Huge Comcast fee increase?

[Dhyana]

There is no justification for price rises. The spectrum is not limited but guarded and yes auctioned - but look at the profits! As the number of subscribers increase the price should decreased due to reduced marginal costs. Face it we are getting ripped off at every turn! It all depends on how much they get you to believe these expenses are necessary. REally $100 for phone service - $50 to $150 for video service. And internet - it is free in D.C. and San Francisco. How much is too much. IMO These expenses are already too expensive given the value.

[cindylu]

How do you get free internet?? Are locals subsidized??

[Tony]

As the number of subscribers increase the price should decreased...

That might be true, but for a couple years now more people have been leaving these services than have been signing on. Thus, those of us that are left must apparently foot a larger part of the bill.

http://movies.yahoo.com/news/cord-cu...230011290.html

[chipgallo]

It isn't a free market system so doesn't behave as you expect. The two pervasive providers in this region are regulated monopolies.

[LazerFlash]

That might be true, but for a couple years now more people have been leaving these services than have been signing on. Thus, those of us that are left must apparently foot a larger part of the bill.

It's much simpler than that... GREED. Comcast has posted BILLIONS in net profits over the past several years - cresting the $4,000,000,000 mark for the first time in 2011. I'm all for capitalism, but it's obscene to make that much money, increase rates and stick subscribers with poor service and obsolete technology.

[JoeB]

They are just serving their addicts. TV, Internet, etc are luxury items. They charge what people will pay for them. I think there is still dial-up service around

[LazerFlash]

My wife noticed the same thing last month. Things got busy and I forgot to call to find out what happened. We had a promotional price that was SUPPOSED to be good for another 7 months, so it was a bit of a surprise. (Thanks for reminding me.)

Well, I finally got the time to look into our bill, which with no intervention on my part, went down this month to the rate we had been paying. After calling Comcast/Xfinity, we determined that last month's "increase" was an error on their part. Since my wife had simply just paid it pending investigation on my part, we got an adjustment for this month. (It sure would've been nice if they had self-corrected their own "error".)

Anyway, after ironing out the billing issue, I talked to the CSR at length about the direction their company is going in and the growing dissatisfaction in this part of the country over increasing rates and service that, at times, is marginal. I also brought up the nearing-obsolescence technology issue (especially the 20+ year old DVRs). Although the CSR couldn't say when it would happen, she did say that Xfinity/Comcast was planning to upgrade in-home hardware on a region-by-region basis. Evidence of this are the commercials I've recently seen touting "AnyRoom DVR". The in-home platform for this service is supposedly the Motorola DCX-3400, which while not brand-new, (it was released by Motorola in 2008), it's certainly MUCH more advanced than the crap we've all got now. When it's to be available here, the CSR couldn't tell me. And, yet, even though they're moving in a better direction, the slap-in-the-face to us is that AnyRoom DVR has been available in other markets for almost two years already.

[cindylu]

Although I haven't had Comcast (or the predecessor) for well over 6 years (that's right, I use an antenna and view what I'm able to receive) I still receive a monthly "statement" indicating no charges but kind of a paper advert. Funny, just when I'm about to give in, I see postings about the cost and quickly change my mind. I'd like to get their internet but that's all. I'd like to ditch my land line but so far a little nervous as when there is a power outage the land line is the one thing that works.

[Tony]

...I use an antenna and view what I'm able to receive...

Do tell. Are you here on the Blue Ridge? Where (and how high)? Which channels can you pull in with what type of antenna? Fact is, since the digital transition we've had virtually no reports about OTA (over the air) reception on the mountain.

PS Glad to hear this bill may be a mistake. I'll have to call Monday and check.

[cindylu]

I live down gate 4. I use the box the fed sent out coupons. I pick up Channel 4 out of Hagerstown and whatever they transmit. ION television and PBS channels MPT, VPT. That's about it. I use rabbit ears which are connected to the Fed box. My tv is not digital--hence, the converter box. So, its minimal but don't need to watch a lot of crap--oh, I mean programming!!

[John]

Short article in the New York Times today about an increase in Comcast profit last quarter.

Comcast 1Q Earnings Up 30 Percent

NEW YORK (AP) — Comcast Corp., the country's largest cable company, reported a 30 percent profit increase in the first quarter, beating expectations on the strength of Super Bowl advertising and its popular broadband service.
Its shares rose 4 percent in premarket trading.


The Philadelphia-based cable company said Wednesday that its net income rose to $1.224 billion, or 45 cents per share, for the January to March period from $943 million, or 34 cents per share, a year ago.


Analysts polled by FactSet were expecting earnings of 42 cents per share for the latest quarter

Revenue rose to $14.9 billion, above analysts' expectation of $14.4 billion. The increase was 9.6 percent compared with the combined cable and NBC Universal results a year ago.


Comcast's acquisition of a majority stake in NBC Universal, which owns TV channels and movie studios, closed at the end of January last year.


NBC Universal's results shone in the quarter. It accounts for a third of Comcast's revenue, but grew much faster, at 18 percent from last year. Revenue at the NBC broadcast network grew 37 percent thanks to the Super Bowl. Fox broadcast it last year.


Excluding the Super Bowl, NBC's revenue grew 17 percent, helped by improving prime time ratings and shows like "The Voice" and "Smash."


At Universal Studios, revenue grew 22 percent on the theatrical success of "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax" and "Safe House."

Comcast's more predictable cable business revenue grew at lower pace — 5.7 percent from last year.


CEO Brian Roberts has suggested that Comcast might be able to reverse the long-standing industry-wide trend of cable-TV subscribers cancelling in favor of satellite and phone-company TV services, but that prospect was not in evidence in the first quarter: Comcast lost 37,000 cable subscribers, roughly the same number it lost in the same quarter last year.


Comcast added 439,000 Internet subscribers. That was the best quarterly result in four years. Meanwhile other cable companies report a slowdown in the recruitment of new subscribers, since most households already have broadband.

Comcast appears to be gaining subscribers from households with slower phone-company "DSL" broadband.


Comcast shares rose $1.23, or 4 percent, to $31.83 in premarket trading.

[Tony]

...and then the news last week that Hulu will eventually be restricting access to those that are already paying. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/busines...rC9agDUEkHae2I