The Cupertino Courier

TCI set to raise area's cable rates

By Pam Marino

The price of cable will be going up as much as 4.7 percent for a large portion of Cupertino residents beginning June 1, according to documents filed with the city by Tele-Communications, Inc. (TCI).

The increases are smaller than last year's increases, which ran between 5.5 and 5.8 percent.

Some residents who live where an A/B switch box is used will actually see a decrease in their basic cable rate. Expanded basic cable service will temporarily increase until a scheduled rebuild of the system is completed later this year.

For the rest of Cupertino, rates are increasing from $12.72 to $13.33 for basic cable, and from $16.46 to $17.23 for expanded basic. If a household has both services, and, according to the city, most Cupertino subscribers do, the new total bill will be $30.56, or $1.38 more than the '97 rates.

Discounts for the Disabled: Some disabled Cupertino residents may be qualified for a cable discount.

The smaller A/B switch area's basic rate is decreasing from $13.73 to $13.33; the expanded basic is increasing temporarily from $19.15 to $20.34. The new total bill will be $33.69, an 81 cent increase over '97 rates, which translates into an overall increase of 2.5 percent.

The increased rates do not reflect what cable will cost later this year when Cupertino's entire system is rebuilt. Construction on the new state-of-the-art system begins April 1 on the eastern end of the city near the I-280/Stevens Creek Boulevard intersection, and will be completed in phases, with the entire project slated for completion Dec. 31. As parts of the city come online with the new system, basic rates will slightly increase, but expanded basic will actually decrease. The entire city will be charged one rate, $13.38 for basic cable and $17.75 for expanded basic.

TCI officials are blaming the higher rates on increased fees charged by cable programmers, as well as on inflation.

The city has 90 days to review TCI's request. The City Council is expected to hear the new rates sometime in May.

The council can vote down increases in basic cable rates, but it does not have a say over expanded basic service. For those increases, the city can only appeal to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) if it gets a minimum of three complaints from residents. According to Cupertino public information officer Donna Krey, the city has appealed expanded basic increases three years in a row, with residents getting a rebate only once.

Even if the city appeals the higher rates, the rate still goes into effect June 1, with residents getting a rebate only if the city is successful.

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