Yikes! I Just Opened My Comcast Bill

My Comcast bill just skyrocketed to $181/month.  Up from $165.43 imposed last January.  Which was up from $155.64.

In one year, my bill has gone from $155.64/month to $181/month.

That’s a total of about $305/per year.

The rate hikes - two in less than a year - are for cable and DVR/HD.  (IHigh speed Internet held steady at $45.95) 

Last January, Comcast raised my rates by $10 for the Digital Gold package and another $2 for the DVR/HDTV service.  At that time, my bill rose to $102.99 plus $11.95 per month, respectively.

Now, my bill for the Digital Gold and the DVR/HD package has jumped AGAIN, this time to $112.99 and $13.95 per month, respectively.

I live in the Bay Area.  Comcast has 1.7 million subscribers here.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle:

The increase is the second one this year, following a nearly 6 percent boost in January. It will not, however, affect customers taking Comcast’s limited $99 "triple play" bundle of video, phone and broadband. Subscribers taking basic cable also will not be affected….

"We believe that the price that goes into effect reflects the increased value in our service," said Andrew C. Johnson, Comcast’s vice president of communications.


On Nov. 15, Comcast added four high-def. channels: History, Home & Garden, Discovery and USA Network, says the Chron.

For two years,  I never received the full Comcast HD complement, even though I paid for it.  (An experience described here.)

Right now, the HD channel count on my television is approximately 28, up from about 15.

One - an HD Sports Channel - is off air except for a couple of hours/week. 

NFL-HD is not activated.

So, the "increased value" in our household from the rate hikes, totalling over $300/year?

About 12 HD Channels (at most).