April 2025 – MoBroadband

We’ve moved from having 3 or 4 television stations to cable and satellite TV that give us hundreds of channels, to streaming services, which allow us to decide when we watch and where we watch shows, movies, and news.

We’ve been given more options to create the entertainment environment that we want, but this wonderful opportunity can make it hard to choose. It can also become expensive. How do we make the best choices to give us all the content we want while not breaking our budget?

What should you consider when looking at streaming options?

We recommend starting by looking at the service you currently have and the cost of your television service. Also, look at the programs and channels that you watch the most. You’ll want to stay within your budget while getting the programs you want.

If you want local content, you’ll need to find services that provide local channels. Services such as YouTube TV, Sling TV, and Hulu along with other services provide local channels plus other content, like sports. Be sure to look at which local channels they provide and what the cost is for adding the local channels.

Another option for local channels is to look at a digital antenna. These antennas can pick up the local channels you watch in many locations and allow you to choose services that give you additional programming. Digital antennas can be installed inside or outside the home. External antennas may give you the advantage of a better signal and receiving more local channels. Digital antennas can range in price from $40 to $150 but could save you money in the long run.

As another option, you may want to look at the TV offerings through your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Many ISPs offer a television service similar to cable TV via an app that you install on your smart TV, ROKU device, or Amazon Firestick. These services can provide the local channels, sports, movies, and other programming you are looking for.

You may want to look at free streaming options as well. There are services such as PlutoTV, Tubi, and channels provided for free on Smart TVs. There are also free TV channels on Roku devices and the Amazon Firestick (if you have these for other services). These options may provide news and entertainment channels you are looking for. To see what these services provide, you can do a web search for free TV services or a channel guide for your smart TV brand.

How do you decide what streaming services to buy?

Based on your current viewing habits, and interest, do some research and choose several services that might interest you. Look over their content offerings for shows and movies. You may also want to consider services that bundle with movie providers like Showtime, Starz, or other movie channels. If you want to try them out, see if they offer a free month trial. If they do not offer a trial, pay for a month, and see if you like the content. If you do, see about getting a lower price if you may for a year at a time. If you don’t enjoy the content, simply cancel the service.

Do you already have access to the content you’re looking for?

Subscription services may offer deals combining their services with streaming video services such as Walmart Plus. Similarly, if you subscribe to a service such as Amazon Prime, you already have access to Amazon Prime Video. You may want to research the services and see if they have any TV or video streaming service included that meets your viewing needs.

We have more choice for television programming than ever before because of high-speed internet service (broadband), but it also makes deciding how to continue to view what we want and stay within our household budgets harder.

Links for More Information:

The Best Free Video Streaming Services for 2025 – PCMag – https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-free-video-streaming-services

Best Free TV Streaming Services – CNET – https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/best-free-tv-streaming-services/

The Best Live TV Streaming Services for 2025 – PCMag – https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-live-tv-streaming-services

The best live TV streaming services: Expert tested – ZDnet – https://www.zdnet.com/home-and-office/home-entertainment/best-live-tv-streaming-service/

The Best Digital TV Antennas for 2025 – PCMag – https://www.pcmag.com/picks/how-to-find-the-best-digital-tv-antenna

When we think about online education, we often think back to COVID and the only learning available to our youth was online through our local schools, or the ads for all the online Universities we see. However, there are a variety of online learning offerings available for youth and adults that can complement classroom lessons, teach digital, soft, and hard skills to improve job performance; help start a new career; introduce a new hobby; or expand opportunities for lifelong learning.

Online education allows you to learn on your schedule and balance the responsibilities of work, family, and other activities. For young people it allows them to balance schoolwork with sports, music, spending time with friends and other extracurricular activities. Online learning lets education fit into life and not force fitting life into learning.

Online learning allows you to access courses and training from institutions across the country and around the world. This is especially important for those that might be limited by residing in remote areas or with limited transportation options. Many platforms offer accommodations for learners with disabilities, ensuring that everyone can participate.

Modern online learning platforms have moved on from lectures to using multimedia tools and interactive elements such as discussion forums, quizzes, and virtual simulations to make learning engaging and fun. The interactive style of courses not only helps people stay interested but helps to build a sense of community with your fellow students. Using these new online methods enhances learning and allows you to build relationships and expand your professional network. These connections can lead to mentorships, new collaborations outside of the classroom, and even job prospects.

Online education allows you to learn at your own pace and tailor your educational experience to meet your needs. Personalized learning paths allow you to focus on areas where you need improvement and move through subjects you’ve already mastered. Customizing your learning path on subjects helps keep you motivated and engaged.

Online learning is also affordable. Cost for course work that can lead to a degree can be less than a traditional college and eliminates the cost for commuting, rent or residence fees, and other expenses. There are also free classes available and platforms such as Khan Academy, Coursera, edX, and others that offer a variety of content at no or low cost.

Online learning helps promote the idea of being a lifelong learner. You can stay relevant in your current career, learn new skills, or just learn about something you are interested in. For kids, it can help prepare them for a future career by allowing them to learn more about coding and other digital skills that will be important in today’s digital world. Online courses in many cases emphasize hands-on, practical, real-world learning experiences that better prepare people for their jobs or future careers. Platforms such as FutureLearn and Skillshare are great for finding courses that inspire lifelong learning.

While online learning provides an opportunity to continue to learn while working, consideration must still be given to balancing work, family, and other obligations with your learning experience. Make sure to not to take on an online learning workload which does not allow time to take care of your family, your job, and yourself. For young people, parents will also need to work with their kids to balance their screen time with school, extracurricular activities, friends, and family. While there is benefit to online learning, there needs to be time to take care of yourself and your responsibilities both mentally and physically to avoid burning out and stay motivated to continue your online learning experience.

Sites for online learning/More information:

The Best Online Learning Services for 2025 – PCMag – https://www.pcmag.com/picks/best-online-learning-services

Khan Academy – https://www.khanacademy.org/

Coursera –https://www.coursera.org/

edX – https://www.edx.org/

FutureLearn – https://www.futurelearn.com/

Skillshare – https://www.skillshare.com/en/

Code.org – https://code.org/

Udemy – https://www.udemy.com/

Masterclass – https://www.masterclass.com/

Digital Skills Library – https://digitalskillslibrary.org

Denver Public Library – https://denverlibrary.org/techclasses