The NY Post reports Hulu is on the verge of leaving cord-cutters behind as the video streaming site prepares to switch to a “TV Everywhere” model that requires viewers to prove they subscribe to a pay television provider before they will be able to stream video online.

The decision to abandon viewers who have cut cable’s cord is reportedly behind last week’s decision by Providence Equity Partners to abandon Hulu, the major network-owned video operation.

The Post reports that non-cable TV subscribers are going to find it increasingly difficult to legally stream video content as program producers and networks start switching off access to those getting a “free ride.”

Among the most aggressive to stop the “freeloading” is Fox, which plans on launching talks with Comcast on a TV Everywhere deal that will require all viewers to have a paid video subscription.  Comcast itself is reported to be preparing to switch to an authentication model for online streaming of this year’s Olympics.

Don’t pay for cable, telco, or satellite TV?  No streaming video for you.

Unionized employees of AT&T were sent home across California and Nevada earlier this week when they turned up for work wearing stickers with the letters “WTF,” as part of an ongoing protest against AT&T’s unwillingness to renew their contract without reducing workers’ benefits.

The stickers, which stand for “Where’s the Fairness” are causing consternation for AT&T, which believes the message may offend customers.

U-verse technicians in San Jose were the first to wear the stickers late last week, which some might interpret more colorfully as, “What the (explicative).”  AT&T sent those workers home and now other unionized employees across the region have started wearing the stickers in solidarity.

The union says the company’s response to the stickers is creating chaos for AT&T management, who are scrambling to replace the workers unavailable to respond to scheduled service calls and handle other technical tasks.

AT&T says otherwise.  Spokesman John Britton says the company was prepared in advance for any labor issues and says the majority of service calls were performed without interruption or delay.

“While we respect our employees’ right to express their opinions, it is our policy to require appropriate dress for our employees in customer-facing positions,” AT&T said in a written statement. “We sent some employees home after they refused to remove ‘WTF’ stickers, or buttons, from their clothing before leaving the office to work in and around customer homes and businesses.”

The Communications Workers of America represents about 18,000 AT&T technicians and call-center employees in California and Nevada.  The union says locking out employees wearing the stickers is a violation of federal law, which protects “concerted labor-related activities” including wearing t-shirts, buttons, or stickers as part of the union’s protest.

CWA District 9 has filed an Unfair Labor Practice Charge against AT&T for the employee lockout, and the company has since reportedly indicated it will take no action against union members who wore the “WTF” stickers before or in the future.

CHCH-TV in Hamilton, Ontario.

The cable industry seems to have an increasing problem keeping adult entertainment on the right channels.  Just a week after Colorado viewers were treated to an XXX-rated wakeup call during Good Morning America, cable viewers across western Canada and parts of Ontario got an eyeful of gay hardcore porn for several minutes Friday during CHCH-TV’s News Now AM morning news.

The unwanted programming, which also turned up in public viewing areas such as airports and diners, caused more than a few to put down the Tim Horton’s coffee and pick up the phone.

The Hamilton, Ont. television station initially got the blame. So many Canadians were talking about it, the station became a trending topic on Twitter.

“Just eating some pancakes this morning watching #CHCH … I no longer like pancakes or the news,” wrote Twitter user @derek1913.

Kelling says the scene she saw was particularly explicit.

“It went on and on,” Kelling says. “Gay or straight aside, parents will be answering questions over this one.”

So will Shaw and Cogeco Cable, who were responsible for treating viewers to the racy movie in the morning.  CHCH didn’t wait for a blow by blow explanation from either company before taking to the air with an apology.

“First of all, we would like to apologize to our viewers,” said CHCH news director Mike Katrycz. “This was a problem that originated, not at CHCH, but at a cable company. Apparently some cable lines had been cut, and in the splicing back together some inappropriate content went to air. Again it was beyond the control of CHCH, but we do apologize to our viewers.”

Cogeco, Shaw Cable, and the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council have all launched independent investigations into the matter.

KJRH’s newsroom has been spending a lot of time this spring dealing with viewers ripped off by their telecommunications providers.  When Tulsa residents can’t get satisfaction from the local cable or satellite company, they often call Channel 2’s Problem Solvers for help.

DirecTV’s Phantom Gift Cards: The Promised Rebate That You Qualify For, Until You Don’t

Satellite TV companies are increasingly aggressive pitching discounts and rebates to win customers away from traditional cable TV or the phone company’s new IPTV service.  In addition to cheap teaser rates, many providers also sweeten the deal with high value rebate cards for customers signing multi-year service contracts.

Local resident Michael was attracted to DirecTV’s $200 Visa card rebate offer and signed up for satellite service.  Weeks later, with no rebate card in hand, he called the company to find out why, only to be told he did not qualify.  When Michael tried to cancel service because the company didn’t deliver what it promised, the customer service representative informed him he would owe $480 in early cancellation penalties.

DirecTV's fine print: Emphasis ours.

DirecTV initially stonewalled KJRH when they called on Michael’s behalf, eventually claiming he was told he did not qualify for a rebate a week after signing up for service.  But when KJRH asked to hear a recording of the call DirecTV routinely makes when customers sign up for service, they changed their tune.

