Cable TV Subscribers Will Get Rate Reduction

Cable television subscribers in West Hollywood will pay less for service next month after the settlement of a four-year rate dispute between the city and Century Cable.

The city’s cable TV manager, Helen Goss, said Wednesday that as a result of the $1.5-million settlement, West Hollywood’s 13,000 Century Cable customers would see a rate reduction of $3.47 a month for one year.

In addition to the rollback, subscribers will also get a monthly refund credited to their accounts for one year. Goss said she did not know the amount of the monthly credit.

Goss said the dispute with Century Cable began in 1993, soon after the federal Telecommunications Act authorized cities to regulate rates. The settlement was approved at a City Council meeting this week.

Goss said she and the City Council were glad to have resolved the issue without litigation. “The FCC rules have been very complex,” Goss said. “This has not been easy to navigate, either on the city side or the cable side.”

In a statement, Century Communications divisional vice president Joseph DiBacco said, “We have worked together long and hard to hammer out the details of the agreement, which we are happy to announce to our West Hollywood cable subscribers.”