AUGUSTA -- City councilors grilled the "cable guy" recently over Time Warner's rate increase and other concerns.

Time Warner, which provides cable television and other services throughout central Maine, recently increased its rates.

The increase ranges from an approximately 5 percent increase in "basic" cable rates to lesser increases in other cable packages, with some increasing less than 1 percent, Mike Edgecomb, Time Warner's government relations manager, told city councilors Monday.

Edgecomb said the rate increase, or "adjustment," was necessary because of the company's increased cost of doing business.

Those increased costs include the price of fuel, health insurance and a 12 percent increase in programming costs, the fees the company pays for the stations it carries.

The city, Time Warner and many other communities are currently in the process of reviewing franchise agreements between the company and local municipalities.

Augusta's current agreement expires May 19, 2009, according to Leif Dahlin, Augusta community services director.

Through the franchise agreement, Time Warner pays the city about $200,000 a year, half of which funds a multimedia program at Capital Area Technical Center. The remainder helps cover the cost of broadcasting City Council and other meetings, and some goes into the city's general fund, according to City Manager William Bridgeo.

Edgecomb agreed to meet with councilors at the request of Councilor Patrick Paradis.

Councilors took the opportunity to sound off on other cable issues.

Councilor David Rollins said he had a recurring request that the company provide a better deal for residents of assisted-living facilities and other buildings with multiple residents in individual rooms.

He said many of those residents are on fixed incomes, yet still have to pay full price for cable in their rooms, even though those connections are likely cheaper to install for the cable company because they are running multiple connections into one building.

"For many of these ladies and gentlemen living in assisted living in the city, each individual room has to pay the full rate for cable," Rollins said. "Can we come up with a product, a package, to address that? These folks are, generally, on very fixed incomes. And cable television is really no longer a luxury."

Edgecomb said Time Warner offers a bulk agreement to any landlord with more than three tenants, by which they can receive a discount and provide cable to all their tenants. But not all landlords enter into those agreements, he said.

Councilor William Stokes complained about the company changing the New England Sports Network, which shows Boston Red Sox games, from a basic to a premium channel.

Councilors also asked about any impact on cable customers from an upcoming, federally-mandated change from analog to digital television signals. Edgecomb said the change, mandated to occur in February 2009, would be "seamless" and have no impact on Time Warner customers.

Keith Edwards -- 621-5647

kedwards@centralmaine.com