First cable companies insisted that people canceling TV service weren't real. Then, as companies began noticing the last two quarters that people were actually canceling TV service due to cost, they began insisting those consumers really don't matter all that much (which is only true when looking at the relatively massive size of some companies). The reality is that you can't continue to impose rate hikes twice a year and not see some consumer response; the cable industry just doesn't care, because they feel these consumers are little more than a statistical blip.

The seriousness with which cable companies take consumer concerns about high prices is reflected in the way they continue to gleefully impose rate hikes on not only cable TV, but DVR rentals and other services. When they do try their hand at the unfamiliar idea of lowering prices, the end result is often somewhat insulting, like Time Warner Cable's new entry level cable tiers that offer no consumer value and are loaded with restrictions like the inability to bundle it with additional services, or even use a DVR.

Following in Time Warner Cable's footsteps, Charter is illustrating what they think about cord cutters and those struggling financially, by sending out notices saying they'll be hiking the price of, well, everything:While Charter jacked up the price of essentially everything, they did reduce the price of their "Expanded Service" tier from $48.14 to $44.78. However, they actually increased the price of their entry-level "Basic" service tier $12.85 to $16.21. Why? As Charter customers in our forums correctly note, Charter was seeing more customers downgrading to their cheapest TV tier due to the economy, so they raised the price and lowered the price of the next level tier in the hopes they'd upgrade. Cable's borderline disdain for cash-strapped customers couldn't be any more clear, and it will be a historical cornerstone when the story of the inevitable (but glacial) Internet video (r)evolution is told.