Cox Raising TV, VoIP, Broadband PricesIt's cable rate hike season for Hampton Roads, Virginia customers.... 12:27PM Wednesday Oct 22 2008 by Karl Bodetags: prices · business · bandwidth · cable · Cox HSIWe're entering the heart of cable rate hike season. With Comcast already announcing their hikes, Cox appears to be next in line. In Hampton Roads, Virginia, they'll be increasing standard cable $2.95 (Cox standard cable rates have jumped 23 percent since 2003). Some good news: the price of digital cable will actually drop 45 cents, though the price of their deluxe digital package will see a $1.55 hike, and VOD movies will increase $1.04. Unlike Comcast, Cox is also raising VoIP (by $1) and broadband ($2 more for the Preferred tier; $1 more for the Premier tier; $3 more for the Value tier; and $5 more for the Economy tier) prices. Cox tells me that customers in the Northern Virginia and Roanoke markets are not seeing hikes.
Related:- Thursday Evening Links
- Friday Evening Links
- Cox Launches Auto-Backup Service In Virginia
- Cox: What Bandwidth Crunch?
- Martin, Comcast, Continue Lover's Feud
- Time Warner Cable Raises Standalone Broadband Prices
- Cablevision DOCSIS 3.0 Speeds 'Within Months'
- Viacom, Time Warner Cable Kiss, Make Up
|
 
jchambers28
join:2007-05-12
Alma, AR | prices I wonder if this will affect Kansas and Arkansas customers.
they just raised their internet rates about six months ago along with their speed. | |
|  | SilverSurfer
join:2007-08-19
| Re: prices said by jchambers28  :I wonder if this will affect Kansas and Arkansas customers. they just raised their internet rates about six months ago along with their speed. I suspect rates will increase across the board in all markets. It just so happens that Cox is starting with the Hampton Roads market. | |
| | | | | | |
jchambers28
join:2007-05-12
Alma, AR | Re: prices its really going to suck if I get another rate increase this year. this would be the second one this year! what really sucks is that there is no other options for me at all. | |
| | | | fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20
| Cable isn't a right.. Yea yea.. its been said before.
What do you do? As they raise rates, drop your service levels, or drop them all together. This goes to everything that one can't afford.
Everyone is raising their rates, not just cable.
I'm saying this from a different standpoint this time. Your message, as written, makes it out that you're looking out for them. ie: "this doesn't help their bottom line".. actually, why would you care? Cable isn't going anywhere, first off, and second, consumers WILL make choices and some will drop OR some won't buy that aren't customers.
However, my opinion is simple. Is cable stupid about this? or smart? ... I say smart. Where as people think rate increases are stupid, they're actually a smart move.
The company WILL lose customers and they will likely stop growth in the customer base. BUT, the remaining customers paying more will outweigh the losses in subscriber numbers. Further, a smaller, leaner company is more profitable anyway.
Those who, quite honestly, don't know much about business will always play the doom card.. sorry to say, doom isn't in play here.
They are going to weather an economic down turn more than most. Items like comfort/junk foo, cable TV/satellite, bars and nightclubs, and other comfort items always do well in an economic downturn.
People have to make choices.. if they can't afford something, they have to leave. The problem with some people's predictions about things is simple.. people do NOT vote with their wallet - they never do. All the ranting and raving does nothing in the end.. it's the 'offer-of-the-time' that always wins over the wallet. | |
| 
tad2020
join:2007-07-17
Orange, CA
 ·AT&T DSL Service
| This is why I don't have cable TV Screw all those bastards, they all charge too much and continue to increase it just when ya got used to the new rates. I'd prefer if I could just pay the programming providers and get the few channels I like directly from the source via the internet. We have the technology, why not use it? | |
| | Jonbo298
join:2004-01-12
Council Bluffs, IA
| Re: This is why I don't have cable TV It would hurt their "bottom line" hence why nearly every provider is against picking your channels. ESPN would tank hard if people had a choice to pay for it or not. There are alot of die-hard sports watchers, but its not enough for ESPN if it was a la carte, so they have to mash it into any tier possible by any provider.
This too is why I dropped and don't want much TV anymore. The price is too high to justify, and the quality isn't there as much anymore. Internet, and Digital OTA works for me. | |
| | |
tad2020
join:2007-07-17
Orange, CA
·AT&T DSL Service
| Re: This is why I don't have cable TV I'm not talking about Martin's hair-brain a la carte plan, I'm saying skip the providers and get the programming directly from the content providers, in your case it would be directly from ESPN. This way ESPN would be getting 100% of what your paying for their programming instead of the carrier taking a cut as the middle man. | |
| | | | 
Anonymous
Premium
join:2004-06-01
IA
edit:
October 22nd, @06:37PM
| Re: This is why I don't have cable TV said by tad2020 :I'm not talking about Martin's hair-brain a la carte plan, I'm saying skip the providers and get the programming directly from the content providers, in your case it would be directly from ESPN. This way ESPN would be getting 100% of what your paying for their programming instead of the carrier taking a cut as the middle man. And how would you do that? Using your cable broadband service? OK. But you would be paying $150/mo just for that and maybe more for going over caps. Anyone thinking cable cos will just take the hit and lose TV subscribers due to content providers bypassing them while using their bandwidth is a fool.
