The cost of cable television provided by Snohomish County’s largest supplier will go up $2.80 a month, or 7 percent, for most customers when the new year arrives.
The average price for Comcast’s standard analog cable package will increase from $39.48 to $42.29 a month Jan. 1, according to figures provided by the company. That price doesn’t include fees and taxes.
“Comcast’s Washington market prices reflect the increased value of the service, including availability of more programming choices, improvements in customer service and investments in technical upgrades that improve the reliability and quality” of the service, the company said in a statement.
Most of the new services in which Comcast has invested, including high-definition TV and video-on-demand services, are available only via the company’s digital cable package, which starts at above $50 a month.
Comcast has raised its prices at the start of the year since acquiring AT&T Broadband two years ago. After a rate hike of $2.59 a month at the start of 2003, the company enacted a $2 increase at the start of this year.
Additionally, parts of Snohomish County that have received system upgrades have seen extra increases of $1 to $2 a month over the past two years.
There are a few cable customers who won’t notice a higher bill in 2005. The majority of customers who receive Comcast’s limited service, which includes local network channels and a few others, won’t see a change, while a small percentage of others will see that package go up 19 cents a month to $13.33.
Customers can learn specifics about the rate increase from notices in their latest bills.
An annual study by J.D. Power and Associates found that the average monthly spending on cable TV services this year was $50.98, and $49.08 for satellite TV customers.
A recent Government Accountability Office report showed that standard cable service now offers 63 channels, compared with less than 50 in 1997. During that same period, the average price for such packages rose 40 percent. The Consumer Price Index rose 12 percent during the same period.
Reporter Eric Fetters: 425-339-3453 or fetters@heraldnet.com.
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