ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, January 22, 1997 TAG: 9701220033
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: FINCASTLE
SOURCE: JOANNE POINDEXTER STAFF WRITER
SOME CUSTOMERS in Botetourt and Bedford counties will pay nearly 10 percent more, but the cable company says the service will be better.
Tri-State CableComm is raising its cable TV rates in Botetourt and Bedford counties March1.
The increases amount to nearly 10 percent for customers with basic packages and almost 5 percent for customers with tier packages, which offer extra channels. Rates for premium channels such as HBO will not change.
Thomas Olsen, Tri-State's general manager, told the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors Tuesday that the increase is part of the company's efforts to upgrade services and meet customers' requests.
Tri-State serves 5,000 customers in Botetourt and nearly 3,000 in Bedford.
Tri-State will add Home Team Sports and ESPN 2 to its 28-channel tier package in Botetourt and raise the monthly rate from $27.44 to $28.69. The 11-channel basic package will increase from $10.91 to $11.91.
George Buchan, Tri-State's system manager, said ESPN 2 and Headline News will be added to Bedford County's 27-channel tier package, which will go from $28.45 to $29.70 on March1.
The 11-channel basic package in Bedford is $11.29 and will increase to $12.29.
No one opposed the increase or questioned Tri-State officials during the Botetourt supervisors' meeting.
But Botetourt County Administrator Gerald Burgess later said the supervisors pretty much expected the increase and that the rates are acceptable to the Federal Communications Commission.
Tri-State bought the Botetourt cable franchise from Tele-Media in August. Prior to that, the supervisors had challenged the cable company's operation because of residents' complaints, but "they have greatly improved their services, " Burgess said.
Buchan said Botetourt's cable rate hasn't increased since 1995.
He said the company will concentrate on rebuilding its system with fiber optics to increase channel capacity this year and may pick up several new neighborhoods in Botetourt.
LENGTH: Short : 48 linesby CNB