Time Warner raises cable rates for Albany, NY

ROTTERDAM-- Bills for some Time Warner Cable subscribers will increase next month.

Cost of cable rises at Time Warner Company says digital packages to increase $1.95 per month
By LARRY RULISON
Business writer
Friday, March 23, 2007

The price of three digital cable TV packages in the company's Albany division will go up $1.95 a month starting April 1.

The cheapest of the packages is now $57.90 a month, while the most expensive -- which includes four premium channels -- is $130.90 a month.

The price of most of product packages that combine two or three services such as TV, phone and Internet are also rising. The increases range from $1 to about $3 a month.

The ``All the Best'' package, for instance, which provides TV, Internet and phone, will increase from $126.95 to $129.90. The ``Watch & Talk'' package, which combines TV and phone, will go from $91.95 to $94.90.
Time Warner Cable is the dominant cable television provider in the Capital Region, with 440,000 customers. Increasingly, it has become a larger player for phone and high-speed Internet customers traditionally served by the phone companies.

Customers were informed of the price increases in their bills this month.

Peter Taubkin, vice president of government relations and public affairs in the Albany division, said Thursday the increases in the television rate reflect additional programming that has been added, including high-definition channels such as ESPN HD and MTV HD.

``Obviously, there's many commodities that increase in price but don't increase in capability or value,'' he said. ``We're always advancing and enhancing the product.''

Taubkin said the package prices are still relatively cheap when compared with buying the services separately or getting them from a competitor.