By Doug Fletcher,Staff Writer

Adelphia’s classic cable customers will soon pay a bit more than $600 annually to watch television.

The bankrupt communications giant – Adelphia is the nation’s No. 5 cable provider – is raising its Lewiston-Auburn market rates. Customers subscribing to Adelphia’s classic cable option will see a $2.43 monthly increase, to $48.33.

The same package cost $20.62 in 1996.

After equipment, fees and taxes are factored in, the monthly classic cable bill will top $50.

Adelphia offers about a dozen packages. Rates for all but its basic broadcast service, which is still $15.95 a month, will go up from $2 to $7 a month.

Rate increases will show up on next month’s bills. It’s the fifth time in six years Adelphia has raised its local cable rates. Last year’s jump added $2.95 to Adelphia bills for Auburn, Lewiston, Lisbon and Sabattus customers.

The company says its popular classic cable service provides subscribers with up to 80 cable and local channels.

“It’s a very competitive market,” said Adelphia spokeswoman Kathleen Hounsell of the L-A area, “and we’re very sensitive to our rates.”

Hounsell said the increases will help pay for improvements to the cable system, including upgraded technology. The technology, she said, allows for digital video recording that Hounsell compared with TiVo, a system that allows users to stop and play back live TV programs.

Soon-to-be-available video on demand service “that’s like having a video store in your own home” is another offering linked to system improvements, she said.

So is high-definition programming.

“Our subscribers with high-definition TVs could watch the Super Bowl in high def,” Hounsell said, calling that service “our exclusive.”

Competition in the Lewiston-Auburn area comes from satellite companies and Oxford Networks, a Buckfield-based company that is expanding its services in Lewiston-Auburn. It currently has about 700 cable customers in the Twin Cities.

Dish TV offers a package that includes local channels and 60 satellite network stations for $31.99 per month.

DirecTV’s cheapest package bundles local channels with 115 satellite network offerings for $39.99 per month.

Oxford Networks’ 16-channel broadcast service costs $32.95 per month. Oxford also offers a 100-plus-channel digital cable service for $64.99. That service can be bundled with other Oxford services: local or long-distance telephone or high-speed Internet. The bundle price is $79.95 for cable plus one service; $109.95 for cable and two services; and $129.95 for cable, phone and Internet.

While some cities and towns sign franchise agreements with cable providers, municipalities can’t dictate what the companies charge for services.

Hounsell said Adelphia gave $134,000 in franchise fees to the Twin Cities last month; $82,000 to Lewiston and $52,000 to Auburn. The company has about 16,000 customers in the Twin Cities. That number swells to between 22,000 and 23,000 customers when surrounding towns are included in the service area.

TV charges

Adelphia is raising its cable rates effective with its March bills. Here’s a look at Adelphia’s “classic cable” monthly charges compared with those of other home entertainment providers. Prices are for the Lewiston-Auburn area, except for Time Warner, and do not include equipment, fees or taxes.

Adelphia: $48.33 for classic cable, which includes up to 80 broadcast and cable channels.

Time Warner: $43.71 for bridge service, which is 80-plus local and cable channels.

Oxford Networks: $64.99 for the 100-plus-channel digital package.

Dish TV: $31.99 for 60 or more satellite channels plus local broadcast channels.

DirecTV: $39.99 for 115 satellite channels plus local broadcast channels.

Sources: Company Web sites, spokespeople