July 7, 2010 in Business

Most Comcast prices going up

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Most of Spokane’s Comcast subscribers will see price increases in their Internet and video services effective in August, the cable company announced.

Comcast’s last price increase went into effect October 2009. According to Comcast spokesman Walter Neary, most Spokane cable television subscribers will see an average monthly increase of about $3.21, or 4.9 percent.

Customers who subscribe to Limited Basic, the least expensive package of Comcast TV channels, will have no increase in their monthly bill. Limited Basic includes all over-the-air local stations and the public, education and government channels.

Customers who pay for Comcast cable Internet will see two increases – a modem rental fee that will rise to $7 from $5 per month, and a $3 hike for monthly Web service.

Subscribers who bundle Internet with either Comcast voice or TV service won’t pay the $3 hike, but will still see the modem fee increase, Neary said. Subscribers can eliminate the modem fee by buying their own modem.

The Internet price hike reflects increased investment by Comcast in additional security services for subscribers and technology upgrades, Neary said.

Another price increase, not reflected in Comcast’s stated 4.9 percent average monthly hike, is a $2 hike in the “HD technology fee.” TV subscribers who see HD Comcast channels will pay $8 per month for that technology fee, said Neary.

Six comments on this story so far. Add yours!

• 

  JBlim on July 07 at 6:46 a.m.

  “Customers who subscribe to Limited Basic, the least expensive package of Comcast TV channels, will have no increase in their monthly bill.”

  I bet Comcast is losing limited basic subscribers who decide to get their High Definition TV with an antenna . . .

• 

  liarsinnews on July 07 at 8:49 a.m.

  More proof that Mayor Verner is a liar. Verner has been bragging about no increase in city taxes. When COMAST increases there rates the city utility tax increases automatically because of the fixed city utility tax rate. Comcast is not the first company to increase the users rates this year (notwithstanding the Lilac City, water for example). The city council, the ship of fools, still believes her and Gavin Cooley, the city financial guru, who should have been fired when Verner first was sworn into office. Cooley, a carry over from former mayor Powers, was the architect to pay off the owners (Cowles) of the SR for their garage at RPS. Verner, agreed with him (COOLEY) to tax the Spokane taxpayers for the next 25 years to pay off the garage, that we gave back to them costing us millions and millions of dollars.

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  dougfresh on July 07 at 10:08 a.m.

  $7 a month for modem rental!? you can buy you own, faster modem than the one they supply for about $50. So if you plan on having the internet for more than 7 months, buy your own. check out the motorola surfboard modem on amazon.com

• 

  Teseract on July 07 at 1:18 p.m.

  They just jacked the rate for cable modem rentals from $3 a month to $5 a month less than 12 months ago, now it’s going up to $7? I sucked it up when it went up initially since I like my Cisco modem I got when I went to the “Ultra” tier, but for $7/month over 12 months you’re talking $84 a year to rent something Comcast bought in bulk for probably $30 each.

  Must be nice to be the only game in town for decent Internet access. Qwest used to be ok but they’ve fallen behind in available speed tiers in most areas.

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  JBlim on July 07 at 7:09 p.m.

  I got a refurbished cable modem on Newegg for $20. It was 33% faster than the ancient one I was renting fom Comcast.

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  misjustice on July 09 at 11:14 a.m.

  I dumped Comcast cable almost 9 months ago and haven’t missed it one bit. I bought a digital receiver, some rabbit ears, hooked ‘em up and voila, tee vee! Additionally, I can get my C-Span fix through my broadband Internet service with Qwest…