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Charter Cable will start charging a local broadcast surcharge in the towns it services in Western Massachusetts.

(Photo provided)

Charter Communications cable company has added a $4.47 "local broadcast TV surcharge" line item to customer bills beginning this month.

The company -- which calls its cable, phone and internet service Spectrum -- told customers by putting a notice on last month's bill. The message on the bill indicates that consumers will see the overall bill increase.

Federal law allows owners of over-the-air television stations to charge cable and satellite companies for the ability to carry those stations to cable customers. In recent years, broadcasters have been driving harder bargains, much to the distaste of cable companies.

So Charter and its cable counterparts around the country have started itemizing bills as they add the cost of broadcast stations.

"We've begun breaking out the broadcast TV surcharge as a specific line on customer statements, as we do in other Charter systems, to reflect the cost of local broadcast TV stations," said Heidi Vandenbrouck, Charter's Worcester-based senior communications manager.

Vandenbrouck said that would be the extent of the company's comment.

Customers in Ludlow were warned in January. Charter serves dozens of communities in Massachusetts, including Brimfield, Chicopee, Ludlow, Wales, Belchertown, Hadley, Hampden, East Longmeadow, Easthampton, Southampton and Wilbraham.

Charter is not alone in adding itemization of broadcast channels. Comcast, which serves wide swaths of Massachusetts, started itemizing the broadcast fee in 2014, said Nicole Boudreau, a company spokeswoman.

Competitor Time Warner does the same, according to that company's website.