You are right anter, the phone line and its backfeed are tied to Neilson ratings. Neilson determines DMA's and rates what show does best by consumer. It is In ANY tv supplier to show its viewers what most people want to watch. Why did VOOM go BOOM? They had garbage programming, great picture, but still a line up of garbage. ergo no money from the consumer market.
Running phone lines for free is not what anyone does/should do. Ma bell charges an arm and a left n*t to run these and will not touch a system in a consumers home when they have found out that an outside contractor has messed with/spliced its own harness. Heck-they(phone guys) are not even allowed to take off thier boots or go in attics and fich wires.
What to do? say NO!-but someone will do it anyway because of 5 hungry kids and an honest Joe to foot the bill.
10 years satellite, 18,000 customers. I quit.