Regulators Can’t Slow Cable TV Rate Hikes

The last time cable TV rates jumped up by double digits, Congress ordered them down.

This time, with rates climbing as much as 26 percent since January, customers probably are out of luck: Congress has no plans for more price controls, and is in fact moving the other way.

The agency that oversees the 3-year-old price rules contends its hands are tied, too.

Nationwide, rates have jumped from 3 percent to 26 percent this year, affecting millions of customers.

Cable firms and the Federal Communications Commission, which regulates the industry, insist that customers are being protected from rate gouging.

The government, they say, simply can’t prevent companies from recovering legitimate expenses.