For the News-Tribune

CHARLESTON — Attorney General Darrell McGraw has sued Comcast Corporation, Comcast Holdings Corporation, Comcast Cable Communications Inc., and Comcast Cable Communication Holdings Inc. in the Circuit Court of Marshall County, W.Va.
The complaint, filed Wednesday, July 1, alleges that Comcast illegally tied separate and distinct products and services together by forcing West Virginia consumers to pay a rental fee for a “cable box” consisting of a converter box and cable descrambler.
The cable box is required in order to view Comcast's premium cable television for which consumers pay a separate fee.
The suit alleges that, as a result of the tying of the cable boxes to premium cable services, West Virginia consumers have been forced to pay higher prices for the cable boxes than they otherwise would have paid in the competitive open market.
Cable boxes are available on the open market, but Comcast  refuses to permit its customers to use their own cable boxes when subscribing to
Comcast's premium services. Additionally, because customers are required to rent the cable boxes, and not purchase them, they also pay Comcast substantially more than the cable boxes are worth.
The suit alleges that Comcast's conduct violates the West Virginia Antitrust Act and the West virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act, and that Comcast has been unjustly enriched as a result of its conduct.
The suit seeks damages on behalf of West Virginia consumers for the increased cost paid for cable services, statutory damages, civil penalties, and seeks an injunction against Comcast preventing similar conduct in the future.
Comcast serves a large number of cable customers in Mineral and surrounding counties.
The company closed its local offices in Keyser, Grantsville, Somerset, Bedford and Clarion, Pa., however, on March 1, 2008,  because of what company officials called “dwindling walk-in business.”
The closures left a total of 13 Comcast employees — three people at the Keyser office, one in the Grantsville office, and the remaining nine in the three offices in Pennsylvania — out of jobs.
Any person who feels he or she has been aggrieved in a consumer matter may file a complaint with Attorney General Darrell McGraw's Consumer Protection Division by calling toll-free 1-800-368-8808 or by visiting his website at  www.wvago.gov.