Since students returned to Piedmont for the 2018-2019 school year, there have been many changes. These include a newly implemented service to the student body: Piedmont Movie Streaming service. While this website is a positive, greatly appreciated addition to services available to students, it seems to have replaced cable television.

Since I came to Piedmont in 2016, cable has been offered free within its dorms. For all the streaming service has to offer in the way of entertainment, it lacks in providing informational content. Having access to both news and weather is important to me. I live far away from campus, and since I come from a place that frequently experiences hurricanes and other severe weather, it was calming to be able to watch the Weather Channel and hear from those meteorologists that my town would not be wiped out.

The school did keep the cable running in common spaces. However, since there are many people within one dorm, it could potentially become a fighting mess when students disagree on what channel to watch. Another issue with the streaming service is that it is not really that accessible. If it was supposed to take the place of cable, the streaming service should be readily available on television. Because it is only available via phones and laptops, it almost makes having a television pointless.

I am sure there are reasons why Piedmont pulled the plug on cable, besides just implementing the streaming service. However, it is unclear why a school that must be taking in a good sum of money could not continue to provide the cable service, when it was not the most expensive cable package. Peers agree with me that the cable should be brought back. Since this was a campus wide action, students should have had a say in whether the cable was revoked.

I am not saying that the streaming service is bad, I do believe it is something positive that Piedmont has made available. But I am saying that the cable should be brought back. It is important that we not be cut off from what is going on in the world. Please bring the cable back so the students of Piedmont do not feel isolated and unaware.