By DAVID KOENIG AP Business Writer
KELLER, Texas (AP) -- Cable company revenues rose faster than inflation last year, but cable's share of the TV-viewing market declined as satellite services gained ground, the Federal Communications Commission said in a report released Friday.
The FCC's annual report on competition among video providers found that cable's revenues rose about 10.8 percent over the year through June 2005.
It also found that the number of cable households fell by nearly 1 million, and cable's share of households with something more than an antenna fell to 69.4 percent from 71.6 percent a year earlier. At the same time, satellite TV's share of those households rose to 27.7 percent from 25.1 percent.
The FCC didn't indicate how much cable rates rose, but Commissioner Michael Copps said they were too high. "Consumers are feeling the pain and paying the cost and not liking it," Copps said during a hearing. He added that the FCC doesn't fully understand the reasons for the increases.
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