Service Electric Cablevision Inc. customers, including those in the Tamaqua area, will see their rates increase as of July 1. The impending cost hike was brought to light at Tuesday night's meeting of Tamaqua Borough Council.

Timothy M. Trently, division manager at SECV Inc. brought council up to date on the changes by way of a letter. He explained the rate adjustment was needed mainly due to increases in programming fees, which the cable provider has to negotiate with the networks and individual channels, such a HBO, TNT, CBS, etc.He also noted "significant enhancements to their high-speed Internet service and the addition of new channels."Numerous fees will be remaining the same though, such as converter rentals, DTA rentals, premium channel tiers, digital phone service and all installation fees.The cost of the most basic television package, "Local Advantage" will be $19.95.Trently explained that SECV offers 110 different folders of free On Demand service, over 120 high definition channels and TV Everywhere. TVE provides subscribers with unlimited access to more than 40 networks from their computers and mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablets.Expanded customer service hours are also being implemented, including 24-hour technical support and a secv.com web chat. A new feature, to be unveiled in the coming months, will be a whole home six tuner DVR gateway, which will allow subscribers to connect all of their televisions and devices.Council took no action.The letter was a courtesy, not a request for approval.