Not long after Time Warner Cable announced rate hikes for its internet service in St. Lawrence County, the company is raising by 50 percent the rent they charge for the internet modems required to use the service.

To use the company’s internet service, the user must lease a modem from TWCNY or buy one.

The cable company has been charging a $3.95 per month lease payment to use one of their modems.

That fee is going up to $5.99, a company representative has confirmed. That is an increase of more than 51 percent.

There is an option to paying the modem fee. People may buy their own modems from a list of units approved by Time Warner from a variety of manufacturers, and return the cable company’s modem to them.

Last week, a Time-Warner spokeswoman confirmed that the company’s internet service rates are going up, by varying amounts, depending on the level of service.

For instance, the company’s “standard internet” service is rising from $49.99 to $54.99, an increase of $5 or 10 percent.

For details on the internet fee hike see earlier story.