Broadcast Surcharges

Seems to me that Steve72's original question fit's the 'exchange ideas and get information' aspect of these forums. 

It's a valid question that more than a few users wonder about. On top of that (and just checked my last statement) my surcharge was $10.00 (still question why). I'm in the Northeast market. 

Hi Steve72 and SDC94,

The Broadcast Surcharge reflects increasing costs associated with the delivery of broadcast TV stations to our customers. These costs may include but are not limited to, portions of retransmission costs, network costs, copyright costs, and others. Cox is required by law to obtain permission from local broadcast stations such as ABC, NBC, CBS, etc. to provide their signals on Cox’s cable lineup. In the past several years, broadcaster demands for cash fees from cable operators in exchange for retransmission have become commonplace, adding substantial costs to the delivery of basic TV services. Some broadcasters have asked for rates that in some cases are double, triple, or even more than what we have been paying. While we are willing to pay reasonable rates to obtain these networks, they are increasingly demanding excessive price increases for what has historically been low cost or free programming. Although Cox rigorously negotiates with broadcasters in an effort to limit these fees, we may sometimes pass through increases in the costs of carrying broadcast TV stations to our customers. This Surcharge is not a government-mandated fee or tax but is a charge that is imposed by Cox in order to facilitate the provision of Cox TV Service.

Maria
Cox Support Forum Moderator