By now, Cap Rock Telephone Cooperative customers have gotten the word: their local provider of cable television will soon be phasing out that service. While cable is only one component of a multilayered product mix that Spur-based Cap Rock has offered over the years, it’s one that has changed the most due to recent industry trends.
It’s no secret that television content has rapidly been shifting gears globally. “We’re already experincing the industry switching to streaming,” said Cap Rock president and general manager Jim Whitefield. “There’s a big push on how services will be provided in the future.”
Many cord-cutters who once relished the broad menu of cable channels have abandoned that option when the television studios themselves started moving their toprated shows to streaming platforms—including their own. Content producers can capture not only a higher cut of profits that way but fine-grained consumer data as well. As more end users gained access to the broadband Internet connections that could deliver such content on their televisions, computers, and even cell phones, the landscape changed swiftly. Just ask anyone who’s struggled to keep up with where to watch seasons of the Paramount hit “Yellowstone.”
At present, said Whitefield, some 30 percent of Cap Rock Telephone’s customers still subscribe to cable TV. Many had already moved over to streaming.
Cap Rock has been working on options for a couple of years, said Whitefield, but “wouldn’t ever pull the trigger until we could identify choices with local Lubbock channels.”
Now, he said, the cooperative has arrived at a strategy that will offer appealing alternatives. Equally important to a firm that has always prided itself on top-notch customer service, Cap Rock staff are fully up to speed on assisting subscribers in switching over.
“When you call in today to make the change, we’ll have a service tech come and change your equipment over, and give you a demonstration,” said Whitefield. They will even walk you through setting up your choice of streaming subscription.
Naturally, customers might have a few questions. Whitefield spent some time going through
“We have already raised to another tier of speed” across the board, said Whitefield. Any given customer’s bandwidth might be affected by how many devices they’re using at the same time, and whether they have subscribed to an appropriate speed to begin with. Cap Rock techs can help analyze those metrics.
• What streaming service should I use? While Cap Rock isn’t endorsing any one service, they have spent considerable time reviewing the array of choices and have a list to share. But the bottom line for all customers, Whitefield said, is “more channels at less cost.”
•WhataboutcableTV subscribers who don’t already have Internet
service?
There are a few customers in Cap Rock’s service area in that situation, said Whitefield, but not many. Customer service representatives can assist with solutions.
•Whathappenswhen the Internet goes down?
Cap Rock monitors closely for outages, which occur infrequently these days, and it’s certainly possible to have problems anywhere— even on a network like Cap Rock, which has steadily invested in buried, high-speed fiber optic connections. But in an emergency, there are multiple ways to access the Internet—at a minimum, said Whitefield, via telephone dial tone access.
• How will I receive local television news, such as Lubbock stations?
Increasingly, broadcast affiliates have been providing streaming access to their content, including all-important local weather news. An added benefit will be access to other state and national newscasts and programming that weren’t readily available via cable.
For hundreds of Cap Rock Telephone’s approximately 3,500 members across its 18-county service area who still subscribe to cable, change is coming. But the cooperative has had a positive response so far, said Whitefield. He made the switch himself just last month.
The final cutoff date is October 24, 2023. Customers will receive other reminders before that, said Whitefield.
Cap Rock is encouraging customers to call whenever it’s convenient for them, as the organization rolls out the changes over the next six months. They’ll be waiting to hear from you at (806) 271-3336.
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