Cable Rates

Chances are, you've received this month's cable television bill and are aware that your basic monthly fee will increase by 8 percent in March.There's a couple of things you should know about that bill.Your basic cable rate will actually go up $1.65 a month, not the $1 implied in an explanation letter from Prestige Cable TV Inc. Your basic monthly service is rising from $20.50 to $22.15 a month.A 3percent franchise fee, which you have paid since cable came to the county in 1984, will be listed separately.

Outside of Barack Obama, one of Tuesday's biggest winners was CNN, which not only presented the best journalism but also finished first among cable channels in viewers. According to Nielsen's Fast Ratings, CNN was seen by an average audience of 8.8 million total viewers from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. election night. It also had audiences of 4.4 million adults ages 25 to 54 and 2.7 million viewers between the ages of 18 and 34. That topped perennial ratings winner Fox News, which had an audience of 8.7 million total viewers, with 3.5 million and 1.2 million in the key demos.

WASHINGTON -- The cost of watching cable television has soared at four times the rate of inflation in the last two years, despite federal controls meant to harness media monopolies.With those controls to be lifted next year -- making another price increase nearly certain -- lawmakers want to figure out how they can head off further cost increases while encouraging competition."I'm hoping the outcry will rise again," said Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, the Oregon Democrat who is to testify Tuesday before the Senate commerce committee about his bill to freeze cable rates until the government can study why the promised competition never materialized.

The Howard County Council moved closer last night to renewing ComCast Corp.'s cable television contract for another 15 years even as the company is planning to increase monthly bills by about 60 cents over the next several months.But county and company officials said the planned increase resulted from inflation and rising operating costs."That's a normal increase," said Council Vice Chairman Darrel E. Drown.In other council business last night, County Executive Charles I. Ecker said he will push for a state-wide law allowing police departments to place cameras on traffic lights.

Baltimore Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke yesterday said he wants TCI Communications to justify a proposal to raise rates for cable service by as much as 40 percent for some customers.TCI Communications of Baltimore plans to increase the cost of basic cable service from $8.02 per month to $11.22 -- a change that the cable company said would affect about 3,500 customers who get the company's 24-channel package.Schmoke said the increase concerned him. "This is a significant rate increase for a level of service that has historically been intended to allow access for citizens to the most basic cable services, including local broadcast channels and various community programming," he said in a statement.

Cable television subscribers will pay more to stay tuned next year in Baltimore, Baltimore County and parts of Howard County.The 93,500 subscribers to United Cable in Baltimore will see their monthly rates increase Jan. 1 from $16.50 to $18 for the 48-channel service.The company will add three channels, but it also will raise the cost of the monthly Cable Guide magazine from $1.50 to $2, said Marilyn Harriss, a United Cable spokeswoman.Also as of Jan. 1, Comcast Cablevision of Maryland will increase the monthly rate for Baltimore County's 155,000 subscribers to its 37-channel extended basic service from $19.99 to $21.50, said Stephen A. Burch, vice president and area manager.

WASHINGTON -- Cable television customers will have to wait a few more months for the government to impose $1 billion in price reductions because the Federal Communications Commission needs more time and money to tackle its own regulations.The FCC had planned to impose new cable rate regulations June 21 that were expected to produce price rollbacks nationwide. But the commission announced yesterday that it would have to delay the rollbacks until after Oct. 1 because Congress had yet to appropriate $12 million for more computers, office space and 240 new lawyers, accountants and other staff to deal with an expected avalanche of paperwork.

Thousands of cable TV subscribers in Maryland will receive a double dose of bad news through the mail in coming days.As many as 40 percent of all subscribers will see their cable bills increase on Wednesday as a result of congressional legislation that was supposed to offer rate relief.And, to make matters worse, their cable service may no longer include such top-rated network fare as "Seinfeld" or the World Series come Oct. 6, just as the fall TV season is getting under way. That, too, is a result of the 1992 Cable TV Act, which was supposed to make life better for cable subscribers.

Congress would not override a Bush veto until it found an issue sacred to the American people: cable television rates.