By Amy Schumacher
The costs of Satellite and Cable television packages seems to be increasing each year. With the recent merger of Time Warner Cable and Spectrum and the emergence of such items as the Amazon Fire Stick, the one’s who seem to suffer the most are Senior Citizens with limited resources.
In a Bladen Online investigation, when searching for cable or satellite companies who offer discounts or other incentives for senior citizens, it was learned there are very few options available to senior adults.
Time Warner Cable, now known as Spectrum, offered no Senior Citizen Discounts at all. Spectrum did offer promotional discounts but after one year the discounts would disappear and services would increase to the same amounts that working adults pay. The services ranged from $99.00 per month to $189.00 per month depending on what options the user chose and Internet access alone cost $69.99 per month (100 mbps). Gordon Kinlaw said he had been receiving Internet Service in a few different locations from Time Warner Cable for a low cost of $14.99 per month.
Kinlaw said there are options to obtain internet service from Spectrum at the $14.99 rate per month but this will not be offered, individuals will need to “pin them down,” according to Kinlaw, in order to get this deal. The information can be found on the website but not easily and the majority will need the help of a Spectrum consultant to find it and make it available to them. The speed of the internet service is very low which will not offer the customers the use of Netflix or the Amazon Fire Stick without significant glitches causing failures in the retrieval of information but is enough to offer internet services, leaving seniors able to use email for correspondence and online banking services or checking in to read the news.
Internet packages through Direct TV could only be offered when coupled with TV services as well. The associated cost of this would include installation of a satellite dish and paying a monthly fee of $99 – $109 depending on the package the customer selects.
Dish Network offered internet services for $59 per month. There would be an associated cost for this service as well due to installation.
Star Telephone offers Internet service for $29.95 per month (1 mpbs) and increasing to $54.00 per month (40 mpbs). The lower end offers low internet service and the higher end offers better but still significantly low compared to other companies like Spectrum offer. Star Telephone does offer some senior options but they would be based on the packaging chosen. Star Telephone is also limited with their coverage and your service could be “spotty” depending on your rural locations.
CenturyLink offers internet service for $34.95 per month (40 mpbs) but a one year contract is required to obtain this price.
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