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Comcast Raises Cable-Only Rates Another 5%

By Ryan Kim -- San Francisco Chronicle, 10/17/2007

Beginning next month, Comcast customers who subscribe to stand-alone cable service will see their monthly bill increase by nearly 5 percent - the second rate boost this year.

The Bay Area's dominant cable provider, with 1.7 million subscribers locally, said the increase - which goes into effect Nov. 15 - is needed to pay for new products, improvements in customer service and upgrades to the regional infrastructure.

But Mindy Spatt, a spokeswoman for The Utility Reform Network, a consumer advocacy group in San Francisco, said Comcast's latest price increase is disappointing because it suggests that even with the appearance of rival AT&T service, Comcast is not willing to stabilize pricing to stay competitive. Instead, she said, Comcast appears to be putting more pressure on its stand-alone cable customers to buy a bundle of products.

"Consumers are constantly being sold this line of competition lowering rates, but it seems to be raising it," Spatt said. "It's a competition to see who can charge more, who can force them into more bundles."

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