You might remember the hype a few years ago when the CRTC forced cable companies to offer Canadians a "skinny basic" cable package for $25 a month. It consisted almost solely of free over-the-air broadcast channels and almost no one bought it. 

In the U.S., one huge provider has now gone in the exact opposite direction. It's offering a discount for those who exclude broadcast channels from their satellite package. One of the big differences between Canada and the U.S. is that the American cable companies have to negotiate a fee with station owners to carry their signals. This has resulted in endless disputes - and complete blackouts of the networks across the country. Not to mention horrendous fee hikes to pay for it all. 

The most recent for DirecTV was Tegna, which owns WGRZ-TV in Buffalo. It means some satellite subscribers there have been without NBC for weeks on end, as they try to settle the dispute. It frequently happens just before big sporting events - like this week's March Madness or The Super Bowl, designed to put pressure on the providers to pay often outrageous fees as angry customers threaten to leave. 

Which brings us back to the new strategy - DirecTV will cut your bill if you're willing to do without the basic networks, many of whose programs are now available via streaming. 

This could almost certainly never happen here. First, our local TV stations have no right to charge cable systems for their signals. And second, Rogers and Bell own enough TV stations and cable systems that they'd never want to let subscribers opt out of receiving them. 

It will be fascinating to see how many Americans choose to lower their bills by excluding the very reason cable came into existence in the first place - bringing in clearer network TV signals.

This is one case where Canada's system is clearly better than the one down south. And we should all be grateful for that. 

DirecTV Gives Subscribers Choice to Cut Local Stations