Comcast is raising rates on its Atlanta-area customers effective Oct. 1.
“Despite working hard to keep down our prices, we are continuing to experience increased costs, including rising programming expenses, while also investing in next-generation technologies that deliver new innovations,” said Brian Farley, a spokesperson from Comcast. ” This year alone, we’ve added 15 new channels in in metro Atlanta – including Disney Junior, ShopNBC and ESPN Goal Line – and made our programming available on additional screens.”
It is uncertain how many Atlanta area customers were clamoring for Comcast to add ShopNBC — a network Comcast now owns with the purchase of NBC-Universal, much less pay extra for it.
Comcast expects most customers will see increases averaging $3 a month on their October bills. But the cable operator also took time to remind customers of the incredible value cable television still offers Atlanta:
“At just a few dollars a day, cable is about the price of a cup of coffee and significantly less expensive than taking a family to the movies or a sporting event,” Farley said.
Perhaps, but not always.
Comcast charges just under $70 for its popular Xfinity Digital TV Starter package — around $2.28 a day. Atlanta-area Regal Theaters charge around $11 a ticket — $44 for a family of four. The Atlanta Diner charges $1.65 for a cup of coffee (with free refills). Assuming you visited them for 30 days, your coffee tab would run $49.50, still much less than what Comcast charges every month.
More than a decade ago, cable operators used to claim their service was still less than a cup of coffee. It actually still might be, assuming your cup of coffee comes from Starbucks.