Thursday, March 12, 2009

Cable Rate Increases Planned for March and April

As if our dollars weren't stretched enough, cable companies are planning more rate increases for March and April. Here are some of the areas affected.

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Hargray cable is raising rates beginning in March. The cause for the higher rates is blamed on programming cost increases. Premium services will go up to $54.99 a month. Budget-conscious consumers can opt for the Digital Lite package for $47.99 a month.

Charleston, South Carolina
Comcast is raising rates 4.3%. The Digital Start package will rise 6%, up from $50.99 to $54.25 a month for approximately 75 channels, interactive channel guide and video on demand feature.

Ocean City, Maryland
Comcast plans to raise rates 4.5% as a result of higher costs of doing business. Standard cable service will increase from $49.95 to $53.50 per month, as will the Digital Starter package. The more expensive Digital Preferred packages will now range from $74.15 to $128.15 per month.

Oregon & SW Washington
Comcast is raising cable rates an average of 6.6% beginning in April. The Digital Starter package will increase to $58 a month. The rate increase is blamed on rising costs of doing business.

Tampa, Florida
Bright House Cable is raising its rates. Basic cable TV service will go up from $49.49 a month to $52.49 a month. Premium cable channels such as HBO and Showtime will cost $1 more a month.

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