I’m not sure this is what we had in mind when we suggested that everyone should help “spread holiday cheer.” Over the weekend, Comcast confirmed that it would be raising rates in Philadelphia and South Jersey by around 4% on January 1st.
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The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on the news after customers in the area began receiving notifications online and in their monthly bills that certain bundles and services would be more expensive by the end of the year.
Comcast spokesman Jeff Alexander tells Philly.com that the company is investing in infrastructure and technology “”and to give customers more for their money – like faster Internet service and more WiFi hot spots, more video across viewing screens, better technology like X1, and a better customer experience.”
These are the explanations the company is giving for triple-pay bundles rising in price by $2.50, digital adapters for additional televisions going up from $2.99 to $3.99 and the “broadcast TV fee” growing by 66% from $3 to $5 a month.
Combine these rate hikes with the upcoming expansion of its “Data Usage Plan,” which forces customer to pay extra in order to avoid having their data capped, and you can see why Comcast customers are some of the least satisfied customers in the country. And although Comcast is also lowering the cost of HBO from $22 to $15 (in order to compete with HBO Now), I’m not sure that’ll be enough to keep anyone happy over the holiday season.
