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To ring in the new year, Comcast is ringing up cable rates in Leitchfield.

In a letter to the city, included with the information packets given to city council members for their Monday, Dec. 3, meeting, Comcast noted the new pricing guidelines will take effect Jan. 1.

Limited basic service will increase $1.30 per month, to $17.25. Digital economy service will increase $5, to $34.95 monthly. The five digital service packages will see increases of $4.45 to $12 per month, with bills going to $61.95 for the “starter” package, $79.90 for the “preferred” package, $95.99 for the preferred package with one premium channel, $106.99 for the preferred package with two premium channels, and $119.99 for the “premier” package.

The sports entertainment package will jump $1.95, to $8.95 per month.

Costs for the “Triple Play” packages will increase as well. The “Starter XF,” “Preferred XF” and four other “XF” packages for high definition televisions will all see $5 increases, for monthly rates ranging from $144.95 to $244.95. The “Smart Play” packages — which the letter said are no longer being sold — will see increases of about $15 to nearly $25, for new monthly rates ranging from $134.95 to $214.95.

Also increasing $1 per month are the DVR and high definition DVR services. The charge for the self-install kit will jump to $15, a $5 increase, and the service call charge will jump $10, to $60. The per-hour charge for custom installation work will also increase $10, to $60.

Customers with limited basic-only converters will see that equipment charge go down — from $1 to 99 cents per month. Also decreasing is the one-time charge for upgrading or downgrading service, from $5 to $2.99.

The company noted that it has improved service in the city, including offering XFINITY On Demand service and expanded Internet options. Customers can go to a YouTube site, www.youtube.com/xfinity, for videos on how to program their remote controls or DVRs, sign up for paperless billing, manage parental controls and other topics. It also said it’s improved its own website, www.comcast.com, where customers can manage equipment settings, pay bills, manage service appointments, watch programs and set their DVRs.

In the letter, it also reiterated that it’s technicians will have two-hour appointment windows and on-time arrivals, or customers will get $20 credits or a free premium channel for three months.

The rate increases are part of Comcast’s nationwide price hikes. The company implements pricing changes at different times in different areas, and has been averaging about a 5.8 percent increase overall this year nationwide.

It has said increased programming costs and upgrade expenses are partially responsible for the rate hikes.