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Cord Cutting

The whole move, in order: what to buy, what you keep, what you genuinely lose, and how to get your local channels back for free before you cancel anything.

Cord cutting is not one decision, it is about six, and almost everyone makes them in the wrong order. The usual version: cancel in a moment of irritation at the bill, then spend three weeks discovering that the local news is gone, the regional sports channel isn’t on any streaming service you tried, and the cable company is still charging a rental fee for a box in the hall closet.

The right order is boring and it works. Work out what you actually watch — not what you pay for, what you watch. Then check what your address can receive over the airusing the FCC’s own reception tool, because for most households that covers the local networks, which is the single biggest gap people walk into. Then buy and set up the replacement while the cable is still connected, so you can compare rather than guess. Only then cancel — and then return the equipment and get a receipt, because unreturned-equipment charges are the most expensive mistake in this whole process.

What you end up with is usually cheaper and occasionally better. Over-the-air local channels are free and uncompressed relative to what cable was sending, and they keep working in a storm when your internet does not. The services you add are month-to-month, so the thing that made cable expensive — a bundle you couldn’t trim — stops applying.

What you lose is real and we do not minimize it. Regional sports networks are the genuine hard case. A single unified channel guide across everything is gone. One bill becomes four, and four small subscriptions add up faster than people expect — which is the trap that sends some households back to cable within a year.

Work through how to cut the cord for the full six-step order. Read how to get local channels without cablebefore you cancel — it is the step that stops the main regret. The same guide carries the honest list of what you give up— regional sports, the single channel guide, one bill becoming four — if you want the downside before committing. When you are ready for hardware, the streaming devices and TV antennas sections have the ranked picks.

Everything in Cord Cutting

Questions about cutting the cord

How much does cord cutting actually save?

It depends entirely on what you replace cable with, which is why we won't quote a figure. The honest arithmetic is: list what you currently pay including equipment rental and fees, then add up the streaming services you'd genuinely keep plus any one-off hardware. Households that replace cable with over-the-air plus two services save a lot. Households that subscribe to four services plus a live-TV package sometimes save nothing at all.

What should I do first?

Check your address on the FCC's DTV Reception Maps tool. It takes thirty seconds and it determines whether the free option covers your local channels — which is the single biggest factor in whether cord cutting feels like a win or a downgrade.

Will I lose my local news?

Not if your address can receive the broadcasts, which most can. Your local affiliates transmit free over the air and an antenna plus a channel scan gets them with no monthly fee. If reception is genuinely poor at your address, a live-TV streaming service that carries your locals is the paid fallback.

Do I need to keep my internet with the same company?

No, but check the pricing before you decide. Some providers price internet higher as a standalone product than as part of a bundle, which can eat a chunk of the saving. Ask explicitly what the internet-only price will be after you cancel TV, and get it confirmed before you cancel.

What about the cable box?

Return it, in person, and keep the receipt. Unreturned-equipment charges are the most common unpleasant surprise in this process and they are far larger than a month of service. Check your account afterwards to confirm the rental line has actually stopped.

Can I cut the cord and keep sports?

National sport, yes — the major networks carry a lot of it free over the air, and the streaming packages cover the rest. Regional sports networks are the genuine problem: rights are fragmented, availability varies by market, and in some markets the honest answer is that you cannot get your team without a specific carrier. Check your specific team before you cancel, not after.

Sources

  • FCC — DTV Reception Maps — The FCC's own address-level tool for predicted over-the-air reception: enter a street address and it returns the stations and signal strengths predicted at that location (accessed October 7, 2026)
  • FCC Consumer Guide — Antennas and Digital Television — The FCC states that VHF is channels 2-13 and UHF is channels 14-36, that many antennas sold as "HDTV antennas" receive UHF well but VHF less well, that converter boxes add no antenna or amplification of their own, and that "generally, outdoor antennas will get better reception than indoor antennas and are strongly recommended for the most reliable reception" (accessed October 7, 2026)
  • FCC Consumer Guide — Broadband Speed Guide — The FCC's published per-activity minimums in Mbps: standard-definition video 3-4, HD video 5-8, Ultra HD 4K video 25, HD video teleconferencing 6, online multiplayer gaming 4, social media 1 (accessed October 7, 2026)

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