MetroCast cable customers in St. Mary’s County will be seeing another fee increase beginning the first of the year. The announcement was made in a letter to the St. Mary’s County Commissioners, who hold MetroCast’s cable TV franchise.
There is no fee increase in the charge ($34.95) for “Basic” video services. “Expanded Basic” video will go up 7.3 percent, from $41 to $44 per month. Other video service levels will increase as well.
Basic internet service (up to 1.5 Mbps x 384 Kbps) will go up 11 percent, from $26.95 to $29.95. Charges for faster spends will only go up $2 a month more.
Everyone receiving video services will be hit with an increase in what is called “Broadcast TV Fee.” That will increase from $1.50 a month to $5.05 per month, or a 236-percent increase.
In MetroCast’s letter to the commissioners, General Manager Bernard Hazelwood said, “As you may know, television networks each year impose substantial increases in the license fees they charge MetroCast and other video providers for the right to distribute their channels. Local broadcast stations also have demanded much higher ‘Retransmission Consent’ fees for MetroCast and other video providers to be able to retransmit their signals. As these costs are growing well beyond the rate of inflation, MetroCast will increase certain rates effective with the first billing statement customers receive in January 2015.”