Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 15, 1994 TAG: 9406160014
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By LON WAGNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Cox Cable Roanoke announced Tuesday that it will adjust its rates next month to comply with a new round of Federal Communications Commission regulations.
The end result of the rate changes will be higher bills for most cable customers in Roanoke County and Vinton, but lower bills for customers in the city. The FCC has established formulas that allow cable companies to base their rates on average household incomes in the different franchise areas, so for the first time customers in Roanoke, Roanoke County and Vinton will pay different fees.
Cable rates will drop for the 5 percent of Cox customers who buy only the basic service. Customers will see the differences starting with their July bills.
Cox marketing manager Bill Sledd said the drop in basic rates, coupled with an increase for expanded services, did not sidestep the FCC's intentions when it began re-regulating cable companies.
"I feel like one of the [FCC's] intentions was to encourage cable companies to start offering things on an a la carte or tier basis," Sledd said. "In the past, when we added something that only 25 percent of subscribers wanted, the other 50-75 percent paid for something they did not want."
Cox will send out a detailed rate chart with customer bills beginning this week, but essentially the rate adjustments will mean:
A 74-cent per month drop in the cost of basic service in Roanoke, a 51 cent drop in the county and a 52 cent drop in Vinton.
A 38-cent per month drop in expanded service in the city, a 20-cent increase in the county and an 18-cent jump in Vinton.
A $20.35 monthly bill for expanded service in the city, a $20.93 bill in the county and a $20.91 bill in Vinton.
by CNB