Comcast Confirms TV & Internet Price Hikes Up to 3.8% Comcast has joined countless other cable operators in the usual late-year cable rate hike season festivities, confirming TV and broadband price increases up to 3.8% across much of the company's service area. In a letter being sent to customers, Comcast says the rate hikes will begin starting on January 1 but will vary slightly by market. In addition to hikes in the company's cable tier prices, Comcast is also raising its "regional sports fee" from $3 to $5 per month. It's also bumping its "broadcast TV fee" From $5 to $7 each month.

The broadcast TV fee has been notably controversial, in that it simply takes some of the cost of doing business (programming costs) and buries it below the line, allowing Comcast to falsely advertise a lower rate. "We continue to make investments in our network and technology to give customers more for their money -- like faster Internet service and more WiFi hotspots, more video across viewing screens, better technology like X1 and a better customer experience," Comcast said in a statement to TVPredictions.com confirming the rate hikes. "Unfortunately, the costs we are charged to carry popular networks continue to increase significantly, especially broadcast television and sports programming, which are the largest drivers of increases in price adjustments." One letter sent to a user in our forums breaks down some of the hikes in his reason. They not only include a bump in various fees (including the cost to rent a digital adapter), but a hike in many of the company's double play promotions. It's these unrelenting rate hikes that have consistently been driving users to either reduce the number of services they subscribe to (cord trimming) or to eliminate traditional TV altogether and go broadband only (cord cutting). The hikes come as Comcast also continues to expand implementation of usage caps and overage fees, another glorified rate hike that helps protect Comcast from the rise of these alternative video options. Users in our Users in our Comcast forum are also discussing the rate hikes.







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Most recommended from 61 comments

UGADawginVA

join:2015-04-20

Richmond, VA 35 recommendations UGADawginVA Member And you wonder why everyone is cutting the cord?? A 24 dollar increase per year on rebroadcasting of local TV????



You have to be f'ing kidding me.



What a ripoff.

Zenit

The system is the solution

Premium Member

join:2012-05-07

Purcellville, VA 25 recommendations Zenit Premium Member I got tired of it. Comcast made the fee increases and rate increases so bad I left 150/10mbps D3.0 service for 7/768k ADSL2+ service from Verizon + OTA TV.



The Verizion service has been exactly as promised; $55/mo with fees. Comcast used to be $110, then $120, then $135, then $140, then $150. It kept going up and up over the 5 years I was with them. The OTA TV has all of the channels I need at $0/mo.



Comcast seemed to think I wouldn't drop to ADSL2+ service during negotiation. They were wrong. Their lowest speed of 10/1 is roughly equivalent to VZ's DSL at my address, only it's more expensive as it does not include voice.



The retention CSR could not understand why I was leaving them. I kept giving rising fees and cost as the reason. "But your happy with our service." she would say. Well, not above $150/mo I'm not.

tshirt

Premium Member

join:2004-07-11

Snohomish, WA 10 recommendations tshirt Premium Member Of all the things that regulators COULD be working on... for all the time the FCC has wasted on "not quite, Title2..." etc. THIS basic truth in advertising/pricing SHOULD be job 1

and if the FCC can't handle it (as they obviously have not) let the FTC take the lead.

The price on the bottom line CAN include all sorts of things, but MUST be disclosed in the advertised price.

OR

IF an added fee is below the line, that service is optional and only applies if REGIONAL sports, or LOCAL(not free) tv is added to a package (let a CATV provider and the LOCAL stations explain why local channels aren't an include item in the normal price

ALSO WHY an HD fee on local only/limited basic packages? MOST channels BROADCAST in HD and that should be included in ANY packages basic charge. CyberGuy

join:2006-08-21

Colbert, WA 8 recommendations CyberGuy Member Gotta pay for those CEO and executive bonuses somehow Do you think they would settle for no bonus like everyone else?

DaveDude

No Fear

join:1999-09-01

New Jersey 3 recommendations DaveDude Member Direct tv now Seriously direct tv now is still kinda beta, but im considering just using that from on. I get decent coverage. swanlee

join:2013-12-05 947.4 37.9

2 recommendations swanlee Member Shocking I'm already getting a 15$ per month price hike in Jan because I want to keep the option of unlimited internet. I was paying 35$ a month extra for unlimited now in Jan I'll pay $50. So why not throw another 4% on top of that for no increase in service. sandman_1

join:2011-04-23

11111 2 recommendations sandman_1 Member Too High I don't see why people put up with this. People need to start cancelling service or severely downgrading service. Ohh you won't be able to watch your favorite show when it airs? Buck up, wait until the season is on sale on Amazon and save a ton of money in the process. Cut the cord and give these assholes the middle finger and never go back to these dinosaurs!