Cable Rates on the Rise

I'm a fan of Dish Network because of the CEO's transparency. See, every month or so, he will host a chat on TV and answer questions. Have there been price increases on Dish? You bet. However, with every price increase is not only an explanation but also an apology. That being said, the price increases I've seen on Dish have been few and far between. My cable bill would change monthly, where my Dish bill has only gone up $5 per month in the past 3 years or so.

Not to mention cable TV seems to always go out. I laugh when I see cable's false ads talking about how satellite goes out every time there is a cloud in the sky. I only lose satellite during the worst parts of bad thunderstorms, where cable was either out or full of static to make viewing hard.

This is a yearly event, so it's not really news. I love how the articles don't mention satellite, or FiOS, but I bet those will increase shortly after. It's to cover the content, and everything involved with transport or delivery of the service. Thats also why satellite averages less increase of rates (percent wise), because they beam the signal from space, and have no real inhouse techs in each market they service. Oh well, not news, but thanks for the heads up.

Just how far they think they can keep raising their rates before they suffer a backlash. Arrogant bastards, sticking it to the customers to pay for their "enhancements" on their network. I hope it catches up with them and they rot in hell, myself.

I would not hold by breath on that one

People are willing to pay a lot of money to get entertainment. And as long as they keep paying they will be increasing the price.

Thats just it, they dont roll it back into their networks. most goes into the FATCATS pockets.

It's called supply and demand. We live in a capitalist society and companies can charge as much as they want. At least until Hillary Clinton becomes President of the Socialist States of America.

we have basic expanded. 78 channels is claimed. 6 are spanish, 3 are cable ads. 9 channels are fuzzy reminding me of antenna. but the rates are raising every year but nothing is done to improve the network..

Bet you anything they won't be doing this, when IPTV is out.

Please explain the correlation between supply and demand and "companies can charge as much as they want." I'm interested in how that shakes out.

As for Clinton or any other politician, if you actually think there's a difference between what passes for conservatism and liberalism as to the effect either has on this economy within the big picture, boy, are you in for a ride.

As Joe Bageant puts it:

"Show me the Republican or Democratic leader who says, 'Politics is economics by other means, and our own Federal Reserve Bank is a privately held institution, not a governmental one, and is an interlocking part of the global financial network which owes allegiance to no country or ordinary citizens, regardless of nationality.' Or, 'My corporate campaign contributions come from people whose every action is directed at extracting two things from you, my dear voter: Your money and the cheapest possible labor you can be driven to provide. The absolute cheapest possible payment to you for the hours of your life consumed by work, which, depending upon the degree of your delusion, is called either a job or an exciting career.'"

That's a tad closer to the truth than people spout who love throw around the socialist tag as if they'd know it if it bit them in the ass.

KEY EXECUTIVES

Mr. Brian L. Roberts , 46 Chairman, Chief Exec. Officer,
Pres of Comcast Holdings Corp.
Pay $ 10.08M

Do you REALLY wonder where the rate increase is going?

"FTA" Baby, Some of you might know what that is...

I'd love to go to dish, my parents have it and it's great, but sadly at my apartment complex I can't place a dish on the roof, and my balcony faces the wrong direction. Just keep holding out for IPTV.

Basically supply and demand dictates how much people will pay for goods and services. The demand for internet access is so high that a marginal increase (+-$2.00 per month) will have zero impact on the subscriber base. While prices being raised bothers me just as much as the next guy, you have to pick and chose your battles and the companies know that. I would bet that only a very small percentage of people would actually go through the trouble of switching providers for (in this case) less than $30 per year in savings. This is further complicated by the fact that competing providers (generally DSL) usually have contracts and require equipment to be purchased. Consumers who expect prices to stay the same (for anything they purchase) year after year arent being honest with themselves. Interest rates change, taxes change, people's income changes, everything changes. Just get used to it, since THAT isnt going to change!!

