Time Warner Cable Reaches Agreement with FOX

Time Warner Cable customers and FOX fans can rest easier these days, as the cable giant and network have finally come to an agreement!

Fans of FOX shows has reason to be worried, as the situation got so tense that Time Warner Cable created RollOverGetTough.com, a website dedicated to, "getting tough on unfair programming price increases with a new series of advertising and website enhancements designed to educate consumers about the outrageous demands made by some television networks." However, after the news was released that the companies had reached a deal, this letter was posted to the site:

Dear Time Warner Cable Customers,

We have good news to share. After prolonged negotiations, we have reached an agreement with FOX – which means you can continue to enjoy your favorite FOX shows on Time Warner Cable.

No one ever likes to see prices go up. We don’t. And we know you don’t. That’s why we work hard to keep the cost of cable affordable for our customers – especially in these difficult economic times.

And, your support has made a big difference as we’ve worked to sign a reasonable agreement with Fox and prevent any disruption of programming.

From all of us at Time Warner Cable to everyone in your home, thanks again for your support.

We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Best wishes for a safe, healthy and Happy New Year.

Sincerely,

Glenn A. Britt
Chief Executive Officer
Time Warner Cable Inc.

According to CNNMoney.com, if the companies had not come to an agreement, all of the FOX networks and some of its cable channels would have disappeared for most of Time Warner Cable's 13 million subscribers. This would have affected customers in major metro areas including New York, Los Angeles and Dallas. In addition, Bright House Networks subscribers in 5 states would have been affected.

For more info on the dispute and the new agreement, check out Fox, Time Warner Cable reach agreement.

DIRECTV Launches New Satellite to Boost HD Offerings

There was good news for fans of high-definition from provider DIRECTV this week. The satellite television provider successfully launched its latest satellite Tuesday. Named DIRECTV 12, this launch brings the total number of satellites the company has in orbit up to 11, with 5 devoted to broadcasting HDTV.

DIRECTV claims that when the new satellite starts operating next year, it will boost the company’s high-definition capacity by 50 percent. With the added bandwidth from the new satellite, DIRECTV would be able to serve up over 200 national and 1,500 local HD channels. Consumers can expect to see expansions of DIRECTV Cinema and on-demand programming amongst other additions.

If you’re one of the many lucky people who got a new HDTV for the holidays this year, make sure you check out our post on how to get the most out of a new HDTV.

Going Green or Saving Green?

Going green is kind of the big trend as of late - it seems that everyone wants to be doing more of it. While being more environmentally friendly is not all together too hard, there are a few instances where it can cause a bit of sacrifice. I don't mean to make it sound difficult, but sometimes bucking old habits isn't always the easiest thing to do.

This is especially true when it comes to our wallets. There is a pervasive myth out there that green is in general more expensive, but that simply isn't the case one hundred percent of the time. For example, green buildings and normal construction are leveling out these days. Likewise, green electricity plans do not typically cost more than regular electricity plans.

However, there will occasionally be times when going green might cost a little extra. The rationale behind this is often that the extra price provides long term benefits, not only for the environment but also for the checkbook.

This idea really got my brain turning: when it comes to being green, what do people generally care more about? When faced with the choice of helping the environment or saving money, what will people choose? I thought I'd create a poll that posed this very question. Feel free to vote on it and tell us what you would choose or what you think about the topic in the comments!

Fight the Cold When You Shop Natural Gas at WhiteFence

It’s been a cold winter so far and it doesn’t look like it’s going to be getting warmer any time soon. In fact, they’re forecasting snow again today here in the Lone Star State. With all this cold weather, many Americans have been hit with high natural gas bills right in the middle of some already icy economic times.

Natural gas rates are currently at historical lows, so if you feel like you’re paying too much for your heating needs it might be time to do some shopping. With WhiteFence you can easily discover and compare your options for natural gas service to find the right plan for your household. You might find that you’ll be able to slash your heating costs for the rest of the winter.

To get started, simply visit our natural gas page and enter your address. WhiteFence will then search for a list of natural gas providers and plans available to you. In just seconds, you’ll be able to compare your options in an easy-to-understand format and identify what plan best meets your needs.

Here is some of the information you will find about each plan:

• Price Per Unit – What price you will pay for each unit of natural gas. Depending on your utility and market this could be therms, Ccf or Mcf.
• Plan Type – What rate type the plan uses, fixed or variable.
• Contract Term – How long the plan’s contract will last. With some plans you can lock in a rate for a specified amount of time, but others are on a month-to-month basis.
• Early Termination Fee – How much you will have to pay if you decide to exit a contract early.
• Monthly Charge – Any recurring charges in addition to your actual usage charges.
• Specials – Promotions the company might be offering for a specific plan, such as a bill credit.

While comparing, keep an eye out for our Best Price Guarantee, which is an agreement we have with many service providers to ensure you’re getting the lowest published prices in your neighborhood. WhiteFence can give you the confidence that you’re getting the best deal while also saving you all of the time involved with researching every provider on your own.

Once you’ve made your selection and are ready to order your new natural gas service, you can place your order directly through WhiteFence. We can then work with you to make sure the provider gets everything up and running correctly.

With plenty of cold weather left in the forecast this season, you still have the chance to save big. Click over to our natural gas page and get started now.

Getting the HDTV Settled After the Holidays

One thing about Christmas and gift-giving is that it typically means we have new toys or devices to sink our time into once it's all said and done. Last year, I had a new camera to take pictures with and the year before that a Nintendo Wii to make myself look like a fool with. 

