Google Fiber is raising its cable rates for new and existing customers

Google Fiber told Charlotte customers Tuesday in an email they will be paying almost $200 more a year for its television services.

“The TV programming fees we pay content owners continue to rise — which means we, unfortunately, need to adjust our prices in order to bring the content you love,” the company said in the email.

Google Fiber customers in Charlotte and nationwide will be billed $15 more starting in February, the company said. The rate started with new customers Nov. 19, the company said in a statement to the Observer.

“While we will continue to fight for our TV customers, we remain an internet company at our core,” the spokesperson said. “So we’ll also continue to educate our customers about how they can use a high-speed internet connection to access video content.”

The last cable rate increase for Google Fiber was in July 2017 for $20 more per month, the Observer previously reported.

Google Fiber’s website shows monthly Internet plans starting at $50 or $70, and both can be bundled with cable for an additional $90.

According to Consumer Reports, cable companies say price hikes are driven by rising costs for carrying broadcast networks, such as CBS and Fox, plus regional sports channels. Analysts said these costs have climbed between 8 and 10% in each of the past four years, Consumer Reports reported.

Google Fiber arrived in Charlotte in July 2016. The first neighborhood to get the Gigabit high-speed internet service was Highland Creek, which is mostly north of Interstate 485.

Spectrum, another Internet and TV provider in the Charlotte area, said it last raised the price of some services and equipment in September but would not say by how much.

The company website shows monthly rates for Internet and cable start at $100 to $145.

This story was originally published December 3, 2019 at 4:37 PM.