Cable Rates Rising, FCC Survey Finds

WASHINGTON — Cable prices are soaring despite federal rate regulation, the government said Monday.

The Federal Communications Commission’s annual survey, required by Congress, bears out what some consumer groups have been saying for years.

The FCC reported that regulated cable rates rose 8.5% between 1996 and 1997, while unregulated rates went up 9.6%.

The FCC said the average number of channels received by unregulated customers went from 38 in 1995 to about 47 in 1997, and for regulated customers, the average number of channels went from 44 to about 49.