PHOENIX, Arizona -- As Cable ONE continues to negotiate to keep the 15 channels currently offered to local customers through Viacom, Cable ONE President/CEO Tom Might issued a statement Friday afternoon.

“As you may know, we’re currently in negotiations with Viacom to continue carrying their 15 networks (BET, Centric, CMT, Comedy Central, MTV, MTV2, MTV Hits, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Nick Teen, Nick Toons, Spike, TV LAND, VH-1, and VH-1 Classic) after our contract expires on March 31," the statement reads.

"With just a few days to go until our contract expires, I would like to give you an update. Viacom has finally given Cable ONE a proposal for continued carriage of their networks. They are asking for a rate increase greater than 100 percent, even though viewing is down on 12 of their 15 networks since 2010 -- some by more than 30 percent.

"We are asking Viacom to either reduce their rates, since you are watching their networks a lot less, or allow us to drop some of their less popular networks to reduce the total cost. So far, they have refused both reasonable requests. In any other business, when there is less demand, the price goes down, not up.

"If Viacom is unwilling to negotiate a fair agreement, we will let these networks go in favor of bringing you some of the top-rated networks you’ve been requesting and expanding several other highly-requested networks to our most popular level of service.

"Thank you for your continued feedback during these negotiations. We have received hundreds of comments from you on our StopProgrammingHikes.com site and we want you to know that we are listening."

According to CBS News, Viacom is demanding fee increases that are as much as 40 times the rate of inflation (which is now about 1.1 percent), according to the National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC). Viacom is asking for increases that are significantly higher than what larger companies, which can spread their costs over more customers, have been asked to pay, NCTC chief executive Richard Fickle said in an interview.

"For some customers, they would wind up with a 50 to 75 percent increase in their bills over a couple year period," he told CBS, arguing that the fee increases aren't justified given the declining ratings of Viacom's channels.

Added Matt Polka of the American Cable Association, a group allied with NCTA: "It's unsustainable."

In 2012, Viacom channels went dark on DirecTV for 10 days