Getting cable firms to cut fees

There is just enough competition in the cable and fiber-optic TV market now to get prices down. (“Let’s pay only for the TV we watch,” Nov. 12.)

It started for me when a friend called Time Warner and said she was going to cancel because there was nothing she wanted to watch. They offered to cut her bill by $20 and then $40. She stayed on.

A couple of months ago, I got a brochure for AT&T; U-verse TV, and it seemed like a better deal than Time Warner Cable. So I arranged for installation and then called Time Warner to cancel. They asked me what it would take to keep me as a customer. I said, give me HBO, Showtime, IFC and Sundance free. And give me a better price. They came up with $84 for TV and Internet.

So I phoned back AT&T; to cancel the installation. They re-routed me to the “Retention Department.” I explained that Time Warner had made me a deal I couldn’t refuse. They offered me all channels, including all premium movie channels under the sun, the sports package and Internet for $84.

Sharon Moore

Los Angeles

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I enjoyed and agreed with the column on a la carte pricing for cable TV service.

One area that seemed to be overlooked is that cable channels charge according to a perceived number of viewers. With a la carte pricing, the cable services won’t suffer because they will continue to charge a base price.

However, the ones to really fear a la carte pricing are the marginally popular channels, as they have the most to lose.

Jon Crawford

Bakersfield

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There is no question that cable prices are too high, but as someone in the cable industry for more than 20 years, I can assure you that these increases are not caused by cable industry greed or customer gouging. The solution is not a mandated a la carte system that allows subscribers to pay for only the channels they want.

The reality is, cable operators have little influence over how programming is sold to their subscribers. Those choices are made by the broadcasters and programmers (ESPN, MTV, TNT, USA, Fox News). They force cable operators across the country to carry channels you don’t want just to get the ones you do. This bundling and tiering is one reason cable prices are so high.

Another reason is the programming costs, which are four times more than a decade ago. Cable prices have only doubled in that same period.

On behalf of the American Cable Assn., I appreciate the attention to this growing problem, but it is important to understand where the real fault lies if we are going to find a solution. The FCC has to prohibit wholesale bundling and tiering, and address the exorbitant increases in programming costs.

Matthew M. Polka

Pittsburgh, Pa.