I've recently been investigating cable alternatives. In my case, I have Metrocast in NH and Time-Warner in OH. The immediate issue was that my TWC bill had reached $144 / month for Internet and basic cable (no premium channels, no HD except local broadcast). I called their local competitor (Wide Open West - WOW) and got the same services for less than half, guaranteed for 2 years. Interestingly, as soon as I canceled (which was extremely difficult) TWC called repeatedly to undercut WOW's rates and offer other free incentives to get me back (I'm not going).
As a seasonal resident of Alton, I am also interested in my TV options aside from Metrocast. I have found several sources. The first is
https://aereo.com They "rent" you a tiny TV antenna and DVR located in their Boston data center. For $8 / month you can watch any broadcast station in the FCC-defined Boston viewing area (which includes Belknap county), about 20 channels + Bloomberg Business TV.
Depending on how high definition you desire, you will need from 0.5 to 2.5 Mbps of Internet bandwidth. You can watch on your computer or other device. You can also use an Internet-connected TV or (as I did) buy a Roku box for about $30. The Roku plugs into the TV's HDMI or composite video ports and connects to Aereo. It also offers connections to other free and paid sites, such as PBS (free), Netflix, and my favorite, Amazon. In my case, since I am already an Amazon Prime member for the free shipping, I can select from several 10's of thousands of movies and TV shows (for free) at any given time. There are about a dozen or two more "channels" available through Roku.
Finally, a growing number of cable networks are making their programming available over the Internet in an advertizing-supported form.
Now, if only there were something actually worth watching...
