Time Warner Cable is raising its rates again, an annual occurrence the company blames on its programmers.
Most of the increases are between $3 and $5 a month. Time Warner's letter to customers says the that sports and broadcast programming are the biggest contributor to the price increases.
The rate increases go into effect Dec. 27. They were announced in bill inserts that were mailed out in the past three weeks.
Time Warner spokeswoman Melissa Buscher said that 39 percent of customers will see increases of less than 5 percent. That's largely because more than half the company's customers are paying a promotional discount, or they're locked into a 2-year price guarantee. Those customers will have to pay full freight when their promotions expire.
Buscher also said the price increases are also paying for new features. For example, the company added more than 75 high definition channels this year.
"Prices are going up but you're getting more," she said.
Time Warner has 2.1 million customers in the Carolinas, including about 630,000 in the area that covers the Triangle to Fayetteville.
The biggest increase, in terms of percentage, is for the entry-level 24-channel Broadcast Cable service. In Raleigh, the service is going 29 percent, from $12.50 to $16.10 a month. In Clayton, it's going up 31 percent, from $12.95 to $17 a month.
A typical example: Digital Cable and Road Runner High Speed Online are going up from $114.90 to $117.95 a month.
Time Warner and its programmers have turned their private negotiations into a public spat, with the business partners blaming each other for corporate greed.
This month Time Warner accused programmers of making outrageous demands and hiking costs 300 percent. As part of a marketing campaign, Time Warner used the Internet, newspapers and TV ads to create public pressure on the programmers to relent on their pricing demands.
John Murawski has been a full-time newspaper reporter since 1991, with stints at Legal Times and The Chronicle of Philanthropy (both in Washington, DC), The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Palm Beach Post (in South Florida) before arriving at the N&O in December 2004. At the N&O he covers energy (nuclear, coal, renewable, efficiency), utilities (electric, natural gas, telephone) and telecommunications. His beat includes such publicly traded companies as Progress Energy, Duke Energy, PSNC Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas, PowerSecure International, Tekelec, Cisco Systems, AT&T, among others. You can reach him at 919-829-8932 or 
Comments
Time Warner is running over
Thu, 12/17/2009 - 15:03 — hybrid05Time Warner is running over its customers, just as AT&T likes to do. Increasing the entry-level service from $12.50 to $16.10? That's a 28.8% increase! And what "new features" would I be getting with that rate increase? None! This entry-level service plan was supposed to be provided as a low-priced option for people who couldn't afford "standard" cable packages. I don't consider it low-priced anymore! I guess I'll get an HDTV antenna in January instead.
TWC
Thu, 12/17/2009 - 02:09 — jbartlettI have been a long time customer of Time Warner Cable. I have used almost ever service they provide. Two months ago I received a bill for close to two-hundred dollars. I immediately called them asking why my rates were so high and why I was no longer receiving the deal I was promised. They claimed that it was offered for only 6 months. This was a lie. It was offered for 1 year. When I asked to renegotiate another deal they refused and told me that there were no deals they could offer. Therefore, I dropped my T.V. Service, my telephone service, and lowered my internet connection speed. I now watch most of my favorite programs on Hulu because it cost me nothing and I do not mind waiting a day or so for it to be on there. I also switched my VoIP to Vonage which is about 25 dollars cheaper than TWC, more services offered and the sound quality is better. If Time Warner wants to retain its customer base they need to make it more affordable and their representatives serving this area more useful to their customers. After all, who wants to talk to a person who barely speaks English, does not have knowledge of their products, and has no power to negotiate so they can retain people using their service? Let this be a lesson to everyone who thinks they have to roll over and take it. You do not. The only service I still have is my internet with them. If another company comes along and offers us a better deal on internet I will gladly leave Time Warner for good.
ONCE AGAIN---- Time Warner
Wed, 12/16/2009 - 16:44 — rukiddingmeONCE AGAIN---- Time Warner gouges consumers with rate hikes for no additional services. Why does Raleigh not set up it's own fiber buildout like Greenlightnc.com in Wilson? With the RTP and all the supposed high tech resources available and we put up with this? Hurray for AT&T Uverse and a few small others trying to break through the BS monopoly that TWC has.
Just go DirectTV or DishTV
Wed, 12/16/2009 - 16:31 — caugustiSimple as that.