Ya know it's bad when your cable bill exceeds your car payment or grocery bill.
I saw a commercial the other day (forgot about what), and they stated/claimed that 'being connected' is now a basic human necessity! That pissed me off. When I go for walks or bike rides, no ear-buds, or Smartphone in my hand - I look at my surroundings and think. Point being, just another step in brain-washing us to think we need a lot of things we don't. Don't get me wrong, I have withdrawal symptoms if I can't get Online. But I don't have a Facebook or Twitter account!
In reference to your statement about competition, when I lived in San Antonio, TX, Time-Warner was pretty much your only viable option. I had the ol' 3-way bundle with 'em. I was thinkin' of getting a MagicJack (phone service), but when I called Time-Warner and asked how eliminating the phone from my bundle would affect my bill, they said it would go up, because I didn't have the full bundle.