Cutting The Cord: Expert Shares Benefits Of Severing Cable Ties

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- If saving money is on your list of New Year's resolutions, maybe you've thought about cutting cable.

Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson announced a lawsuit against Comcast on Friday, saying the company misled customers by quietly hiking up bills. She said their actions could be due to more people cutting the cord.

At Friday's announcement of Attorney General Swanson's lawsuit against the company known as Comcast, now called Xfinity, several customers talked about their frustration with hidden cable fees.

"The dominant cable provider right now in the Twin Cities is Comcast, and so those are the people having the most problems with cable," said John Brillhart, founder of Cable Alternatives.

He's helped thousands of customers cut the cord, a trend he's seen skyrocket in the last three years

"The main reason is the explosion of streaming," Brillhart said.

Streaming services include Netflix and Amazon Prime, but there are many more options.

Brillhart said he gets to know what customers value, like news or sports. You can cut cable and still get all your local channels with a good antenna, and you could get your sports channels with pay-per-month services like Sling TV or YouTube TV.

"My customers on average will save about a $100 a month even if they keep their internet from Comcast," Brillhart said.

Brillhart says making sure your internet provider isn't giving you a higher speed or more expensive internet than you need should also be part of the negotiation process.

You also don't necessarily need a Smart TV to access streaming services. You can always just get a streaming player like a Roku.

Sound like a lot of info?

Brillhart says do your research to find out how to get what you want and save money.

"Ultimately, if the savings are $100 a month, that's a really powerful incentive for people to get away from Comcast," Brillhart said.

Comcast responded to the lawsuit yesterday, saying in part: "the facts do not support the Minnesota Attorney General's allegations."

If you'd like to learn more about cord cutting and if it's right for you, visit the Cable Alternatives website.