Comcast, DirecTV, Dish all raising rates in January

Keep clicking to see which Comcast and DirecTV packages are going up, and by how much. Comcast, based in Philadelphia, is raising prices for internet and cable TV services in January 2018. Keep clicking to see which Comcast and DirecTV packages are going up, and by how much. Comcast, based in Philadelphia, is raising prices for internet and cable TV services in January 2018. Photo: Matt Rourke, STF Photo: Matt Rourke, STF Image 1 of / 86 Caption Close Comcast, DirecTV, Dish all raising rates in January 1 / 86 Back to Gallery

Comcast has told its customers in the Houston area that it will be raising rates for many of its cable TV and internet products, starting with their January 2018 bill.

Details of the rate hikes appear in a notice included with this month's bill. Monthly price increases range from a $4.50 more for Comcast's Digital Premier service ($139.99 to $144.49) to about $4 for a package of two premium channels ($19.99 to $24) to $2 for most standalone internet services.

The cost to rent a cable modem is also going up, from $10 to 11, and late fees go up from $9.50 to $10.

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Comcast spokesman Michael Bybee said the increases won't apply to those who have promotional rates, or to those who have negotiated rates on a contract. Rates will go up, however, when the promotional or contract period expires.

In a note on the December bill, Comcast Regional Senior Vice President Ralph Martinez says prices are increasing because "the cost of doing business rises."

"You may also be aware that we pay increasing programming fees to offer the best in entertainment, news and sports and they are among our largest costs," Martinez's note says.

Bybee said the increase was originally planned for Oct. 1, but was delayed due to Hurricane Harvey.

"We postponed the original timing of the price change so we could all focus on recovery efforts from the devastating effects this city endured from Hurricane Harvey," he said.

Comcast is not alone in raising its TV rates.

Prices for AT&T's DirecTV service are also going up in January, a hike that was announced earlier this month. The AT&T increases range from 20 cents a month more for some regional sports programming to $8 a month more for DirecTV's Ultimate Premier package.

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AT&T has not announced internet rate hikes for January.

Dish TV also plans increases next month. Most of its channel bundles will go up by $5 a month - $3 for core programming and $2 for local channels.

Even cord cutters won't be immune from higher prices. Netflix said back in October that the price of its standard service would go from $10 to $11 in January.

The price hikes from the pay-TV providers come despite the fact that an increasing number of their customers are cutting the cord and switching to streaming services. AT&T lost a record 385,000 subscribers in the previous quarter of 2017, while Comcast lost 125,000 subscribers in the same period.

The Comcast and Dish hikes come just days after the Federal Communications Commission voted along party lines to repeal net neutrality rules. (The AT&T/DirecTV hike was announced Dec. 6.) Mark Vena, an analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy, said while the hikes may not be related to the FCC's action, it doesn't look good.

"The timing is auspicious, I'll say that," Vena said. "Given the monumental announcement the FCC just made, it is just odd to me that they would do this in the wake of it."

Vena said that while cable and internet providers do indeed face increasing costs, "this is not the kind of Christmas present people want."

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(Updated 12.21.17 to correct price increases for Dish Network.)