FCC Report Shows CableTV Prices Have Gone Up 'A Lot'

The Federal Communications Commission Friday issued a report on average cable TV prices in the US, and to the surprise of no one, it turns out they went up a lot.

"Basic cable service prices increased by 6.5 percent [to $22.63] for the 12 months ending January 1, 2013. Expanded basic cable prices increased by 5.1 percent [to $64.41] for those 12 months, and at a compound average annual rate of 6.1 percent over the 18-year period from 1995-2013," the FCC said.

The basic cable increase was four times the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the 12-month period, and substantially above inflation for the 1995-2013 measurement.

"These price increases compare to a 1.6 percent increase in general inflation as measured by the CPI (All Items) for the same one-year period," the FCC wrote. "The CPI’s compound average annual rate of growth over the 18-year period was 2.4 percent."

"Expanded basic cable" service is the price of a basic package plus "the most subscribed cable programming service tier excluding taxes, fees, and equipment charges."

Additionally, "equipment prices for basic and expanded basic services increased by 4.4 percent and 4.2 percent, respectively, for the 12 months ending January 1, 2013," the report stated.

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