Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 24, 1993 TAG: 9308240045
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MELANIE S. HATTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The rates, to meet new federal regulations, take effect Sept. 1.
The Federal Communications Commission decided in April that cable television subscribers were being overcharged an average of 10 percent based on rates in effect last Sept. 30. The commission ordered reductions be made in June. That date later was changed to Oct. 1, then was moved back to Sept. 1 under pressure from Congress.
The Consumer Federation of America estimated the nation's 55 million cable TV subscribers - on 11,000 systems - would save $100 million.
However, some of the 52,000 subscribers to Cox Cable in Roanoke, Roanoke County and Vinton may see little change in their bills.
Cox General Manager Gretchen Shine said customers who have more than one outlet for cable service will save $6 because the federal regulations say cable systems cannot charge a monthly fee for extra outlets.
Basic Cable - a 13-channel service - will cost $8.84, which includes the local franchise fee. Without the fee it is $10.95 now. Cox Preferred Service - 19 channels with American Movie Classics - will cost $12.93, up from $9. The HBO movie channel will be $11.95 and other premium channels will remain at the current rate of $10.95. A new Encore channel will cost $2.95.
The program changes come in response to a recent subscriber survey by Cox. About 1,100 subscribers responded.
The American Movie Channel was the top pick, so it will be added to the lineup on Sept. 1.
Cox said Monday its subscribers also will get two other channels: Mind Extension University, offering college-level telecourses, and Encore, which shows movies from the '70s and '80s.
Some customers may be disappointed that Home Team Sports and the Sci-Fi channels were not added, despite being among the top picks. Shine said those channels were in the top five and could show up in a new tier of channels. Cox is negotiating with the channels' suppliers for "a low-cost, high-quality package," Shine said.
The cable company would not reveal the top five channels picked in the survey.
Mind Extension University will appear on channel 9 from midnight to 8 a.m.
AMC will appear on channel 34, moving VH-1 from that spot to channel 38.
Cable operators shift channel designations when they change services because the smaller the channel number the better the quality of transmission, said Bill Sledd, Cox marketing manager.
Other changes include a decrease in che price of remote controls, from $3 to 28 cents. New itemized bills may cause some confusion for customers, Sledd said, but the bills should continue to hold to one page.
by CNB