On the heels of broad hikes by Comcast, Mediacom, and select hikes by Cox -- Cablevision dropped me a line this evening to say they'll be joining the other cable operators in bumping the price of some TV packages next year. The company will be raising cable TV rates in 2009 by an average 3.5%, though spokesman Jim Maiella insists to me via e-mail this is "once again below the current rate of inflation" (not sure if that makes you folks feel any better).

Maiella notes that the company's broadband and VoIP products are not seeing a hike for going on six consecutive years. The company's $90 triple play promotion is also not seeing hikes, and hasn't since 2004 when it was introduced, says Maiella. The exact nature of the hikes, which were 4.7% last year, hasn't yet been specified. A press release sent to the media suggests the hikes are justified by Cablevision upgrades, including their Wi-Fi initiative and VOD enhancements (customers can obviously make that determination for themselves):Cablevision customers: do you feel you're getting your money's worth? Everyone else: happy cable (and probably telcoTV) rate hike season. We know what you're getting this year!