NATCHEZ &8212; If you live in Adams County or Vidalia, cable television will cost you at least $3 more starting this month.

That&8217;s according to Adams County Administrator Charles Brown, who received a letter from Cable One Area Manager Bobby McCool explaining the increase.

The rate increase will vary according to the cable channel package one subscribes to &8212; ranging from $3 for basic cable to 50 cents more for the company&8217;s Digital Value Pack of channels.

Although McCool wasn&8217;t available for comment Tuesday, he stated in his letter rising programming costs

&8212; by up to 9.2 percent a year &8212; were largely responsible.

&8220;Soaring gas prices, maintaining our cable system and updating technologies have also played a factor in determining our rates,&8221; McCool said in the letter.

However, McCool also noted that:

4The nation&8217;s largest cable provider charges $47.70 a month, about $5 more than Cable One.

4Customers can get a better value by subscribing to more services &8212; Internet service and, starting in the summer, phone service &8212; in addition to cable TV.

4Cable One makes service calls for free.

But county supervisors also want a Cable One representative &8212; specifically, McCool himself &8212; to make a visit to their next meeting.

Supervisors said they want an explanation of why some channels, such as 2 and 3, get poorer reception than others.

&8220;I can&8217;t even get 2, and I can sometimes get 3,&8221; Supervisor Henry Watts said, referring to a high level of static on those channels. &8220;And we need (McCool) here to explain why.&8221;

Each local government in the area served by Cable One &8212; Adams County, the City of Natchez and the Town of Vidalia &8212; must renew the company&8217;s cable franchise for that town or county every year.