Effective April 1, Charter Communications is increasing the total rate for Expanded Basic cable service from $44.49 to $45.99 per month (not including franchise fees or other fees), according to a Feb. 18 letter sent to Oxford Township and Village.
“We don’t raise the cost to our customers without carefully considering how it will affect them,” wrote Edward Madden, General Ganager for Charter Communications Mid-Michigan Operations. “Like all businesses, we have seen increased costs in our daily operations for everything from energy costs to recruiting and training a highly technical staff. The increasing cost of cable programming is a factor in our decision-making process on pricing our service.”
“Because we have experienced significant increases in our business costs, we find it necessary to implement a price increase for one of our services (Expanded Basic),” Madden wrote.
The lowest price service, Broadcast Basic ($17.09 per month), will not increase, the letter stated.
Digital service packages, including premium channels and pay-per-view services, will also remain the same price, Madden wrote.
At the Feb. 24 village meeting, council President Steve Allen urged cable customers to write to Charter and voice their opinion about the rate hike.
Allen said cable is getting “too expensive” and urged residents to “start demanding answers” as to why the rates keep increasing.