Comcast is boosting internet speeds, but not for cord-cutters

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Comcast customers will see a boost in internet speeds, but reportedly there's a catch: They'll have to pay for both internet and TV service.

Comcast said last week that it would be increasing the speeds of its Xfinity Internet service packages for millions of customers in Houston and the Oregon and southwest Washington areas. It said their download speeds would increase by 30 percent to 40 percent.

But only customers who bundle internet with cable TV and other services, and who have the company's latest X1 hardware, will have access to free speed increases, the Houston Chronicle reported on Tuesday.

Eligible customers will see some significant changes, though. Those with 60Mbps Internet download speeds will now experience 150Mbps; customers who currently have 150Mbps will have 250Mbps; and 250Mbps subscribers are being upgraded to either 400Mbps or 1Gbps, depending on the package.

https://www.cnet.com/news/comcast-is-boosting-internet-speeds-but-only-for-internet-and-cable-subscribers/

Who needs net neutrality right?

[padfun]

1. I have a 200mbs line but

my router only handles 150. Yes I could buy a better router than my 6 year old Surfboard router but I get great download speeds and when streaming video, I never get that lag delay circle. Maybe I will upgrade later in the summer/

[tazkcmo]

2. Who needs Comcast?

But yes, we all need net neutrality.

[mythology]

4. Unfortunately a lot of people don't have a functional choice

I'm lucky I can choose from Verizon, Comcast and RCN. But most people aren't that lucky.

As of 2015, 30% of census blocks don't have even one provider offering the FCC defined broadband speeds of 25 mbps. 48% have only 1 option. 3% have 3 or more options.

Satellite with high lag times and low bandwidth limits aren't viable options for most people.

[tazkcmo]

6. Yep

I get that and that has always ticked me off. I agree with your post and was really just expressing my disdain for Comcast. Grrrrrrr.

[pangaia]

3. 60-150Mbps!!

Jesu, I get 6.5 from Frontier !!!!

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

5. Where do you live?

I have 50 Mbps from Frontier but it's the FIOS Verizon installed before selling my area.

They have fast as 150 Mbps available but I'm pretty satisfied with the speed I'm at.

[pangaia]

7. About 30 miles from Rochester, .. And just outside the town limit of where I live. Like 300 yards!!!

fastest I can get.

If I switch to Time Warner, AKA SPECKTRUUUMM I can get much faster.
But the I have to change my email address to the entire planet cause I use Gmail and OUTLOOK.

[tableturner]

10. I am a Spectrum customer. I use my Gmail address and Outlook.

Just change providers. If I am understanding you correctly, your Outlook program set to fetch emails from your Gmail account will work the same regardless of the provider. It's just like taking your computer to a place with a different Internet provider. You still can access your Gmail messages there or anywhere else when connected to any provider.

Spectrum, like the others, gives you an email address tied to Spectrum. You do not have to use it.....just use the same Gmail address. I have a Roadrunner email address I don't use.

On edit: You could set your Outlook to fetch email from both the old Gmail account and the new one given you by Spectrum, but if you do not use the Spectrum account, there would be no reason to do so.

[rickford66]

8. I get 3.0 from Frontier

Sometimes much lower.

[pangaia]

9. That's what I used to get.

THEN I found out they could offer an increase to blazing 6.5.
Of course they NEVER told anybody. You had to find out for yourself and them beat them over the head with a stick to get the speedup.

[rickford66]

11. I know a couple people who had it done.

If you're in a rural area, some distance from their server, you're at the mercy of the resistance of copper. The two instances I know of had their speeds doubled by paralleling a spare wire. I've tried to get them to do this for us. Unfortunately, we're at the end of the phone line and they already used a spare to repair our landline last year. We will keep trying.

[pangaia]

15. Exactly. I'm not rural but 300 yards short of "civilization. " ☺

[dixiegrrrrl]

17. 2 things, oh fellow Frontier sufferer.

We have Frontier DSL, , slow as molasses. For some strange reason, I get faster speeds, sometimes, by using our VPN.

Upside: Frontier is claiming they are not going to usage limits.

Our lil town is making a big push to attract new businesses, but the catch is the slow internet service. City Council was talking about looking into options. I am hoping against hope, since we are *just* inside the city limits.

I have to keep reminding myself to talk with our councilman ( they are, of course, all men).

[ansible]

12. Is Comcast better than AT&T Uverse?

In California these are the only two options we have for internet access, it's ridiculous.

[wonkwest]

14. Comcast is better

Everyone I know who has AT&T has had issues. I've had Comcast in California for the better part of a decade, and I can count on one hand the number of times my internet has gone out. And usually it's only for a half hour or so.

I have anywhere from 6-10 devices in my place running on the wifi network, and I've never had any noticeable slowdowns.

I know Comcast's corporate policies are evil - we'll have to see how net neutrality pans out - but I really haven't had any problems with them on the customer/service level.

Except tech support. Their tech support sometimes doesn't know their ass from their elbow. It's totally mystifying. I had an issue two weeks ago for a weird equipment issue. I talked to two guys and two supervisors. No one could figure it out. They all said I should go to the store and exchange the equipment. On a whim, I did some googling. Found the solution. It was a reaaaaaaallly easy issue. Four tech support types including supervisors didn't know a two second solution. Like I said, mystifying.

[wonkwest]

13. Just renegotiated with Comcast. They're afraid.

I had networks only, HBO, and 150mps internet.

A flyer came in the mail for basic cable and 150 Mbps for like half of what I had been paying. I leapt at it and rang them up.

I walked to the Comcast store over lunch to turn in my old equipment and pick up the X1 system. The incredibly helpful counter person was like, "You know, I have way better bundles for you."

I walked out of there with the new X1 system, the newest modem with 450 Mbps, basic cable, and three free months of Starz, Showtime, and HBO. And a telephone landline. Which is weird. I don't even own a landline phone. But, it was part of the bundle.

All of that for less than I was paying for just networks and internet. It's locked in for 12 months.

I think they're getting scared about long-term customers looking at other options. They really need to go a la carte. That's what the new streaming services are all about. Picking the things you want selectively and paying a small amount for them. I do not want to pay for a lot of the shitty channels in my basic cable package.

In an amusing side note, when I returned from lunch with my new deal, I said to a co-worker, "Comcast is awesome!" She stared at me silently for a moment and then dryly replied, "I think that is the first time in human history those three words have been strung together."

[msongs]

16. spectrum gouges ppl with stand alone internet who don't want garbage cable junk as well

they send me solicitations every week for great deals (tm) but the great deals are only good for a few months then the price goes up to over $100/month...for stuff I will never use

[hunter]

18. I'm so glad I have alternatives to Comcast.

The cable television business model is obsolete and needs to die.

Our television plays Netflix and DVDs. That's all it does. I like it that way.

It's peaceful, no commercials and no television "news."