Cable TV method of accounting

摘要

A television cable billing method comprises establishing a continuous communications link between a provider and a plurality of customers over a single duplex transmission line. A billable account number is assigned to each customer and each customer is billed a flat fee rate for the continuous communications link. A customer communicates a request for a product or service over the communications link together with the customer's billing account number. The product or service is provided to the customer over the communications link by the provider and the customer's billing account number is billed for the provided product or service. The communications link is maintained both before and after the product or service is provided.