Well, we’re not sure yet.

DTN Management Co., East Lansing’s top property owner based on maximum occupancy, said it won’t know how the ruling will affect tenants until they know more about it. DTN currently has an exclusive contract with Comcast Corp.

Either way, the ruling is likely to be appealed in court, but the purpose of the new law is to hold off rising cable rates by promoting competition among service providers.

And anything that contributes to a lower cost of a product or service for frugal college students sounds good to us.

Whether or not the law actually will lower rates, however, also is unknown. Apartment building owners prefer exclusive contracts because they can buy “bulk” cable for cheap and provide it to their tenants at discounted prices. But throughout the past dozen or so years, cable prices have skyrocketed by 93 percent.

Now that’s just ridiculous. Consumers shouldn’t have to constantly adjust their budgets to accommodate rising cable costs. For some, there are more important items to spend money on, including Internet for researching school work or rent to continue living in an apartment or house.

Regardless of cost issues, the most important aspect of the law will be the amount of choices offered to tenants. Though a large majority of tenants in East Lansing would probably still pick Comcast, even with the right to choose, the option will be there to select another provider, such as AT&T Inc. or directv Group Inc.

The right to choose could be especially important if Comcast hasn’t resolved its issues with Big Ten Network. Thousands of East Lansing residents with Comcast weren’t able to watch a number of MSU football games this fall and will lose a number of MSU basketball games this winter.

And while we recognize that not everyone is a sports fan, there are still a number of Spartan fans in the area who are tired with Comcast’s war with Big Ten Network and would probably jump at the chance to switch their service.

In the long run, it’s difficult to think that opening up the market and breaking Comcast’s monopolistic hold won’t increase competition and bring prices down for residents.

Economics 101 teaches us that competition in the marketplace is healthy for the economy. When the ruling begins to take effect in East Lansing, residents should put up with the initial increase they’ll likely see in their cable bills. Over time, those rates will probably, hopefully, come back down.

Because cable rates have nearly doubled in the past decade, it can’t get any worse. Sometimes a change can do us good. And there’s nothing wrong with being given a choice.