Soon I hope to be adding a new HDTV to the home.If you are one of the lucky ones with a cool flat screen as a result of Christmas shopping, CNET has a handy guide on what to do next with your new HDTV. It covers everything from using the HDMI cable to conserving power when turning the TV off. In addition to those tips, we've also got the article that we added a few months back titled HDTV: Batteries Not Included that will help you figure out how to get the most out of your new purchase.

There really are a lot of things to keep in mind with new TVs that you won't always find out in stores. I've got plenty of friends that I've visited that had their entertainment centers set up wrong, or that weren't watching true HD pictures. You'd be surprised at how much better your picture can look after just a few minutes of tweaking.

So, how many out there got a new HDTV for Christmas? Feel free to tell us in the comments!

Holiday Programming Schedule

Oh there's nothing like the holidays - twinkling lights, family, food and gifts. I don't know about you but what I love most about this time of year are those corny holiday shows. Oh come on you know you like them too and they are perfect for entertaining guests. 

It's just not the holidays without the classics like It's a Wonderful Life and a Christmas Story. Not to mention humorous movies like National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and Bad Santa. And let's not forget the holiday specials for the kiddos like Twas the Night Before Christmas.

To get your holiday programming schedule, check out TV Guide's Holiday schedule. And if you have TV service like cable or satellite check out your guide to see what other festive programs are offered.

WhiteFence’s Favorite Christmas Gifts

With Christmas now just a matter of hours away, this is the perfect time to reflect on favorite memories from years past. Of course, one of the greatest things about Christmas is giving and receiving awesome gifts. With that in mind, I set off to find some of my fellow WhiteFence employee’s favorite Christmas gifts.

Veronica, Graphic Designer: We never really received many gifts growing up; but, when I was 13, my grandfather bought me a small AM/FM cassette deck radio. It wasn’t a fancy boombox or stereo system with all of the bells and whistles – it was a small GE radio with one speaker and I loved it! I would sit at night and listen to top hit countdowns and record mix tapes of my favorite songs!

Monica, Manager of Marketing Content: My favorite gift was a boot full of money – literally. My dad would put his spare change in a boot all year and at Christmas he’d throw in $200 cash plus all the change. Usually the change would turn out to be at least $300.

Evan, Web Application Specialist: I would have to go with when I was two and got a tricycle...I was as psyched as a two year old can be.  Granted, it only took me half an hour to bust my lip open on the handlebars, but it did make for a memorable Christmas.

Dave, Senior Web Application Architect : My favorite x-mas gift ever was my flex-o-lite ping pong paddle...  Not really. When I was 12 I got a red Dyno VFR bicycle. I rode that bike everywhere until I got my driver’s license. It was the bee’s knees.

Robert, Graphic Designer: My favorite gift ever was The Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle! With safety goggles that is… haha.

What about you? What is your all-time favorite Christmas gift? Let us know in the comments!

Cyber Monday 50 Times More Green than Black Friday

Earlier this year, we told you all about Black Friday and Cyber Monday, two of the biggest shopping days of the year. Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving where brick-and-mortar retailers offer deep discounts, while Cyber Monday is the following Monday when online retailers slash prices. While both offer unique benefits, which one is more eco-friendly?

Shopping online is a generally considered a greener way to shop, as you don’t have to drive around all day looking for gifts. In fact, a new report by MindClick SGM and GigaOm claims that shopping at stores on Black Friday is on average 50 times more carbon intensive than buying presents online Cyber Monday. Besides all the driving, the rest of the difference comes mainly from the huge overhead of the stores (heating, lighting, employees etc.).

Those infrastructure-related emissions are so heavy that the study found that even a consumer walking to a store to buy their gifts would have a larger carbon footprint that one that shopped online. Shopping online does involve lots of packaging and transportation (think big trucks and planes), but economies of scale come in to play to mitigate the amount of carbon emitted per gift.

So next year, do some research to see if you will be able to shop exclusively online—the planet will thank you.

Reminder: WhiteFence Twitter Party!

Just a reminder to all of you that tonight will be the WhiteFence Twitter Party with Tammy Munson to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. Here are the details again for those of you who might have missed the blog post from the other day!

Date: Mon., Dec. 21

Time: 6-7 p.m. PST/9-10 p.m. EST

Hosts: Tammy Munson & WhiteFence

Hashtag: #MilitaryMon & #WFParty

Donation Information: For every tweet written about WhiteFence.com and how the site can help military families move (using hashtag #WFParty), we will donate $1 to the Wounded Warrior Project (up to $2000).

Looking forward to seeing the involvement tonight! Please let others know so they can help raise money as well.

Natural Gas and the Home

I will admit it. This feels like a safe place to say it: I'm a newbie when it comes to natural gas. It makes me feel like a kid, but it's true. Growing up, we never had natural gas at either of the homes we lived in. Everything was run on electricity, so things like pilot lights and gas just never really made sense to me.

Recently, my wife and I moved into our first home, and it's the first time I've had to deal with natural gas as a utility. Embarrassingly enough, I keep forgetting that it's a bill we have to pay and it always sneaks up on me each month.

When we first had it turned on, I didn't know where to look for the pilot light and I was unsure about a few safety things. However, now that things are rolling, I'm feeling much better and it seems as though I know the ropes. I think I let it intimidate me early on but now I know there's nothing to it.

So what about you guys? Who currently has natural gas service in their home?