There are many changes that could improve cable television and broadband internet service in the United States, but “more mergers” certainly isn’t one of them. That’s why we started screaming hysterically in the Consumerist offices today when we learned that Charter and Comcast are both weighing their options and thinking about acquiring Time Warner Cable. [More]
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Comcast CEO Blames Bad Customer Service Reputation On Sheer Volume Of Calls
By 11.22.13
Comcast is the largest cable and Internet provider in the country and one of the biggest content providers with the acquisition of NBC. It’s also one of the most-hated companies in the country, a former Worst Company In America champ (and perennial quarterfinalist) with a reputation for horrendous customer service, inept tech support and bungled billing practices. But Comcast CEO Brian Roberts says it’s all just a matter of his company being so darn huge. [More]
Comcast Admits Its Pricing Is Confusing, Doesn’t Seem To Care
By 11.18.13
When Comcast launched its HBO-included discount package called Internet Plus last month, there was an awful lot of confusion about the price. Some media outlets reported it was $40/month, others said $50, still others said $70. The fact is, not even Comcast knows which one it’s supposed to charge you and it doesn’t seem to really care about its own ignorance. [More]
Hulu Looking To Partner Up With Cable, Wireless Providers
By 11.13.13
In a move that could stem the tide of cord-cutting while also broadening Hulu’s subscriber base, the streaming video service is reportedly in talks with Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and others to bring Hulu to cable customers through their set-top boxes. [More]
Dear Atlanta: Comcast Now Hates You Too
By 11.8.13
Comcast’s slow but determined expansion of its plan to enact data caps and collect overage fees from subscribers has hit its biggest city yet, as the company has decided that Atlanta subscribers should now be hemmed in by these restrictions. [More]
HBO’s Parent Company Doesn’t Predict Much Interest In HBO-Only Internet Package
By 11.7.13
Comcast recently announced a new package called Internet Plus that bundles broadband service and HBO (and perhaps more importantly HBO Go) along with a smattering of basic cable channels for $50-70/month, and some have predicted that this could push more people to ditch the pricier cable packages, but not the CEO of HBO’s parent company. [More]
Dear Seattle: Comcast Doesn’t Want You To Have Fast Internet
By 11.1.13
Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn is pushing for a low-cost, high-speed fiber network that, at least in theory, would offer city residents better service at a better price than they currently receive. Comcast says this has absolutely nothing to do with why it has donated gobs of money in an effort to defeat his re-election effort. [More]
Porn Troll Lawyers Hit With Legal Fees For Bullying Defendant
By 10.31.13
Back in 2012, John Steele of Prenda Law — a firm that specializes in threatening to sue alleged porn file-sharers in order to force a settlement — was publicly bragging about his success, referring to himself in an interview as “the original copyright troll.” Recently, things haven’t gone so well, due in no small part to a disastrous attempt to sue Comcast and AT&T for phony claims of “hacking” one of their client’s websites. [More]
DirecTV, TWC, Charter Mulling Over Aereo-Like Services
By 10.28.13
While Aereo — the online service that transmits over-the-air network feeds to subscribers’ computers and mobile devices — is slugging it out with broadcasters in court, the operators of several cable and satellite services are reportedly looking to launch similar products of their own, setting the stage for an all-new TV war. [More]
Is Comcast’s HBO-Included ‘Internet Plus’ Worth It?
By 10.25.13
Yesterday, we told you of rumors that Comcast was going to launch a service dubbed Internet Plus that gives customers Internet access, a handful of cable channels and HBO (along with HBO Go) for significantly less than what you’d pay for a full Internet, basic cable, and HBO package. Today, Comcast confirmed the limited-time package so we can look at the specifics to determine if it’s a good deal. [More]
Comcast Reportedly Set To Offer Limited Service That Includes HBO Go
By 10.24.13
People who watch HBO Go generally seem to like the premium network’s streaming service. But the fact that an HBO subscription also requires you to have a basic cable package makes it cost-prohibitive to many consumers (which why so many people use their friends’ passwords to access HBO Go without paying). At the same time, cable subscribers are realizing they don’t watch most of the hundreds of channels being offered and are cutting the cord to go streaming-only. To appeal to both of these groups, Comcast is reportedly prepping to launch a pared-down package that would cost less but also include HBO and HBO Go. [More]
Former FCC Chair Urges Cable Companies To Hurry Up & Implement Data Caps And Usage-Based Pricing
By 10.24.13
Former FCC chair turned cable-industry frontman Michael Powell thinks that, in spite of the fact that delivering data to consumers continues to get less expensive, cable companies should be rushing to put caps on data usage and implement usage-based, metered broadband service. [More]
Comcast Tech Saves Two Lives In Same Week
By 10.22.13
It’s no secret that most Consumerist stories about Comcast service techs are not positive, but there are still plenty of good, hardworking folks toiling away for Kabletown and its affiliated contractors (kontractors?). Take, for example, the California tech who recently stepped up to save the lives of two separate individuals in the span of a single week. [More]
Netflix Could Be Coming Through Your Cable Box In The Near Future
By 10.15.13
Just about every story on cord-cutting over the last five years has mentioned Netflix, as consumers turned to the lower-cost streaming service instead of paying for hundreds of cable channels they weren’t watching. Now, some cable companies are realizing they might want to embrace Netflix by offering the streaming service directly through their set-top boxes. [More]
Source: Comcast X1 Upgrades Only Being Made Available To New Triple-Play Customers
By 10.10.13
If you’re a paying, longtime Comcast customer who has been thinking of upgrading to the much-touted cloud-based X1 platform, you may have to get in line behind new customers — more precisely, only those new customers who want to subscribe to a Triple-Play cable/Internet/phone bundle. [More]
Comcast & Twitter Team Up To Help Viewers Who Don’t Know How To Find NBC On Their TVs
By 10.9.13
When someone Tweets that they’re watching The Voice and you just HAVE to see what some contestant is wearing (which is counter to the whole point of The Voice, but I digress), do you wish that you could just magically change the channel without having to fumble for your remote and then remember which of your 32,981 channels is NBC? Then the new alliance between Comcast and Twitter is apparently for you. [More]
Comcast Blasts My Apartment Building With Junk Mail, Hopes For The Best
By 10.8.13
How much junk mail from one company is too much? There is no universal number, but the limit is definitely smaller than this one-day crop of Comcast mailers at one six-household apartment building. Look, Comcast, maybe the residents of this building just aren’t into you. [More]
No, Comcast Will Not Threaten To Arrest You If You Don’t Pay Your Bill
By 10.4.13
So you’ve received an e-mail from Comcast saying you’re $25 late on your cable bill and that if you don’t resolve the issue ASAP, you could be arrested. First, that’s simply not true, and second, that message isn’t from Comcast. [More]
