Comcast, Cox, Frontier All Raising Internet Access Rates for 2018

[Suppressed]

Comcast, Cox, Frontier All Raising Internet Access Rates for 2018
 Paul Resnikoff  December 19, 2017
https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2017/12/19/comcast-cox-frontier-net-neutrality/



At least three major ISPs have already announced significant price hikes for 2018.  News of the increases come just days after the FCC voted to roll back net neutrality protections.

The timing of this couldn’t be worse.  But maybe that’s not a concern for major ISPs.  Accordingly, at least three major ISPs have now announced rate hikes for 2018.

That is, January, 2018.  So customers have very little time to react, modify their plans, or even cancel their accounts.

Just this morning, Karl Bode of DSLReports caught wind of numerous increases at mega-ISP Comcast.  But that is simply the latest in a string of planned increases by the likes of Cox, Frontier, and even DirecTV and Dish Network.

In all cases, these are increases for essentially the same services, with Bode noting that American will be stuck paying ‘significantly more money for the same service in the new year’.  In many cases, the changes are padded into existing bills, with most consumers failing to see the changes.

[...]

[driftdiver]

Surprise.   All at the same time almost like they coordinated it.

[Suppressed]

Surprise.   All at the same time almost like they coordinated it.

Why not? They own the FCC.

[corbe]

   No doubt in my mind I will be paying for the Time Warner Internet spin-off Spectrum, this coming year but I'm getting a 100Mps for $62.00/month, so it's time I pay my fair share for capitalization of the coming Internet Conglomerate. 
   So far the Customer Service is still good so I really can't complain.

[Victoria33]

What is the cheapest way to get internet?  Can I get internet without having a TV company?

Is there a way to get news stations, CNN, Fox, on computer without having a TV?  Such as it is on internet and I can click on it and watch it using my computer?

I have no idea how to do these things.  We have three TVs in this house.  Is there a way to have the above without having these TVs, using our computers?

[RoosGirl]

I just went through a hassle with CenturyLink, which used to be Sprint, for our home internet.  We're rural, but we do have DSL now.  When we first moved out here we had to use satellite/DirectTV for internet.  We still have no cable TV service available.  Anyway, we started out with 10 Mbps speed on the DSL.  Then just recently found out that we can get 25 Mbps for the same price, but were told that 80 Mbps was available in our area for $10/month more.  So we had them out to upgrade us and the tech discovered that probably some time ago the line that the DSL runs on was hit by lightning so 80 is not available, he couldn't get 40 to work, but was able to get us up to 25 Mbps.  And, who knows when or if that line will ever be fixed to bring us faster speeds. Apparently we're the only ones on our 1.5 mile long road that cares about having faster internet. 

Oh yeah, when I called for the upgrade the price we were given is supposedly a lifetime price unless we make changes to our service.  Pretty safe bet on their part.

[Frank Cannon]

LOL. This is priceless....

Just this morning, Karl Bode of DSLReports caught wind of numerous increases at mega-ISP Comcast.

Well Karl must be in a coma because a lot of these providers announced these rate hikes months ago. Comcast has already drawn heat about it. So much for Nut Neutrality saving all the poor people. 

[Victoria33]

@RoosGirl

Why is this so complicated?  We should be able to get internet without having to get TV service.  TV service is too expensive and I watch very little of it.  I only want three channels and should be able to get them straight to my computer through the internet.

[RoosGirl]

@RoosGirl

Why is this so complicated?  We should be able to get internet without having to get TV service.  TV service is too expensive and I watch very little of it.  I only want three channels and should be able to get them straight to my computer through the internet.

@Victoria33 You can get internet without TV or even telephone service.

[Frank Cannon]

@RoosGirl

Why is this so complicated?  We should be able to get internet without having to get TV service.  TV service is too expensive and I watch very little of it.  I only want three channels and should be able to get them straight to my computer through the internet.

What are you talking about? My business has internet and not a single TV in the entire building. Hell, you can get internet service from outer space if you want. Ever hear of HughesNet?

[Sanguine]

What is the cheapest way to get internet?  Can I get internet without having a TV company?

Is there a way to get news stations, CNN, Fox, on computer without having a TV?  Such as it is on internet and I can click on it and watch it using my computer?

I have no idea how to do these things.  We have three TVs in this house.  Is there a way to have the above without having these TVs, using our computers?

Victoria, yes, you can watch TV on the internet and you can get internet separate from a TV company.

I am rural, so I have Verizon unlimited (which really isn't) on a "jet-pak" which is really just a tiny wifi modem, and Hughesnet, which is nothing to write home about, but it works.  I have Sling TV and Amazon. 

[RoosGirl]

What are you talking about? My business has internet and not a single TV in the entire building. Hell, you can get internet service from outer space if you want. Ever hear of HughesNet?

Yeah, HughesNet is the satellite internet service we used to have.

[Frank Cannon]

Yeah, HughesNet is the satellite internet service we used to have.

No wonder your posts are so spacey.

[RoosGirl]

No wonder your posts are so spacey.

[Frank Cannon]

I didn't say rapey. I said spacey.

[txradioguy]

While everyone is wringing their hands over the price increases by the cable providers...has anyone checked to see exactly how much the cable networks like ESPN...HBO...CNN...Fox News etc etc have raised their subscriber fees that the cable companies have to pay them per household to air their networks in 2014?

Last time I checked ESPN...as an example...was charging the cable companies $5 per household for the cable companies to put the sports network on their cable systems.

TV programming is a main driver of cost in your cable bill—and the price for both is going up.

