I&#x27;m legitimately surprised that technically savvy people literally wouldn&#x27;t know they could get network channels OTA (given reception in their area).<p>However, I suspect the general state arose because there was a period when much less was available over the Internet, a lot of talked about shows were on cable (premium or otherwise), and you might very well get a better picture with cable&#x2F;satellite (which is still true for many). So people just got into the habit of thinking in terms of needing cable to get the TV they wanted.<p>Personally, I can&#x27;t get anything OTA. If I could, I&#x27;d drop cable TV (still need it for Internet and phone) in a heartbeat. As it is today, it&#x27;s a more difficult decision.