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Cable TV Prices Rising At Four Times the Inflation Rate

Posted by Soulskill on from the what-the-market-will-bear dept.

An anonymous reader writes "A new FCC report (PDF) has found that U.S. cable TV prices are rising at four times the rate of inflation over the past two decades. 'Basic cable service prices increased by 6.5 percent [to $22.63] for the 12 months ending January 1, 2013. Expanded basic cable prices increased by 5.1 percent [to $64.41] for those 12 months, and at a compound average annual rate of 6.1 percent over the 18-year period from 1995-2013. ... These price increases compare to a 1.6 percent increase in general inflation as measured by the CPI (All Items) for the same one-year period.' Equipment prices rose faster than inflation, too. The report also found that the price increases weren't helped by competition — in fact, the prices rose faster where there were competing providers than in areas where the main provider had no effective competition."

4 of 286 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Wow, that matches by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    That is matching the rate of growth of government employees and their salaries. Who would of thought...

    But nowhere near the rate of increase of medical costs since Obamacare has come into being, where we were promised we'd be able to keep our health plan, keep our doctors, and pay less.

    Nope. Can't keep your plan - lied to. Can't keep your doctor - lied to. And health care costs have gone up more since Obamacare started then they did in the entire decade beforehand.

    Obama and the Democrats CAN'T be THAT incompetent, can they? One would think Obamacare was DESIGNED to destroy healthcare in the US.

  2. Which inflation rate? by 7-Vodka · · Score: 1, Troll

    Anytime you talk about inflation, you have to be cognoscente of the fact that every government on the planet lies about it.
    Their deficit spending, fiat currency, crony capitalism for the elite depends on it.

    Look at Venezuela for example

    Or the US of A.

    I'd be willing to bet that if you price cable services in terms of real assets like oil, gold, silver, food, energy or even a subway ticket in NYC it would be a different picture, averaged out over the long term.

    If you're taking the government's figures on inflation I've got prime ocean front real estate to sell you in beautiful New Mexico.

    How do you tell if the government is lying?

    Their lips are moving (or they've typed something out).

    --

    Liberty.

  3. Re:Wow, that matches by bmo · · Score: 1, Troll

    You're totally offtopic, but this needs a reply.

    Obama and the Democrats CAN'T be THAT incompetent, can they? One would think Obamacare was DESIGNED to destroy healthcare in the US.

    It was designed that way because it's a HERITAGE FOUNDATION design, which is why Romney picked it for MA.

    For all of the "socialist policies" of Obama, he sure seems to be supporting the right-wing policies of his predecessor and think tanks.

    --
    BMO

  4. Maybe inflation is higher by abies · · Score: 1, Troll

    It is funny that when people observe that almost everything raise faster that inflation, they blame all these providers/producers separately, instead of question reported inflation in first place.
    http://www.shadowstats.com/alt...
    If you look at shadowstats, last year inflation was around 5-%... as observed on cable service prices.

    So real question should be not why cable service prices are rising so sharply, but rather, why CPI cheats? Answers are probably going to be more interesting that "rising cost of equipment"