Cable Rates

Was last year's cable television regulation law a boomerang? Its supporters predicted that rates, which had been climbing for years, would be rolled back by about 10 percent. The industry argued the opposite would happen. As the new law starts taking effect this month, it appears cable operators were correct.The law is immensely complicated, and so are the regulations adopted last spring by the Federal Communications Commission. Clearly, the FCC thought it was rolling back the average charges viewers pay to get cable service.

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.

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.

Cable TV subscribers in Baltimore will pay more for their CNN and MTV starting Jan. 1.One month after Congress passed a law that promised rate relief for cable TV subscribers, United Artists Cable of Baltimore announced it is raising rates by 4 percent to 7 percent, effective Jan. 1.The fee for basic service will rise from $17.35 to $18 a month, and the fee for expanded basic will go from $18 to $19.25, Euan F. D. Fannell, president and general manager of...

Starting tomorrow, about 2,700 western Howard subscribers to Mid-Atlantic Cable will see a 13 percent increase in their bills.The rate boost from $25.15 per month to $28.31 for customers of its 49-channel service is a move Mid-Atlantic's general partner says is necessary to meet rising costs and reduce an $18,000 a month operating deficit. Rates for the 22-channel basic service also will increase 10 percent from $15.70 per month to $17.28.The larger Howard Cable TV charges $27.25 monthly for its 40-channel package and charges slightly more for premium channels.

For cable subscribers in Maryland, the passage of the cable bill yesterday means that rates probably won't continue going up with their usual speed -- assuming the bill becomes law.That's because, under the bill, cable companies can't raise rates as easily as they have in the past.But rates probably won't come down a whole lot, either. At least not very quickly.The reasons are that federal authorities still have to work out a formula for setting rates, a process that could take some time to complete.

WASHINGTON -- Cable television subscribers nationwide ar supposed to see lower rates and better service, under controversial legislation that could come up for a House vote as early as tomorrow morning.The legislation already agreed upon by House and Senate negotiators is trumpeted by supporters as the most significant consumer bill of the year, and there's no disputing its effects could be felt in households nationwide. But what the consequences would be is now a matter of debate and lobbying.

Don't look now, but cable television rates might be going up again. The culprit this time isn't the cable companies but another local monopoly -- Baltimore Gas and Electric Co.The reason: BG&E plans to start charging cable companies a $6-a-pole annual fee this year to keep their lines on BG&E poles. The fee would affect cable companies that hang their lines on the 50,000 poles statewide that BG&E shares with Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Co.Rental fees on an additional 23,000 poles owned solely by BG&E probably will be raised to $6 from $4 as part of the rate change, said John Metzger, a BG&E spokesman.

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.