EPB is raising the price of its TV packages effective April 1 in response to higher fees from TV programming providers. The higher fees are driving up subscription costs across the market.
The EPB board approved the rate increase at a meeting Friday, when executives said Chattanooga’s utility and internet provider would lose money on the TV packages without the increase.
EPB CEO David Wade had the same message for the board as he did when the provider raised the TV rates last year. EPB raised TV rates in 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021.
“We really hate to raise rates at any point in time,” Wade told the board. “But we also can’t get in a place where folks that don’t buy video pay for the folks who do buy video with us.”
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The price of EPB Fi TV will increase by $5 per month for the bronze package, $11 per month for the silver package and $11 per month for the gold package.
The current prices are $40 per month for bronze, $135 per month for silver and $161 per month for gold, according to pretax prices on EPB’s website.
The packages must be paired with EPB’s high-speed internet. Around 27,000 customers, or 20% of all internet customers, buy EPB TV packages, spokesperson J.Ed. Marston said. The gold and silver packages are the most popular, with a similar number of subscribers, he said. EPB has around 132,700 internet customers and 203,300 electricity customers.
Prices for two other EPB residential services, high-speed fiber optic internet and fiber optic phone service, will not change. EPB launched its TV packages alongside the other services in 2009.
EPB is offering customers an alternative to the rate increase through EPB MyBundle, a free service that helps customers switch fully to streaming and bundle together streaming services of their choice.
EPB’s prices for TV packages are inclusive and not subject to change with add-on options like other services, Wade said.
“If we say whatever price it is, we’re telling you this is what the price is. You’re not seeing an add-on for local channels or an add-on for regional sports,” Wade said. “We try to be pretty up front and transparent, and everybody gets the same price.”
The shift to streaming is a broad phenomenon as YouTube TV is set to become the nation’s largest paid TV operator, EPB said. John Foy, a local businessman who serves on the EPB board, said the EPB packages were worth the price.
“You get incredible service. It’s phenomenal,” Foy said. “You compare us to Comcast, there’s no comparison.”
Contact business reporter Daniel Dassow at ddassow@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318.
