Traditional TV packages from Chattanooga’s Electric Power Board will cost more effective May 1.
"The companies that provide TV content to EPB “have continued steep price hikes each year, and we see no end in sight,” EPB CEO David Wade said.
Now that increase will be passed on to EPB customers. That content is what customers get with the EPB Fi TV.
There is a lower price alternative to the rate increase and EPB is encouraging people to “Cut the Cord.” They want to help customers take advantage of lower prices for watching TV by shifting them to streaming services versus the way that TV is delivered through Fiber Optics TV.
Beginning May 1, Fiber Optics TV customers will have to pay an increase of $4 per month for the Bronze Tier Channels, $9 more per month for the Silver Tier Channels, and an additional cost of $9 per month for the Gold Tier Channels. But prices remain the same for residential Fi-speed Internet and for Fi phone. EPB has not increased prices for these services since they were launched in 2009.
With traditional TV, customers are locked into large bundles that may include a lot of channels that are never watched because that is the way they are sold to EPB, officials said.
With streaming, customers can mix and match apps that are focused on what they want to watch and build their own streaming bundle. EPB is offering a free service to assist customers in making the change and to help them choose the channels they want at the best value.
For help in choosing TV options, EPB customer support is available 24/7/365 at (423) 648-1372 or epb.com. Customers can also explore options by going to epb.com/mybundle which shows the apps arranged by genre that are available for streaming and what they include and the price for each. There also is a selection of apps that are free and some that provide local news and live sports.