Can’t Zap Cable Company’s Higher Bill

* When the phone company was deregulated to “help the consumer,” our phone bills went from a monthly average of $18 to $50. Now in yet another attempt to “help the consumer,” my cable bill has gone up over 35%. Just who is “the consumer”?

I am a recently retired high school teacher who was very middle class. That distinction may fast fade if any more government agencies step in to “help the consumer.”

Mr. Bill Rosendahl, a spokesman for the cable industry, appears on television and pontificates that “80% of the people served by cable will experience decreased cable bills, while 20% will have a slight increase.”

Would anyone in their right mind consider an increase from $18.45 to almost $26 a “slight increase”?

I am angry with the Federal Communications Commission, the national and local cable companies, and I will include the city of Brea if it fails to challenge this!

The Los Angeles Times compared local cable changes (on Aug. 28). Out of all listed, Century Cable of Brea was the only one whose basic charge was “no longer available.” The average basic charges in most of the other companies decreased.

Oliphant’s cartoon in The Times (Sept. 3) depicted three mobsters entering a home and announcing, “Greetings from your local cable company. The FCC has just made extortion legal. Here is your new bill.” These are my sentiments exactly.

JACK D. SORTER

Brea