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If you watch US TV you often see advertisement of several communication

service companies competing to offer phone, TV, and Internet service for 

some $90 dollars per month. But the actual cost of communication for a 

modern US family is considerably more. Here is a breakdown of the latest 

monthly bill for our household:

1.    Basic Cable TV, Internet, and phone service

(This include some 200 channels, local and long

distance phone, and high speed Wi-Fi service. The 

advertised $90/mo. fee is an introductory price which 

expired after some months and you have to agree to 

sign up for at least one or two years of service to get

the introductory fee)                                                                                                                                           $153

2.    Rental of two Cable TV decoding boxes for 2 TV sets       $20                                       

3.    Two extra Premium channel cost (many new movies

 with no commercials available 24/7 usually available 

two weeks after theater release)                                              $20                                           

4.    Taxes and other regulatory fees (there are many federal,

state, and local regulatory fees collected for the government 

agencies )                                                                                 $40

Total                                                                                          $233/month