BREA LA HABRA : 2 Cities Order Cut in Cable TV Rates

Brea and La Habra city council members have ordered Century Cable to cut the price of basic cable television rates and pay refunds to subscribers in the two cities.

Under the new plan, approved Thursday, La Habra subscribers will see a $2.98 cut in their monthly basic service charge and Brea subscribers will see a $1.52 reduction each month. La Habra’s new rate for 32 channels will be $21.54 a month, and Brea’s rate for 38 channels will be $23 a month.

Cable companies across the nation changed their rates Sept. 1 to comply with the Federal Cable Act of 1992. The law granted cities the right to regulate the cost of the most basic cable service.

Consultants hired by Brea and La Habra concluded that subscribers had been overcharged since Sept. 1, and the councils made the newly adjusted rates retroactive to that date. Customers can expect to see changes in their bills beginning in May, city officials said.

In addition, both cities voted to drop Century’s hourly service charges from $15.89 to $12.02. The charge for some television-top cable boxes will drop by 79 cents.

The municipalities held public hearings on the cable rates Thursday. The cable operator did not comment at the hearings.

In the past year, more than 600 residents called city officials in both cities to complain about their cable rates.

“I’ve been waiting for years to have some type of say,” La Habra Councilman Juan M. Garcia said. “It gives me great pleasure to be a part of this” action to order rate cuts and refunds.

“We’re doing something good for the community,” Brea Councilwoman Bev Perry said. “It’s the right thing to do.”

Century Cable has about a month to respond to the councils’ decision and develop a plan on how it will refund its customers money, city officials said.