Cable providers such as Comcast or Time Warner Cable pay networks like ESPN and TNT a certain amount per customer for programming each month.

The wholesale cost per network is expected to increase 36% by 2018 according to media-research firm SNL Kagan estimates. Cable providers currently pay a total of $28.32 for a few dozen channels, depending on the provider and the cable package, with ESPN taking over $6 of that.

Meanwhile median price paid for each channel a subscriber gets is 14 cents. ESPN is estimated to cost $8.37 per month in 2018, an increase of 39%.

https://blogs.wsj.com/numbers/how-much-cable-subscribers-pay-per-channel-1626/

Just something to think about before you sharpen your pitchforks and light your torches.

[roamer_1]

   No doubt in my mind I will be paying for the Time Warner Internet spin-off Spectrum, this coming year but I'm getting a 100Mps for $62.00/month, so it's time I pay my fair share for capitalization of the coming Internet Conglomerate. 
   So far the Customer Service is still good so I really can't complain.

yeah... I *just* jacked mine up from 60 to 100... It a beautiful thing... Going to be in DEV for the next month or two, and it really isn't the 100 down that turned me on... It's the 10 UP!!! WHEEEE!

[RoosGirl]

yeah... I *just* jacked mine up from 60 to 100... It a beautiful thing... Going to be in DEV for the next month or two, and it really isn't the 100 down that turned me on... It's the 10 UP!!! WHEEEE!

Jeez, even the mountain man has higher speeds than I do 45 minutes outside of downtown Orlando.

[roamer_1]

What is the cheapest way to get internet?  Can I get internet without having a TV company?

Is there a way to get news stations, CNN, Fox, on computer without having a TV?  Such as it is on internet and I can click on it and watch it using my computer?

I have no idea how to do these things.  We have three TVs in this house.  Is there a way to have the above without having these TVs, using our computers?

@Victoria33

Yes, yes, and yes.

IF you have a SMART TV, it already has the ability to go to net - Though I find them generally rudimentary systems and a PIA. If your TV is new enough it may have a built in ROKU that is probably the thing you want to get at.,.

Probably the easiest thing to do is get a $75/100 ROKU box (Wallyworld) and try it out along side your cable service for a while to get used to it. It is a different form factor than clickering around like you are used to... If you have flat screen TVs with HDMI input it is stupid simple to hook up... And once you can get around alright, dump the cable, and use the savings to buy ROKUs for the rest of the TVs... I save about 75/mo over my previous cable TV setup, so the cost of the hardware is incidental.

The ROKU will provide access to youtube, hulu, amazon, netflix and etc... Most of which have subscription fees (though many are free), and you build the service you want.

I did that all a bit differently - I just buy used computers to hook to the TVs... Install a whompin vid card, a wireless card, and a wireless KB/glidepad combo and I literally have a Windows desktop on the TV... And can go anywhere at all that a web browser will go...  with natural in-built storage for movies and music, and with a Blu-ray DVD player, inbuilt capability for DVD rentals and such. ONE appliance that takes the place of everything. I just put together a new media box - a high-end Dell 4-core about 7 years old... and so far, I am in it about 75 bucks (though I had the wireless KB and vid card already). But I am running a 55" TV - If yours are 48 and under, you probably don't need the vid card (on-board vid can probably handle it IF it has HDMI output)...

Used desktop computers are a dime a dozen. My first setup, which resides in the bedroom now on a 42" flatscreen, was a Vista era dual core that had onboard HDMI and Blu-ray that I paid 25 bucks for at a yard sale. I have had that one for easy 4 years now, and it's still going strong.

I have a netflix account, but otherwise am unencumbered by additional fees. So around $120/yr beyond the hardware costs and the $60/mo for internet service. And I am legitimately thinking on dumping netflix too. I hardly watch it. I mostly hang out on Youtube and Steemit for free, and have little desire to go back to the inane sit-com world of cable TV...

spend 2 months away from it, and you'll be wondering why you ever paid for it in the first place.

[Restored]

Question: Why are internet rates going up?
Answer: Because people are increasing their bandwidth usage by using Internet as a cable TV system.

[jpsb]

@RoosGirl

Why is this so complicated?  We should be able to get internet without having to get TV service.  TV service is too expensive and I watch very little of it.  I only want three channels and should be able to get them straight to my computer through the internet.

@Victoria33

You should be able to get DSL from your telephone company. All you need for DSL is a land line
to your house. Just about everyone has telephone land line going to the house. Just call your
local phone company and ask them to hook you up with DSL. Now you might be lucky and
able to get a fiber optic connection (much faster).  Give your phone company a call. 

[roamer_1]

Jeez, even the mountain man has higher speeds than I do 45 minutes outside of downtown Orlando.

 

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Just something to think about before you sharpen your pitchforks and light your torches.

Much more fun to have emotional reactions to news than to do a little research first....

[Maj. Bill Martin]

LOL. This is priceless....

Well Karl must be in a coma because a lot of these providers announced these rate hikes months ago. Comcast has already drawn heat about it. So much for Nut Neutrality saving all the poor people.

The reporting on this is just so incredibly dishonest.  It's almost like they have an agenda and really don't care about the facts at all....

[driftdiver]

The reporting on this is just so incredibly dishonest.  It's almost like they have an agenda and really don't care about the facts at all....

@Maj. Bill Martin
So you think the cable companies didn't know this rule change was coming a few months ago when they decided to increase the rates?

You want the free market but yet when customers of the "free market" are dissatisfied with the companies you insult the customers.   Strange way to show support for the free market.