Comcast Hiking Prices Again
It’s that time of the year again . . . well, hold on — no it’s not. But it seems that Comcast is hiking prices anyway.
Cable operators often wait until after the holiday season to increase rates — that way, current customers are less likely to put a dish under the tree. That’s what happened last year when Comcast increased rates. But it seems that the nation’s biggest cable operator is getting started a little early this year, and hoping that the latest round of price hikes wears off before the holiday season really gets under way.
In many places throughout the country, price increases around 3% are being reported. That doesn’t seem too bad until one considers the fact that this appears to be the second increase in less than a year for many customers. As has now become anticipated, the operator blamed an increase in operating costs for the need to raise prices — absent from the explanation, though, is the most likely culprit: A languishing stock price that was bogged down long before recent, broader declines in the market.
Comment by C. Reid
In December, 2008, Comcast has instituted a system to try to force their customers to accept higher fees for services they may not want. Comcast has discontinued the TV Guide channel that lists the programs that are coming on. The only way you can continue to have a TV Guide-type program listing is if you agree to obtain a digital box for each TV in your home. The first year the cost is $1.99 per box per month. After the first year, the cost increases to $6.99 per box per month! If you have 3 TV’s, in the first year of using a digital box, Comcast is rewarded for taking away the TV Guide channel with a 10% price increase! The following year, the increased cost gives Comcast a 33% increase for discontinuing your television programing channel. It’s amazing that Comcast can get away with this type of forced increase considering Michigan’s dire economic climate.