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The suits note that premium video and the set-top descramblers are two distinct products, yet the cable providers require that the hardware be rented from cable companies, rather than permitting consumers to purchase the set-top hardware in the open market.

Owing to such tying arrangements, “In a matter of months, the rental fees that the class is supposed to pay for the cable boxes … greatly exceeds their worth,” according to the California suit. The charges add up quickly if a consumer has multiple sets in the home hooked up to premium services, the suit notes.

The lawsuit also duns Comcast for touting the rental of cable boxes over the use of the CableCARD, the latter of which is to take the place of set-top hardware. Even is a consumer decides to get a CableCARD to plug into a digital set, that hardware must be rented from Comcast, too, according to the suit.