Shaw announced Thursday it will be bringing digital cable to Fort Frances in September.
“Our plans are now to launch digital cable in Fort Frances this fall. Our target will be, actually, September,” said Ron Bell, vice-president of operations for Shaw Cablesystems G.P.
Digital cable will offer subscribers up to 160 channels, The Movie Network, Moviepix, Pay Per View, and 40 channels of uninterrupted digital music.
It also could be a precursor to high-speed Internet access here via cable.
The basic three tiers of cable now available will see little price change, with the additional channels made available for those who purchase a Shaw Digital Terminal for $199 or rent one.
“You can still get basic cable in all three tiers, we don’t foresee any change to that,” said Bell. “We find that fees actually reduce because of the bundling offers that are available.”
But he also noted the introduction of digital cable will require the installation of hardware here at a significant cost.
“You’ll see lots of Shaw trucks driving around town,” he noted.
Shaw is competing with satellite television which many Fort Frances residents are subscribing to.
“Satellite has been a strong competition and we want to bring our enhanced service to the community,” said Bell. “We provide similar channels and we also offer cable to the rest of the outlets in the home at no additional [cost].
“We also offer free service calls,” he added.
Shaw launched digital cable in Dryden last Thursday.
It also offers digital cable Internet in several communities but that has yet to be announced for Fort Frances or Dryden.
“I can’t give you a definitive answer today,” said Bell.