by Alec Larson, Phila. Tribune Staff Writer
Comcast users will soon see price increases on their bills as the company raises fees for a number of services.
The company, headquartered in Philadelphia, recently announced that it will increase its rates for customers nationwide by 3.8 percent on average, with different regions seeing slightly different rate increases.
The price increases are set to go into effect Dec. 20.
The news comes just a year after the company last raised its rates, a 3 percent increase in December 2021.
For the over 2 million Comcast customers in the Philadelphia region, the biggest rate increases will be in the broadcast TV fee and the regional sports fee.
The broadcast TV fee is set to increase by 11 percent, jumping from $19.15 to $21.30. The broadcast TV fee pays for national networks such as Fox, NBC, ABC and CBS.
The regional sports fee will increase 5 percent, from $12.70 to $13.35.
Also, modem rental fees will increase by $1.
News of the Comcast price increase did not sit well with some consumers.
“As soon as I get my Social Security, things start going up. Any cost-of-living increase is a joke, because things are going up faster than my check is,” said Doris Kay, 69, of Mount Airy after she went shopping along the Germantown business corridor. “I can’t win for losing. Food prices are even up. Buying gifts this year will be tight.”
Fellow shopper Ruth Fletcher, 63, said she keeps her cable service mainly for her grandchildren but she may have to rethink it if prices keep going up.
“My grands love the holidays at my house and watch TV with me. I need cable to stay up on things too. But paying for other things is stretching my budget and something’s got to give,” she said. “I remember when we mainly only had 3, 6 and 10 on the television and maybe a wire hanger for an antennae. Those days are pretty much gone. They have you over a barrel now.”
Comcast said in a statement that the company’s national average increase of 3.8 percent is “about half” of the most recent rate of inflation, and that programming costs associated with sports and broadcast TV have reportedly almost tripled since 2006.
“TV networks and other video programmers continue to raise their prices, with broadcast television and sports being the biggest drivers of increases in customers’ bills,” the Comcast statement said.
“We’re continuing to work hard to manage these costs for our customers while investing in our broadband network to provide the best, most reliable Internet service in the country and to give our customers more low-cost choices in video and connectivity so they can find a package that fits their lifestyle and budget,” the company said.
Some recent Xfinity bills have reportedly been sent out with a note saying, “As we strive to bring you the best services possible, we must also periodically review our prices and update them in response to the rising costs of programming and increases in other expenses impacting our services.”
(alarson@phillytrib.com 215-893-5782)