Can I cancel my cable or U-verse and still keep my phone and/or internet?

ABSOLUTELY. These are entirely different services. You may lose a package discount, but your monthly bill should still end up lower than it was before. If you're still under contract with AT&T or your cable television provider, you may have to pay something called an "early termination fee" if you cancel before your contract expires. In many cases, you'll save more on your monthly bills than the early termination fee costs, but look over your terms to see exactly how much you'll need to pay.

You will also be responsible for returning any rented equipment, such as cable boxes, remote controls, DVRs, and any other equipment to avoid being charged retail price for old equipment. Some providers will have you mail it back, and most cable providers have a drop-off location where you can get a receipt to prove you took it back. Definitely get a receipt - I've heard stories of cable employees forgetting to log-in returned equipment.

Cable television equipment has absolutely nothing to do with your digital telephone or high-speed internet equipment. You can safely cancel your television service and keep everything else at a lower monthly cost regardless of your provider. Call your provider and ask them what needs to be returned. They'll most likely try to retain you - meaning they're well-trained in trying to talk you into not cancelling your television service. Be ready to spend some quality time on the phone with some salesperson.

Also, be prepared for someone to ask you to upgrade your internet speed. They'll promise the moon and stars and your life will be better if you upgrade something else after you dump television, but in most cases, it's simply not true. Even the cheapest, most basic internet package they offer (6 Mbps) is still enough to stream at least one, maybe two, HDTV streams over Netflix or Sling TV.