From The Press of Atlantic City — The cost of Comcast cable television service in New Jersey went up 3.5 percent in the fall, adding to the rate increases that have hit consumers in their wallets.

But without fanfare or a big advertising push, the Philadelphia-based cable provider in December rolled out a ‘digital economy’ package available to all subscribers for $39.95 per month. The service includes a digital converter box and about 50 channels, less than half of which are cable channels, including A&E, E!, CNN and Disney. ESPN is not included in the lineup.

The price falls between the company’s limited basic and standard packages, which, unlike the ‘digital economy’ package, are featured on the company’s Web site.

The limited basic service starts at $10 per month for 12 months, with a regular rate of less than $20 per month. Typically, it offers 20 to 30 channels, including the major networks and PBS.

The standard ‘digital starter’ package is about $56 per month after a six-month promotional price. Comcast has been heavily promoting its ‘Triple Play’ package, which bundles cable TV with Internet and phone service for about $135 per month and up.

We tend to promote the packages that resonate the most with our customers, said Jeff Alexander, a Comcast spokesman.

Jeff Kagan, an independent telecommunications analyst in Atlanta, said that with cable rates doubling in the past 10 years, subscribers are especially interested in any cost-saving deals.

The cable companies have never reduced prices or softened prices, Kagan said. But they’re starting to do it now in the markets where they’re competing with the telecom companies.

Southern New Jersey is slowly becoming a two-cable market. Comcast has long been the dominant cable provider with about 700,000 basic cable subscribers. But its competition now includes Verizon FiOS TV, which is available in parts of Cumberland County and expects to grow to parts of Atlantic and Cape May counties by the end of the year.

On Wednesday, the state Attorney General’s Office announced it is suing Verizon for ‘deceptive’ marketing and promotion of its fiber optics, or FiOS, services. Verizon allegedly charged customers higher prices than what they were initially quoted. The company responded that those issues have been largely addressed.

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