Every so often the government gets a burr up its behind about the merits of competition in the TV channel delivery industry. This was a real boon for Dish and Direct back in the day. However, things have changed a lot since then. Now with content owners charging whatever they want, the service providers either pony up or decide not to carry the channel in the often deluded hope that the network will cave. Occasionally, the service provider wins a minor victory in that the increase isn't as large as was originally demanded. The providers that pony up get help from the money-gouging network blowing their horn about provider XYZ is whom you should switch your service to because it carries their beloved network.
Eventually, providers fall in line and carry the channel at an increased cost. It then passes on that cost to the consumer. If they refuse to carry the popular channel, they lose customers. The only winner in any of this is the owner of the popular network, which makes more money from service providers and from advertising
This limits competition amongst cable/sat companies. The provider with the most customers has a better bargaining position with the networks. I am likely oversimplifying things here, but it seems the best solution would be for the service providers to unite and fight the networks on these increases. Of course, then congress would take action against the service providers for conspiring to fix prices. At least this would bring the problem and its root causes into the public spotlight.