I'd climb up and hug my Directv dish.

yup FTA best HDTV you can buy...for free!

Consumers need choice for Broadband web access, VOIP, and streaming HDTV !!!

ya know if you are in a rural area (like I am) and live within 50 miles of metro tv stations you can get a fabulous digital/ HDTV signal to your set...free. All you need is a outdoor antenna. Those who live in a metro area can simply buy a Zenith sensor indoor antenna and ge the same results. All for free. All in HD

I can't wait until broadband is SO fast that people stream the networks on the internet and people watch for FREE, what is cable gonna do then? Turn into the riAA(ss) mpAA(holes) and sue cusomers?!?

It will not be free if you are paying for a broadband connection. Free is using a antenna on your house.

If anyone has a chart of cable television rates, it would be interesting to see how they compare to these....
And yes, that is an exponential scale.

Cable won't do a thing. The people who produce the content on the other hand....
The NFL and MLB already sue to death anyone who tries to stream NFL content online.

Transparency and lack of price hikes isn't worth the appalling HD quality.

»Re: Price Increase?
and
»FIOS TV raises prices a by 7.6%

If you look at rate changes this year as apposed to previous years. This year rate changes are small, Just looking at the Time Warner issue. Standard service increases are not that much a dig deal, because most people are in packages so only a small percentage of people are actually seeing the increase.

Standard area is where ESPN lies and sports typically are, and therefore it makes sence that this area would go up. Otherise increases are small this year, if non existant.

Competition is keeping prices down, and they are increasing the value of the packages with more on demand and more HD Programming, along with Start Over, and things like quick clips thrown in.

Again Basic subs don't see any rate increase.

Putting ESPN 1/2 on pay digital tier would lower my bill about $5 a month.

Even their SD quality has been crap lately. I've got a great signal and the pixellation is god-awful.

In this case the increases are for TV service not broadband access. How much the content providers can keep raising the rates until we find other forms of entertainment is unknown. I know I watch less TV all the time as the internet and the PC consume more of my free time. At some point optional channels and higher end bundles will no longer be with it.

The trouble is that all you get is the giant mega networks and a bunch of UHF bible thumpers. Hardly my idea of great TV.

Thanks, but I'm (1) well aware of THE economic theory of Supply and Demand as per Marshall, but not so much the use of it here (and in other forums on the Internets) and (2) you didn't actually address the question in context of Fatal Vector's assertion -- to which and whom I was replying.

First and foremost, we can't really begin to have substantive debate on S&D without a competitive market, and scant few markets exist with cable HSI.

Second, you assume for the sake of argument that your $2 increase exists in such a market, and that this is an increase of reasonable periodicity. It does not and is not: cable increases occur, and amount to, many times the national rate of inflation without existing in a competitive market (in most cases). How many cable providers do you have access to? What would you pay for cell phone service this time next year at cable's rate of inflation? Cell service, BTW, is a much better example of S&D in a competitive market economy.

Thirdly, every single example you provide after your assertion that increases won't affect subscriber churn is totally, and I do mean totally, irrelevant to supply and demand, as well as Fatal Vector's claim that due to the laws of S&D, cable companies can "charge as much as they want." What supply of cable service is there in the majority of Comcast's markets other than Comcast and how is that situation in any way indicative of true supply and demand?

To say that one company can charge as much as they want because the laws of supply and demand allow it to be so when they're the only company in the majority of markets with that supply is a steaming load of bull, and has nothing to do with supply and demand, a competitive marketplace, or socialism. How Ms Clinton got into the equation is beyond me, so I'll leave that for the reader to sort out.

I got my letter from Comcast informing me of the rate increase. They said it was because of the improvements they've made to the service and reliability.

If they've made improvements why do I have picture issues with digital and analog cable that are considered "normal"?

I really wish FIOS TV was available in my development, but Verizon ran the lines right past my development (the poles are only a few hundred yards away).