Cable cos are for profit companies and they will get their money one way or another... | |
| 
mod_wastrel
join:2008-03-28
edit:
October 22nd, @03:58PM
| "$5 more for the Economy tier"... Can they still call it an "economy" tier with a $5 hike?
(Edit: incredibly bad finger check) | |
| | 
AZwldcats
Ummm That's Right
join:2001-02-20
Tucson, AZ
clubs:
| Re: "$5 more for the Economy tier"... said by mod_wastrel :Can they still can an "economy" tier with a $5 hike? If they do they same here it will go from $14.99 to $19.99,,,
Still not shabby for over 10x dial-up speed... | |
| | |
mod_wastrel
join:2008-03-28 | Re: "$5 more for the Economy tier"... Yeah, but it's still a 33% price hike in an economy that's feelin' kinda depressed right now. | |
| | | |
AZwldcats
Ummm That's Right
join:2001-02-20
Tucson, AZ
clubs:
| Re: "$5 more for the Economy tier"... said by mod_wastrel :Yeah, but it's still a 33% price hike in an economy that's feelin' kinda depressed right now. $14.99 was underpriced IMHO to start with... | |
| | | | | 
dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ
| Re: "$5 more for the Economy tier"... said by AZwldcats :said by mod_wastrel :Yeah, but it's still a 33% price hike in an economy that's feelin' kinda depressed right now. $14.99 was underpriced IMHO to start with... That was only for retention and i dont think its offered anymore.
--
When I gez aju zavateh na nalechoo more new yonooz tonigh molinigh - Ken Lee | |
| jaminus
join:2004-10-14
Arlington, VA | That's just a 1% annual hike in REAL terms CPI 5 years ago: 185.2
CPI now: 218.7
In real terms, Cox only charges 5% more now than it did five years ago, which equates roughly to a 1% increase each year. | |
| | 
KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
 ·Cox HSI
·AT&T Southwest
| Re: That's just a 1% annual hike in REAL terms CPI is a load of garbage.
Just ask any consumer whether inflation has been so tame.
Everything has gone up, in much larger then official numbers, except wages.
--
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini
| |
| | | jaminus
join:2004-10-14
Arlington, VA | Re: That's just a 1% annual hike in REAL terms I'll grant your argument. All that means is that Cox's price hike is even lower than 1% per year as I originally calculated. | |
| | | |
KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
·Cox HSI
·AT&T Southwest
| Re: That's just a 1% annual hike in REAL terms That would be given IF Cox only charges 5% more then they did 5 years ago. Problem is, they've broken out many fees and charges that you still pay but are no longer listed in the programming package list price.
The question should really be, what was the final bill of someone on Cox 5 years ago and what the final bill is now, assuming they haven't added new services. Only 5% higher?
I'd say not....
--
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini
| |
| | | | | jaminus
join:2004-10-14
Arlington, VA
| Re: That's just a 1% annual hike in REAL terms That's a valid point and I failed to consider added fees in my initial analysis. It may well be that Cox has indeed raised prices in real terms.
However, since we're talking about standard analog cable service, there's no fees for things like receiver rental. "Cost Recovery Fees" and that sort of thing usually only add up to well under $5 a month. And several fees (taxes, USF, regulatory fee) are often assessed and amended by the government. | |
| 
one mad cookie
@cox.net
| cox doesnt care about the economy i swear if cox jacks up the price again here, im ditching them for dsl atleast its cheaper.. and for tv im going to directtv
oh fyi cox, speed isnt everything.. i real dont care if prefered gets me 9mb down or whatever it is as it doesnt help my gaming latency... back in the good old @hoime days, 3/256 was just fine as i was able to play quake 2 w/o any problems and it isnt any faster that what u give me now.. | |
| | fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20
| Re: cox doesnt care about the economy said by one mad cookie :
oh fyi cox, speed isnt everything.. The problem is, however, that around here, that argument is about 10% of the population. Don't know if you read much or not, but the biggest gripe here is that speeds are slow.. people largely cry out for faster speeds.. they just forget that rates will usually go up for that. These HSI rate increases are some of the first in many years despite the rising speed tiers. | |
| c4junk
Premium
join:2004-05-08
| Cox Raising TV, VoIP, Broadband Prices I think you are all missing the point- aren't they adding some new 'shopping channel' or something to make your TV watching experience EVEN more wonderful and at an EVEN better value!
This is a little like the movie theaters rising prices because of lower attendance and thinking that will make us enjoy the crap movies that are mostly out there (real reason we quit going) more.
| |
| | ajwees41
Premium
join:2002-05-10
Omaha, NE | Re: Cox Raising TV, VoIP, Broadband Prices I hope in the areas already with the price increases or annouced they release new services like faster internet | |
| | | |
|
|
