I have basic cable television service. The cable company notified me that it is adding new stations and charging an increased fee. Do I have to pay the extra charge if I do not want the new stations?

Yes. The cable company charges a set rate for a package of stations–the rate is not divisible by the number of stations you receive. The bill you pay is for services for the following month. Your only choice is to either accept the service as the cable company has packaged it, or cancel the service. 

In 1996, Congress repealed certain federal regulations concerning cable television in the Telecommunications Act. However, there are regulations in effect for some cable companies. 

The Public Service Commission (PSC) in West Virginia is the state agency that has authority over all public utilities. Large cable companies that have no competition must submit their rate increases to this board for approval. You may contact the PSC at 1 (800) 344-5113 with complaints or questions, or you may obtain a complaint form online at http://www.psc.state.wv.us/complaints/default.htm. You may also contact the commission by mail: 

Public Service Commission of WV   

201 Brooks Street 

P.O. Box 812 

Charleston, WV 25323 

For complaint filing assistance you can call 1-800-642-8544. 

Right now, the main check on cable rates is this commission. 

For more information, see: The Telecommunications Act of 1996, Pub. L. No. 104-104, § 301, 110 Stat. 110, 114-118 (1996) (amending 47 U.S.C. §§ 521 et seq. (1992)); W. Va. Code §§ 24-2-3, 24-2-3a, 24-2-4a, 24D-1-1 to -27 (2015); Public Service Commission of West Virginia, http://www.psc.state.wv.us/complaints/default.htm (last visited June 8, 2015).