Cable provider Charter will increase a half-dozen of its surcharges and fees for all Spectrum customers beginning in November. The hiked cost of bill items like “broadcast TV surcharge” and more expensive cable box rentals, among other changes, could result in some customers paying “an additional $7.61 a month” according to the Asheville Citizen Times. Ars Technica also reported on the pending increase.
The new rates “will affect all markets,” the company has confirmed. There are two changes to bill surcharges:
• Broadcast TV surcharge: The cost Charter passes on to you for carrying ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC on Spectrum goes up from $8.85 to $9.95/month.
• The monthly Spectrum receiver rental fee jumps from $6.99 to $7.50/month. The company tried to reason this with Ars Technica by saying even the higher price “remains lower than both the legacy TWC ($11.75) and legacy Bright House Networks ($8) price, and is comparable or lower than our competitors.”
Spectrum’s internet service will also get more expensive next month, rising from $54.99 to $59.99 for customers who also have a TV package and from $64.99 to $65.99 for those who only pay for internet. For those who use it, the company’s digital adapter price is climbing from $4.99 to $5.99 per month, and Spectrum’s $7.99 à la carte Latino TV channel package is also increasing by a buck to $8.99
This might not do much to help Charter’s standing in New York
Depending on their plan, some customers won’t get hit with all of the increases. And while some are only a dollar or two, they certainly add up. If you’re paying the full $7.61 extra, that works out to $91.32 more per year. The company has over 26 million customers throughout the US.
It’s unclear how the price increases will impact Charter’s efforts to keep Spectrum operating in New York. Back in July, New York’s State Public Service Commission voted to revoke the Charter / Time Warner Cable merger it had previously approved and accused Charter of failing to meet its expansion targets and promises to offer faster internet connections in the state. If New York follows through, it would effectively force Charter out of the state and require the company to find a new owner for its Time Warner Cable assets in the state.
But the two sides have been negotiating since the vote. Last week, the commission granted Charter another 45 days to work out a deal and stay put. Charter CEO Tom Rutledge has said his company is willing to fight New York in court “over a lengthy period of time if required.”