Six Beaufort area churches that have broadcast their sermons on the local Sea Islands' Channel 7 for years might stop the service because Comcast now is charging the churches for broadcasting.

Instead of offering free broadcasts, Comcast is asking churches and other nonprofits to pay about 70 percent of the rate charged to regular customers, Comcast regional general manager Bill Watson said.

The Baptist Church of Beaufort, whose 65-minute program airs twice a week on Channel 7, will be charged $2,352 annually if it decides to continue the broadcasts, which can be seen from Lady's Island to Fripp Island. The church, which pays $4,924 a year to broadcast on Charter Cable in the city of Beaufort, has not decided if it will continue broadcasting on Comcast.

"We're in a holding pattern right now, trying to figure out what to do because it wasn't budgeted," ministry assistant Paul Capps said Friday.

Friedhelm Dohmann, founder of outreach group AllChurch, said he was granted free airtime for churches on Channel 7 through a verbal agreement with U.S. Cable in 1994, about 10 years before Comcast bought it. That arrangement remained intact until a few months ago, when churches began receiving letters that said the cable provider would seek payment if the churches wished to continue broadcasts after May 1.

"I think it's very important to be consistent," Watson said Tuesday. "We do charge nonprofits - it's not directed (solely) at churches - and we found we were not being consistent. We can't give free (access) to one nonprofit and not do it for all nonprofits." Watson said the free airtime given to churches in the Beaufort area was an isolated case; in other parts of Comcast's network, churches and nonprofits are charged discounted rates.

"Some elderly especially enjoyed having (church broadcasts) when they didn't have a way (to get to church)," Dohmann said. "It's also nice to have a variety of different churches ... show something in common that all the churches have."

Instead of sticking with cable, AllChurch might purchase $6,000 to $7,000 worth of equipment to enable local sermons to be shown via streaming media on the Internet, Dohmann said.

Click here to donate equipment or funds for AllChurch TV ...