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Cox raising cable, Internet fees again
Ken Alltucker
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 1, 2006 11:20 AM
Cox Communications customers will need to dig a little deeper into their pocketbooks to watch Tony Soprano strong arm a rival or view Spike Lee's documentary on hurricane-ravaged New Orleans.
Effective Oct. 4, premium channels such as HBO, Showtime or Starz will increase $2, to $12 per month, for one channel. Each additional channel will increase $1.05, to $11.05 per month.
High-speed Internet rates will jump for some customers, too. Internet customers who pay $39.95 per month will see their monthly bills increase $5 per month; conversely, customers who now pay $49.95 per month will see monthly bills drop $5.Cox continues its strategy of encouraging customers to sign up for a package that includes digital cable, telephone and high-speed Internet. The price for a bundled package or all three services remains unchanged at $99.95 per month, before taxes and other fees.
Cox representatives say the increases are needed to keep pace with the company's expenses and to simplify pricing.
"We're aligning our pricing across all Internet customers. We are making the message simpler," said Mike Perry, Cox's vice president of marketing.
Perry added that Cox Internet customers will get better value because the company soon will make its Internet connections speedier. Download speeds will increase one megabit per second to seven megabits per second.
Cox doesn't need any government approvals to raise rates, but the company has said it doesn't raise rates too much because competitors such as DirecTV, Qwest or wireless providers will exploit such an increase.
Cox has raised its rates for cable television service each of the past two years. Perry said that Cox has no current plan to again raise cable rates.
Qwest's basic package of telephone, high-speed Internet and DirecTV can cost as little as $83 per month, not including taxes or fees, according to spokesman Jeff Mirasola.
The telephone company's standard, high-speed Internet connection is slower than Cox's, and Qwest requires its customers commit to 12 months of service.
Cox raising cable, Internet fees again
Ken Alltucker
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 1, 2006 11:20 AM
Cox Communications customers will need to dig a little deeper into their pocketbooks to watch Tony Soprano strong arm a rival or view Spike Lee's documentary on hurricane-ravaged New Orleans.
Effective Oct. 4, premium channels such as HBO, Showtime or Starz will increase $2, to $12 per month, for one channel. Each additional channel will increase $1.05, to $11.05 per month.
High-speed Internet rates will jump for some customers, too. Internet customers who pay $39.95 per month will see their monthly bills increase $5 per month; conversely, customers who now pay $49.95 per month will see monthly bills drop $5.Cox continues its strategy of encouraging customers to sign up for a package that includes digital cable, telephone and high-speed Internet. The price for a bundled package or all three services remains unchanged at $99.95 per month, before taxes and other fees.
Cox representatives say the increases are needed to keep pace with the company's expenses and to simplify pricing.
"We're aligning our pricing across all Internet customers. We are making the message simpler," said Mike Perry, Cox's vice president of marketing.
Perry added that Cox Internet customers will get better value because the company soon will make its Internet connections speedier. Download speeds will increase one megabit per second to seven megabits per second.
Cox doesn't need any government approvals to raise rates, but the company has said it doesn't raise rates too much because competitors such as DirecTV, Qwest or wireless providers will exploit such an increase.
Cox has raised its rates for cable television service each of the past two years. Perry said that Cox has no current plan to again raise cable rates.
Qwest's basic package of telephone, high-speed Internet and DirecTV can cost as little as $83 per month, not including taxes or fees, according to spokesman Jeff Mirasola.
The telephone company's standard, high-speed Internet connection is slower than Cox's, and Qwest requires its customers commit to 12 months of service.
