Big changes – including higher prices – are in store for Spectrum cable users.

According to reports, Spectrum is raising prices and phasing out cable boxes. Cord Cutters reports the telecommunications company will raise the rates of a number of its services for the second time in six months:

• The broadcast TV surcharge will increase from $23.20 to $25.75 a month.
• The fee to rent an HD Box will increase from $10.99 to $12.50 a month, a change that could push more customers to ditching cable boxes.
• The charge for Advanced WiFi will increase by $2 to $7 a month.
• The Entertainment View and Latino View packages will each increase by $3 to $15 a month.
• Spectrum TV Essentials, the company’s live-streaming service, will increase by $5 to $29.99 a month.
• Spectrum Internet Assist, the low-income affordable internet program, will go up 25% to $24.99 a month.

The changes go into effect Jan. 31.

Lara Pritchard, a spokesperson for Spectrum’s parent company, Charter Communications, confirmed the price changes in a statement to Syracuse.com.

“We have taken a stand for a new, customer-focused model that provides more value and choice for video entertainment when negotiating all of our programming agreements,” Pritchard said. “Despite these ongoing efforts, programmers continually raise fees for their content, which are passed through as increased fees to viewers and drive higher costs across the entire industry.

There are ways to avoid some of the increases. Customers can return their cable box and replace it with Spectrum’s recently introduced Xumo Stream Box, which costs $5 a month to rent or $60 to purchase. Or, they can avoid Spectrum’s WiFi fee altogether by buying their own router and plugging it into their Spectrum modem.