[opendtv] Monthly Bill Fatigue
- From: Monty Solomon <monty@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: undisclosed-recipient: ;
- Date: Sun, 10 Oct 2004 18:44:50 -0400
Monthly Bill Fatigue
Service Add-Ons Nibble at Incomes
By Christopher Stern
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, October 10, 2004; Page F01
Satellite radio. Cell phone. High-speed Internet service. Matt
Botwin, a Washington consultant, has it all -- and the bills that go
with his growing bundle of technology.
With each new service, more of Botwin's monthly income is spoken for.
A generation ago, mortgages, utilities and newspaper subscriptions
made up a short list of payments due each month. Now Americans pay an
average of 12 bills a month, including fees for a broad range of
services such as television programming, home security-system
monitoring and online gaming Web sites. And each individual bill may
increase as consumers add incremental improvements such as Internet
access to their cell phones and premium channels to their satellite
radio service.
Botwin figures that he spends at least $250 a month on his
subscription services. "I'm not happy about it. It's a lot," Botwin
said. But he also feels that his digital devices and services are
necessities. The Sirius satellite radio is indispensable for his
frequent drives to New York and Philadelphia. "It's like any luxury.
I didn't think I needed a microwave [oven], but I'm sure glad I have
it now."
Economists and academics are beginning to grow concerned about
Americans' willingness to cede a regular chunk of their monthly
paychecks to new conveniences and services, saying it is taking a
serious bite out of discretionary spending, a key driver of the
nation's economy. They also worry that new services are contributing
to a growing divide between consumers who have the means to secure
special treatment, such as access to free-rolling highway lanes,
while others are stuck in bumper-to-bumper standstills.
...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19377-2004Oct9.html
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