FCC Orders Century Cable Refunds

The Federal Communications Commission has ordered Century Communications Corp. to pay refunds totaling nearly $4.6 million for overcharging about 177,000 cable subscribers in the Los Angeles area between September 1993 and this August.

Century customers may not see any immediate results from the federal action because local franchise authorities must first sign off on the FCC’s assessment of Century overcharges. The customers affected live in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Santa Monica and West Hollywood.

Century has been fighting a rollback on cable rates since one was imposed by Congress in 1993. “They were one of the most egregious over-chargers,” said Paul Janis, telecom regulatory officer of the city of Los Angeles.

The FCC also ordered Century to reduce rates for its basic tiers in Bell Canyon, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Marina del Rey, Santa Monica and West Hollywood.