Digital Broadcast Transition

The Q&A outlined below was the version offered by Suddenlink to its customers (and others in the company’s service areas) between Feb. 17, 2009 — when the first, partial transition to digital broadcasts occured — and June 12, 2009, when the final transition was effectively completed.

——————

 

Q: I’ve already lost some TV channels; what can I do?

Your options include: order cable TV or another multichannel TV service; buy a newer, digital-ready TV set and antenna; or (for older sets) purchase one or more digital converter boxes from a local TV or electronics retailer.

To order government coupons to help offset the cost of the digital converter boxes, you can either call 1-888-388-2009 or check here.

To order cable service from Suddenlink, visit our main Web site and enter your zip code for informaton on how to reach Suddenlink reps who can help you determine if you live in an area we serve, and if you do, get you connected.

Q: Some of my TV sets are hooked up to Suddenlink, some aren’t. Can I get the rest connected?

Absolutely. Visit our main Web site and enter your zip code for informaton on how to reach Suddenlink reps who can help.

Q: Do I need to get Suddenlink’s digital cable service to continue watching my TV?

No. The digital transition applies only to TV signals that are broadcast and received over the air. In contrast, TV signals that are transmitted over cable lines — namely, the channels on Suddenlink’s basic and expanded basic line ups — will continue to be delivered, from us to you, in a format that works with your current TV sets.

Of course, if you want to upgrade to Suddenlink’s digital service, we would be delighted to make that happen. Our digital service provides you with access to more channels than those available on our basic and expanded basic line ups. Additionaly, our digital service gives you access to movies and special events not available on standard channels. Regardless, our basic and expanded basic (non-digital) cable services should continue to work just fine with older TV sets, even after TV stations switch to digital-only broadcasts.

Q: I want to get one of those coupons for the TV boxes that have been mentioned in the news. Can Suddenlink provide them?

Suddenlink does not have access to those coupons. They are distributed directly by the federal government to people who need them — namely, people who want to continue to receive TV signals transmitted over the air rather than over cable lines. To get one of those coupons, you can call 1-888-388-2009 or check here. However, if you are a Suddenlink customer, all of your TV sets that are already connected to our service should continue to work just fine and you don’t need a government coupon.

Q: I ordered one of those coupons for TV boxes that have been mentioned in the news. Can I purchase those boxes from Suddenlink?

Suddenlink does not sell or lease those particular boxes. The boxes we have are designed to work with our digital cable service. If you want one of the boxes for which the government coupons were intended, please check with a local TV or electronics retailer, or call 1-888-388-2009, or check here for information on stores that may sell those boxes.

Alternatively, while we cannot redeem these coupons, many of our operating regions will provide free standard installation of cable TV service to new customers. If you are an existing customer, all of your TV sets that are already hooked up to our service should continue to work just fine.