I have DirectTV but I would also look in to Uverse. I had Uverse with my roomates and it was great, but had DirectTV for 5 years before that. As to your questions about DTV. They pro-rated your cancellation fee at least about 3 years ago. The break fee was $175 I think and we broke it with 5 months left on a 2 year contract, so we paid roughly 20% of that $175. Also you can move for free, but they will make you sign a new contract. I never cared about that because I was so happy with DTV. Their customer service was always outstanding. I used Time Warner for Internet and never had a problem, so I think your idea is a good one.