Cable Subscribers

In a closely watched case, a Baltimore County circuit judge ruled yesterday that a state law that protects cable companies from paying back millions in late fees is constitutional because the fees are part of a customer's contract. Judge J. Norris Byrnes ruled that Comcast Cablevision, the county's cable provider, does not have to refund late fees to customers and that there is nothing wrong with a law that allows businesses to assess late fees of up to $5 a month. "None of the parties to these cases dispute the right of the legislature to enact such a measure.

AT&T Corp. is close to forming a wide-ranging partnership with Microsoft Corp. as part of an intricate web of deals that has put AT&T on the verge of winning the battle against Comcast Corp. for MediaOne Group Inc., the big cable television company, executives close to the negotiations said last night.Comcast, whose initial $53 billion bid for MediaOne was topped by an AT&T offer of $58 billion, has agreed to accept a two-part consolation settlement in which it will end up with as many as 2 million of AT&T's existing cable subscribers, mostly on the East Coast, for up to $9 billion, the executives said.

TCI Communications of Baltimore, the city's sole cable television provider, is stepping up its effort to attract customers for its new digital cable service.The company touts its digital product as a way to give customers a slew of new channels and offerings, such as lockout features that parents can use to prevent their children from watching certain channels.TCI of Baltimore officially began offering digital service to a limited group of subscribers at the end of February.However, burdened by a move of its headquarters and a change in its billing system, it has waited until now to pitch the service to a broader audience.

Ruling that the late-payment fee charged by Baltimore's cable TV franchise is "unlawful and inappropriate," a city Circuit Court judge ordered the company yesterday to reimburse more than $6 million to subscribers who paid the fees over the past five years.In a 25-page opinion, Judge Gary I. Strausberg said the $5 late-payment charge levied by United Cable Television of Baltimore -- a subsidiary of Telecommunications Inc. -- should have been 50 cents or less to cover only the costs of recouping the debt.

The wheels continue to churn at WMAR, Channel 2, as the new management team tries to change its status as the third wheel among Baltimore's network affiliates.Beginning July 7, WMAR will be abandoning the noon news slot, opting instead for an 11 a.m. start time that will, if nothing else, enable them to get the workday news on the air before the competition at WBAL, Channel 11, and WJZ, Channel 13."It'll take some time," says WMAR general manager Steven Gigliotti, "but I think it will find an audience -- people who want to get their news before they leave their house for midday appointments or other midday events."

For cable television subscribers nationwide, 1996 is starting to look a lot like 1986.After a lull in recent years, cable rates are spiking up again -- more sharply than at any time since Congress deregulated the industry in the 1980s. In mail boxes from New York City to Norfolk, Va., and Seattle to Sacramento, Calif., cable subscribers have received the unwelcome news that their monthly bills are going up 5 percent to 20 percent.By June, when Tele-Communications Inc., the nation's largest cable operator, implements its across-the-board rate increase of percent, most of America's 63 million cable subscribers will be paying up to $3.50 more a month to watch CNN, MTV and the other channels that are part of basic cable service.

Annapolis cable television subscribers will pay 60 cents a month more to watch the Baltimore Orioles and other professional sports on cable television in a new agreement brokered between the city government and TCI Cablevision.TCI informed city officials Monday that it will include Home Team Sports in its expanded basic cable package starting Friday at an additional cost of 60 cents per month, bringing the monthly bill to $12.70.The new package will include the Washington Capitals, Washington Bullets and major college sports teams from the Washington-Baltimore area.

Provided you are wired for cable, there is no reason that you can't see Sunday's Grey Cup battle for North American football supremacy, even if you live in the city.That's because the folks at United Artists Cable have moved to clear the signal of ESPN2, which will carry the game live, onto the system's Channel 41, according to UA marketing manager Kathy Roberts.Still in question is whether Channel 2, which aired last week's Eastern Division final between the CFLs and Winnipeg, can carry this week's game with the B.C. Lions from Vancouver, British Columbia, at 6:30 p.m.Joe Lewin, Channel 2's vice president and station manager, said the station again plans to pick up a Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

BALTIMORE -- Amid sharp criticism of cable service in Baltimore, the city's Board of Estimates approved a proposal Wednesday that would compensate subscribers by at least $13 each for overcharges from Sept. 1, 1993 through July 14.Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke and Council President Mary Pat Clarke raised concerns about service provided by United Artists Cable, including the company's failure to connect 48 schools and the fact that subscribers must go to the headquarters to have their service turned back on."

Cable subscribers in Baltimore will receive one-time rebates or credits of at least $13 each under a proposal by the Mayor's Office of Cable & Communications.The proposal, to be submitted before the Board of Estimates Wednesday, would compensate subscribers for overcharges by United Artists Cable from Sept. 1, 1993, through July 14, officials said.The total amount of money refunded or credited to subscribers could be more than $1.3 million, they said, based on approximately 97,000 city cable subscribers.