Officials frustrated with Comcast rate hikes - Greater Hanover and Gettysburg, PA

Officials frustrated with Comcast rate hikes

By MEG BERNHARDT
Evening Sun Reporter
Article Launched: 03/29/2007 10:15:12 AM EDT

Adams County cable customers upset with their service should not call their local municipalities, leaders have said this month.

"It's something we really can't control and it's unfortunate," said Cumberland Township Board of Supervisors Chairman John Gregor at Tuesday night's Cumberland meeting.

The township has been getting several dozen letters and phone calls complaining about rising Comcast cable rates that couple with the loss of three channels for basic service, Gregor said.

The same concerns were raised by municipal leaders around the county this month.

Gettysburg Councilman Bill Monahan has pointed out the complaints, but says the borough can't control fees. Similar complaints have been articulated by Fairfield Borough, Bendersville Borough and Butler Township, all of which reported fielding several calls from residents since the change in the fee structure and channel lineup.

Comcast bought out Adelphia Cable in July and gained control of cable in the Gettysburg area. In January, it increased rates by about 2.6 percent for the average customer and moved Hallmark, Court TV, Country Music Television, Oxygen and Shop NBC to the digital line up.

"We know and understand that channel moves can cause some customers discomfort, and they are difficult decisions for us to make," said Gabriel Weissman, a spokesman for Comcast. "Changes, such as moving channels to our digital lineup, allow us to increase space and flexibility on the network."

But many municipalities say the changes are unfair to the residents.

Fairfield Borough Council wrote a letter to Comcast dated Tuesday chiding cable company for cutting channels from basic service. It said the majority of Fairfield residents are of retirement age and on fixed incomes.

"Offering these channels on upgraded packages is of no use to individuals on fixed incomes, who enjoy the entertainment received but can little afford the increased cost," wrote Patricia Smith, the Fairfield Borough Council president. "Your company's actions have done nothing to endear itself to the local subscribers."

In Pennsylvania, local municipalities reach franchising agreements with cable providers, but since Comcast is the only one in Adams County, most municipalities have no negotiating power.

"We're between a rock and a hard place," Gregor said. "We could drop the franchise, but then a lot of people won't have television."

Comcast is a private corporation and determines its own fees and channel selection, he said.

Fairfield Borough is considering asking the Adams County Borough Association to take up the issue, but that's just an idea at this point.

Cumberland Township Manager Flo Ford said she's "asked, demanded and pounded on the table" for rates to be lower, but Comcast did not change its rates.

So if Adams Countians want a change, the best they can do is switch to satellite dishes or reception towers, officials said.

That's what Gregor is personally considering. And council members in Bendersville said they were also thinking of switching to satellite dishes.

"If we all (switched), it might have an impact," Gregor said.

Weissman said moving channels to digital has helped Comcast increase choices for the increasingly popular service.
"Throughout the region, the number of customers requesting new levels of service over the past few months alone has exceeded even our aggressive expectations as customers continue to understand the benefits of digital features," Weissman said.

Additionally, he said the price increase was due to "the increased value of our services and more than $215 million in investments in the region to provide advanced products and services, improve the quality of our products and enhance customer service."

"This investment also allows us to continually raise the bar on coaching/training for our technicians and customer representatives and to provide enhancements such as 2 hour service appointment windows, more late evening and early morning appointment times and more Saturday and Sunday coverage," he said.

Evening Sun reporters Matt Casey and Tim Pratt contributed to this story. Contact Meg Bernhardt at mbernhardt@eveningsun.com.