FCC: Expanded Basic Cable Price Increased 3.4% in 2015

The Federal Communications Commission reported that prices for expanded basic cable were up 3.4 percent in 2015 (the most recent figures available) to $71.37 per month, but the percentage increase over 2014 was down from an average annual increase of 4.4 percent over the previous five years. The average price of basic service was up 4.4% to $25.40 in 2015 over 2014, the FCC said.

The price for basic service in communities with effective competition was 3.1 percent lower than in those without it. For expanded basic, the price was actually 4.7 percent higher in effective competition communities than ones without it. The FCC said that was because the former communities were usually served by larger suites of channels. The per-channel price was 28.8 percent lower in effective competition communities, for example.