Why your cable TV and internet bill may go up this year
Many of us rely on cable or at least the internet so we pay the price!
You may be paying more than you think. The cost of going online may already appear in your bill statements.
"It’s becoming an annual thing for companies to raise prices on TV and internet service. They blame the increases on rising programming costs and faster broadband speeds,” Consumer Reports Tech Editor Jim Wilcox said.
Unless you are in a promotional contract offer or you are a subscriber of AT&T’s DirectTV or U-verse, Charter’s Spectrum internet and Comcast’s Xfinity cable or internet, you may be seeing a higher cable or internet bill this year.
“Comcast is boosting add-on fees as well. Broadcast TV fees are going up by as much as $4.50 a month. And there’s a $2 bump to get regional sports networks," said Wilcox.
Several companies are also reinstating data caps that were suspended during the early days of the pandemic, when so many people were working and schooling from home.
Wilcox said, “With data caps, you get a certain amount of data with your monthly plan. If you exceed that amount, then you could get hit with overage charges, or you might find that your download speeds are slowing down.”
A new law requires cable and satellite TV companies to disclose the total monthly price of your bill when you sign up. That includes all charges, fees and estimated taxes. It also bans those companies from charging rental fees for equipment, such as a router that you provide yourself.
Sometimes it may help to contact your internet or cable provider to see if there is a way to lower your bill.
