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Comcast’s Cyber Monday promotions failed to include in its advertised prices up to $31.25 in monthly surcharges.
Comcast will use two mandatory surcharges to hike cable TV customers’ rates on Jan. 1, including those on promotional or fixed contract pricing, while also raising the optional modem rental fee to a record $13 a month — a new industry high.
- Broadcast TV Surcharge (varies per market) will increase to $10.00 a month.
- Regional Sports Network Fee (varies per market) will increase to $8.25 a month.
- Most customers will see an increase of about $3.75 a month for cable television.
- The modem rental fee, shown on the bill as “Internet/Voice Equipment Rental” will increase $2, to $13 a month.
Cord Cutters News first reported the rate increases. Ars Technica noted Comcast raised the broadcast TV fee from $6.50 to $8 and the sports fee from $4.50 to $6.50 about one year ago, making these two mandatory surcharges a lucrative source for extra revenue. Comcast does not waive these fees (or future increases) for its cable TV customers, even those on new customer promotions. The company boosted modem rental fees $1 a month in 2017. Now it wants an extra $2, but customers can easily avoid that fee by buying their own cable modem, which will quickly pay for itself.
Comcast typically raises rates in different cities over the course of a year, so only some customers will experience the rate increase on Jan. 1, but by the end of 2019, all Comcast customers will see a higher bill.
The use of surcharges to implement hidden rate increases is controversial. Comcast and other cable companies can and do advertise their services without including increasingly steep surcharges and fees, which can dramatically raise the bill far beyond what companies advertise.
A typical Comcast customer offered a 2018 Cyber Monday bundle of television and internet, advertised for as little as $49.99 a month, would pay an additional $31.25 a month in surcharges, not including an additional outlet service fee if a customer wants to watch on one more than television set.
Happy Holidays!
Geez….$18.25 on top of the already outlandish price.
I remember when cable was $16 period in the 90s, before deregulation gave…the same thing for $200 🙄
I have been a Comcast subscriber for 11 years, 5 as an “Earthlink powered by Comcast” subscriber and for the last 3 years plus as a residential Triple Play subscriber since I moved. As an Earthlink customer we enjoyed Comcast’s Internet service both from a performance standpoint as well as cost. Since our move, however, our satisfaction level has steadily deteriorated. We just received our first bill of 2019 and received a rude shock when we discovered that our monthly rate had been increased by $73,13 from $168.52 to $241.65, or 2,998.80 a year. Yet , for the additional $73… Read more »
I sent the previous post to Comcast’s executive offices and in an answer to it, all of the financial information I had info I had included was completely ignored as if it didn’t exist. Instead the main portion of the reply blamed the content providers and they just cavalierly stated that the other rates had increased as if raising the rates was their birthright.