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

[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."