Consumer Confidential: The cost of a cable set-top box is a mystery
by David Lazarus, Los Angeles Times
Oct 31, 2018
4 minutes
Rates for Spectrum TV and internet customers will go up again in November.
Among other increases, the broadcast TV surcharge will rise to $9.95 from $8.85 a month, and the monthly fee for a set-top box will jump to $7.50 from $6.99.
It was that last charge that got my attention - and got me thinking about the economics involved.
How much do cable boxes actually cost? Why do their monthly fees keep going up when the cost of similar technology, such as TVs and computers, goes down over time?
Not surprisingly, my attempts to answer these questions were
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