Hudson Valley cable subscribers are getting another increase for "free" tv channels.

No one likes paying the cable bill. Hidden fees, extra charges and ever-increasing rates are driving some customers away to services like Hulu, YouTube and Sling that also provide live television for a flat fee. Here in the Hudson Valley, cable customers may be faced with a difficult choice as another big increase is set to affect monthly bills starting in August.

Stopthecap.com first reported earlier this month that Spectrum will increase its Broadcast TV Fee surcharge from $13.50 to $16.45 per month, totaling almost $200 per year. This is the highest fee in the country for channels that are essentially broadcast for free over the air. Comcast, Spectrum's main competitor, currently charges a surcharge of $14.95 a month.

Customers have been complaining for years about these fees because they are not included in cable companies' advertised package prices. So the bill you actually get for your cable bundle winds up being significantly larger than many people realize. Fios recently made big news in January when they announced that they would abolish all hidden fees, instead opting to charge customers a clearly advertised price with no additional hidden fees for broadcast TV.

Spectrum, which is owned by Charter Communications, will also be increasing TV and streaming packages for customers, despite the lack of sports and new television shows thanks to the global pandemic. Gizmodo reports that a class-action suit was brought against Charter in an attempt to stop put an end to these "sneaky" broadcast fees.

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