Comcast plans to raise cable TV rates

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/200882_comcast24.html\

By JOHN COOK
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Comcast cable TV subscribers should get ready for another rate increase next year.

The state's largest cable company announced yesterday that it was jacking up rates for most of its 1.1 million customers here.

The company's basic cable service, which includes channels such as ESPN and CNN, will increase an average of $2.81 a month beginning in January. That means customers now paying $39.48 a month for basic cable will pay $42.29.

Prices also will increase for digital cable subscribers, though the company did not say by how much. Limited basic cable, which includes the broadcast networks and government channels, will increase an average of 19 cents for some customers.

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...people will finally start turning the d*mn thing OFF and start paying attention to some things that really matter!!!

on edit adding: That $2.81/mo. increase equals $34.72/year (almost an entire month's fees at the current rate). The new rates will mean that their cable will cost them $507.48/year!!! I wonder how many people look at it on a yearly basis like that? Might get them to re-think that expenditure....

Their fucking cell phones? Monthly charges for cell phones are more expensive than cable. I live in the city where comcast is hq'ed and they and their flunkies in congress are truly worthless. comcast is looking for a tax break handout from the city to build a new hq building within city limits. Although the poor schmucks that work for comcast still have to fork over their share of their hard earned $ for taxes.

The cable industry REFUSES to consider pay per channel arrangements, as some in Congress have been pushing for. Why am I paying 50 bux a month to watch 2 or 3 channels??? Guess they're big Republican contributors...

3 times this year. I am in an apartment complex that does not allow dishes.

i got rid of everyhing except for HBO and when the Sopranos end for good HBO will be a memory.

It seems like every time I get a bill it's a buck or two higher than last month's.

After being out of work for a year and a half, my husband finally got a job with Comcast. Now my kids have health insurance again. Granted, we're only earning about half of what we did, but it's better than nothing. And we get free cable & internet. I do feel bad about the rates though. But I felt worse when they eliminated all the hbo stations from the analog channels to force you to go digital.
Ain't that America.

...but you're not going to complain? Even though what you've "got" now is only half of what you had before?

*clunking head on desk*

(I'm not picking on you personally dddem, it's just you are making a BIG point here - perhaps without realizing it)

PEACE

the point. Truth be told, I think we're going to sell the house and move out of state, even though we've spent our entire lives here, and this is where our families are. We can't afford it any longer. There are no jobs, and my husband is almost 50 years old. We get it, trust me.

My point was that even companies that are still trying to increase profits these days, employ a lot of people and that there is another side to things. I'd be willing to bet even Walmart employs some decent folks who are just trying to pay the bills.

As far as me "getting mine", all we succeeded in doing was keeping our children from continuing to lose what they had. I don't think that's so selfish, do you?

The point about not complaining is that complaining doesn't benefit anyone, least of all, me. I continue to fight for equal rights for my gay friends, I continue to work for AIDS charities, I'm still boycotting Walmart, and telling anyone who'll listen why I'm doing so; I still volunteer at my children's schools. I guess I just don't want to spend what little time I have left whining about how much this sucks.

I do understand your point, that I should be angry at the unfairness, and I am, but anger is so unhealthy. One of the most happy people I know is a guy I work with who is filing for bankruptcy because he's in the same boat as my husband, and is working for 1/5th of what he used to earn. He also has 2 children with MS, and his dog just got hit by a car. Do you think feeling bad or being angry is going to help him? As I have told my children on many occasions, sometimes the only thing you can change about a situation is your attitude. Please don't misunderstand - we have not given up, or settled, or stopped fighting the good fight. I just choose to do it while seeing the glass as half full - and whether half full or half empty, the glass holds the same amount, it's just how you look at it.

Hey - Peace back atcha! And Happy Thanksgiving to all of us.
:toast:

Sure glad I don't have Cable...My girlfriend's gonna howl, though....

Yeah, I was plesantly surprised when I found that notice on our door. Our local big cable provider, Charter, has apparently been trying to get our complex's business for some time now. Apparently, even though our complex here had its own internal basic cable system (which came free with rent), *everyone here* signed up for Charter instead. I mean everyone, in all the buildings. So, for whatever reason, Charter decided to get our exclusive business and made some sort of arrangement with our apartment management.

We now get the expanded basic package free- close to 100 channels. Additionally, they also lowered their rates on our broadband internet, which meant for me that I could actually upgrade to their fastest broadband speed... for a couple dollars less than I was paying for their slower speed.

So now all I pay for is broadband internet, which is actually cheaper than it was. :D I've always liked Charter, except for what the advertisers do with the gain on their commercials... that "sudden loudness" sort of sucks, but Charter can't do much about it. Ho hum.

Just like the corporate US media: always quick to tell you to bend over.

We received a notice from Adelphia last week, informing us that we would not be getting the discount anymore--WHAT discount? I think there will be hell to pay in our area ( So Ca) as well. I already pay $148 per month for cable and on line.( Which also has slowly been going up):mad:

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

And play them for a rate decrease now. Often the threat of losing a customer will spur these robots to offer a short term price decrease.

Honestly, though, I could give a fuck about 99% of cable--it's only HBO and the European news that I watch. Naturally, they're not available a la carte, thanks to the failure of the mono-party in Washington to regulate this industry.

I pay $70 a month for basic digital and HBO. I do love my cable and have no complaints about ComCast's service. I just think that companies that run virtual monopolies take advantage of their loyal customers.

No way in hell am I getting a dish. Everyone I know who's ever had one had nothing but trouble with it.

I live near Sarasota, FL... Nokomis that is! We HAVE NO CHOICE!! It's Comcast or nothing. However, we do have DISH, but have to keep basic Comcast to get a decent rate for "broad band" hook-ups!

M.U.D. "Merica Under Dip-Shit!

I will have to say however, that at least Comcast didn't give all their donations to Bush... some went to Kerry! Something like 53% to 47%! Verizon on the other hand... well 100% to Bush! Thankfully DISH didn't let me down!

good too.

I utilize many of their special services. I have just started using their On Demand service a LOT - it's kind of like having free Tivo if you like the shows and movies they offer. They show the college coaching shows and some football games for a week after they've played and you can watch them commercial free. I also like the college sports network they show on the higher channels, and I really like the fitness videos they have on On Demand. They have both HGTV and another home network, etc., etc.

That said, I can't bear cable company monopolies and I don't understand why they are allowed. Also, everyone I know who has chosen Comcast high speed internet has gotten screwed on the introductory offer - Comcast for some reason makes it almost impossible to take advantage of their special, constantly advertised, start up rate of 29.95 a month. I mean, come ON. They're going to be able to soak them for the higher rates anyway once the three months is up and yet they consistently refuse to honor their advertised introductory offer.

... was completely ignored by Comcast, even though we called and called about it.

Then .... lo and behold .... last month, Comcast deducted $70 bucks off the monthly bill to make good on the "introductory offer".

It only took them a year and a half.

I mean, this is just TV we're talking about here. I ditched the local cable monopoly here when I got fed up with crappy service.