The Comcast Bundle Shakedown
from the looks-like-a-monopoly,-smells-like-a-monopoly... dept
I know about five people who used AT&T Broadband (now Comcast) as their cable modem service without also getting cable TV. As of last week, they're all subscribed to cable TV as well, thanks to Comcast's latest extortionary move. People complained about their new billing plans when they were announced a couple of months ago, but now that they're going into effect, people are accusing Comcast of "shaking down" its customers. The way the deal works is, if you have a cable modem, but no cable TV, you suddenly have to pay an extra 33% on your cable modem bill. Suddenly, you have incentive to sign up for cable TV as well. Of course, if Comcast weren't a monopoly, this wouldn't be an issue - but for many people they simply have no choice. That explains why all of my friends suddenly are paying for cable TV that they'll rarely (if ever) watch. Update: On a related note, a number of consumer groups are now publicly claiming that Comcast is gouging.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Wasn't this sort of bundling illegal?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Not all Comcast customers/Competition
Comcast might be able to play these games in DSL free areas, but it won't last as DSL and wireless service areas grow.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
No Subject Given
I have Roadrunner, and Time Warner has always charged significantly more for folks without cable to get the service (though I think it's easy to avoid by ordering Earthlink over the same cable instead). And the more cable you get, the cheaper Roadrunner becomes. I ended up ording HBO and Showime on my cable for an additional $12 a month because it reduced by Roadrunner bill by a further $6 a month.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Hmmmm
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Comcast Pricing Policy
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
comcast monopoloy
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Comcast misrepresentation
I just opened up my bill the other day to find it jumped way up instead of going down. They gave me an expanded cable package and charged me for it. I called and they supposedly fixed it only to find I lost features that I had before. I called back and was told that what I had for a cable package wasn't covered in the $100 bundle but was in the $129 bundle. After fees this ends up being more. I got layed off in May, don't have a job, and find myself considereing cancelling my phone and cable all together out of a growing disdain because of how I was deceived.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
comcast is the worst!!!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
price changing month to month
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
flim flam
[ link to this | view in chronology ]