“The next day, we were told Michael had been given the wrong information about the promotion and he could cancel without that $480 penalty,” the Problem Solvers’ team reports.

Michael says it is important to get everything in writing — including the names of representatives you speak with — because that can make all the difference when a company tries to squeeze out of its own promotional promises.  He’s now an ex-DirecTV customer for free, and decided to watch his favorite shows over local broadcast TV.

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KJRH got called by Michael when DirecTV reneged on a $200 rebate offer that locked him into a contract that could cost him $480 to escape.  (2 minutes)

Suddenlink: Suddenly Owe $400 in April for Service You Canceled In January

Tulsa resident Lucille got the shock of her life this month when she opened a bill from Suddenlink charging her $400 for cable service she canceled in early January.

The past due bill came without warning and Lucille says she never received any phone call, bill, or letter notifying her charges were still accumulating on her account.

When she called Suddenlink, they told her that service was never discontinued, and she owed the money.

Lucille may have been born at night, but not last night.

Angered by Suddenlink’s intransigence, she called KJRH for help.  The station went to the top — calling Suddenlink’s corporate headquarters.

In short order, a company representative researching the dispute found Lucille’s cancellation request, as well as the customer service representative who never processed it.

That representative will be attending Customer Service 101 re-training classes, and a company executive called Lucille directly to apologize.

Not only that, a local Tulsa Suddenlink worker arrived with a $100 refund check — the credit balance owed her for service she paid one month ahead to receive.

While both Lucille and Michael benefited from the threat of both companies being portrayed in a bad light on the evening news, an unknown, uncounted number of customers may not win similar satisfaction.

Many customers simply give up pursuing unpaid rebate promotions (or forget about them altogether), and DirecTV’s nearly $500 early termination fee is a strong incentive to grudgingly stay with the satellite provider until your contract runs out.  Lucille, 88 years old, was not going to be intimidated by Suddenlink’s insistence she owed the money (or the implications of being called a past due deadbeat — an especially scandalous notion for older Americans).

Both consumers did something else: they wrote down names, times, and dates of their communications with the companies.  That can go a long way to winning satisfaction. So can filing complaints with the Better Business Bureau, which can usually prompt a contact from a higher-level customer service representative more willing to give a complaining customer the benefit of the doubt.

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KJRH got a call from Lucille about an unexpected $400 Suddenlink cable bill for April… for service she canceled in January.  (2 minutes)

Sprint, perennially America’s #3 wireless phone company, faces some of its biggest challenges not from super-sized Verizon Wireless or AT&T, but from Wall Street over the company’s upgrade investments and environmental policies.

“I still get crucified for deciding to carry the Apple iPhone because the investment is significant and the payoffs are long term,” CEO Dan Hesse told attendees at a conference sponsored by Fortune magazine. “I deal with that quite a bit.”

Hesse’s vision of an upgraded 4G LTE network for Sprint Nextel comes at a cost: technology upgrades and investing profits back into the business.  Hesse also wants to be sure the company maintains environmental sustainability, with attention to everything from renewable energy sources to socially-responsible recycling of retired cell phones.

Wall Street to Hesse: Don't Get Comfortable

In response, Wall Street has been demanding Hesse’s hide.  One investment firm even predicted the imminent demise of the wireless phone company.

The iPhone, the smartphone wireless carriers cannot afford to be without (just ask T-Mobile, which continues to bleed contract customers), has posed a major financial challenge for Sprint Nextel.  Apple’s wildly popular phone commands a high wholesale price and purchasing commitments that make investors’ eyes bleed.

In October, Sprint committed to purchase 30.5 million iPhones from Apple for $20 billion.  That threatens to drain cash on-hand to cover the huge subsidies new iPhone buyers get on their phone purchase. The company will gradually earn that subsidy back over the length of the traditional two year service contract, but many on Wall Street are upset Sprint committed to an order of that size.  One Wall Street firm — Sanford C. Bernstein — downgraded the company’s stock to “underperform,” and one analyst at the company — Craig Moffett — even predicted Sprint’s bankruptcy.

Sprint’s plan to spend up to $5 billion on its forthcoming LTE 4G network won Hesse no favors in New York’s financial district either.  Sprint’s Network Vision plan will allow the company to keep up with AT&T and Verizon’s aggressive 4G rollouts, but after chief financial officer Joe Euteneuer laid out the associated financial plan to pay for it, calls for Hesse’s head resumed.

“There is a disconnect with Wall Street because if you’re building a brand, it does take a long time,” he said. “It’s hard to quantify.”

Wall Street doesn’t think much about investing in environmental initiatives either.  Hesse believes corporate environmental responsibility will pay off over the long term, ultimately reducing some of the company’s expenses.  But spending money short term to save money long term leaves investors cold.

“A lot of these environmental investments don’t hit that payoff period,” Hesse said. “The Street likes the expense savings, but the environmental benefits go right over their heads.”

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CEO Dan Hesse may win a temporary reprieve as Sprint released better-than-expected results today for the latest quarter. Average revenue per user grew 6.9% and Sprint is hanging on to many of its former Nextel customers as the company decommissions that network, reports CNBC’s David Faber.  (2 minutes)