If you have Spectrum cable TV, you will likely be seeing an increase in your monthly bill by next month.
It is the Broadcast TV surcharge that customers see on their monthly bills. It will go up $2.95 a month from $13.50 to $16.45. Customers with some of the company’s TV packages, like TV Gold, and TV Silver and TV Select will see their bills rise by $1.50 per month. Customers who have promotional packages may not see the increase until the end of the promotion period.
"Programmers annually raise programming fees to deliver the same content, leading to higher costs across the entire industry." said Charter Spectrum spokesperson Lara Pritchard. "The increase we are passing through to viewers is a direct result of these rising programming costs. Similarly, we will pass through any rebates we receive from the loss of live sports during COVID-19.”
There also has been some controversy over the company’s efforts to incorporate data caps in its internet plans. Charter Spectrum has petitioned the Federal Communications Commission so that it can be released two years early from conditions imposed by the agency as part of its 2016 acquisition of Time Warner Cable.
Charter Spectrum argues that 7 of the top 10 broadband providers in the country have incorporated data caps or some form of data usage policy in their offerings. The company said as data use skyrockets, the data cap artificially hurts the company’s efforts to allocate the cost of maintaining its network in a way that is efficient and fair for all of its customers.
A consumer advocacy group, Stop the Cap! is urgning the FCC to reject the petition from Charter Spectrum.
