Rates keep rising, competition doesn't exist in most areas and no one seems able to do anything about it. So get ready for more frustration. On March 31, most regulations over cable television will end, freeing the industry to be even less considerate of customers. When they adopted that change, lawmakers anticipated the cable industry would soon have active competition from satellite broadcasters and telephone companies. But in Connecticut and the rest of the country that hasn't happened.
Cable companies say they have more competition than people realize.
They also say that they have raised rates to improve channel offerings and to upgrade their systems for new technology. But across the nation, cable rates have risen some 22 percent in the last few years. In Washington, there is bipartisan agreement that competition, not regulation, is the way to make cable television service more affordable. In areas where there is competition, cable companies charge 10-15 percent less than where they have a monopoly. But encouraging competition isn't easy.