCN’s campus cable catastrophe

Georgetown’s new cable provider, the Residential Cable Network, has print advertisements claiming the company listened to students’ reactions after rolling out an astronomically-priced cable package this semester.
Judging by the company’s new cable offerings, though, it’s hard to imagine which students RCN is listening to.
Students expressed near universal disapproval at the beginning of the year with RCN’s “Signature Digital Cable” package, which, priced at $53.95 per month, is a serious jump from last year’s cost of $150 a semester.
In response, RCN unveiled an “Essential Digital Cable” package with students—and their paltry bank accounts—supposedly in mind. But the new cable plan, at $19.95 per month, is as unsuited to students’ needs as the more expensive package.
The “Essential” plan offers seventy channels, most of which stretch the definition of “essential.” This plan includes over a dozen foreign language channels, the C-SPAN triplets, and three channels cryptically titled GU Future.
While the merits of informative television are apparent, RCN’s “Essential” plan consists of little more than broadcast television and unpopular channels stuffed into a limp digital cable line-up.
If a student wants to watch Comedy Central? $53.95 per month. The Discovery Channel or CNN? $53.95 per month.
Even after paying so much money for channels included in any other basic cable package, students still only get three months of HBO. If RCN had actually listened to students’ complaints, the company would offer a reasonably priced offering of in-demand channels.
Rival cable company Comcast, almost the only choice for students living off-campus, offers a cable package comparable to RCN’s “Signature” plan for only $29.99 per month for the first year. With Comcast, Premium movie channels are only an extra $5 per month.
On-campus, however, RCN’s exclusive contract with Georgetown has created a monopoly impervious to price competition.The new RCN “Essential” package may be more affordable for students, but this price comes at the cost of quality television.
By only offering on-campus students RCN—rather than a choice between multiple cable companies—Georgetown allows RCN to dictate what students can watch and how much they will pay to watch it. Until a fair plan is unveiled that satisfies price and channel expectations, students will keep their TVs off and their wallets closed.