It is my understanding that the gov't requires cable providers to pump the local channels in HD free and clear to their customers. Meaning that if have the coaxial cable hooked up to a tv with a QAM tuner, you should be able to get the local channels in HD clearly, and for free.
Can someone please confirm or deny this, and if true, what would determine the local channels? In particular, I'm curious about market areas that can access mutiple markets' signals (for example, Columbia, MD is right in between DC and Baltimore, so would they get Baltimore or DC channels).
You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there. --Yogi Berra