The Oakland Press: Local News: Cable vs. Satellite
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"When Joan Hoover heard that Comcast cable service is going up 6.2 percent in her area, the Lake Orion resident frowned. 'My first question is, why?' Hoover said. 'It seems like an awful lot.' Hoover said the cable giant - Michigan's largest with 1.4 million customers in the state - should drop one channel from its services to cut costs. 'What are we getting for the increase?' said Hoover, who manages a small shop. 'I wish I could run my business like that.'
Depending on where a customer lives in Oakland County, two of the county's four cable providers - Comcast and WideOpenWest - will besending out bills that average $2 to $3 more per month, prompting some customers to price satellite dish systems.
As for the reason behind the cable increase, Jerome Espy, director of communications for the Philadelphia-based Comcast, called it 'a business move. In general, Comcast is trying to make price matches for value of service.'
He also said that providing additional programming is adding to expenses.
'Customers want more choices,' he said. Comcast increased rates by about 7 percent a year ago.
Satellite dish companies DISH Network and DirecTV report they aren't planning any increases in the near future."
