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Starting Sunday, Cable companies can increase your main charge or institute some other new fee that doesn't fall under this exact stipulation.

cronix 6y ago
I already got the email from Comcast last week that they were raising rates. Now I know why.
- pinewurst 6y ago
  Though to give Comcast some (microscopic) credit, they've never attempted to charge me to rent my own equipment in the decade or so I've been dealing with them.
  - sigstoat 6y ago
    i bought my own cable modem, installed it, never got around to calling them or returning their modem, and after maybe another month or two, comcast just stopped charging me the rental fee and didn't ask for their modem back. so... pretty decent on their part.
    - medmunds 6y ago
      They will charge you for it if you ever cancel service. (And they'll charge the full retail price when it was new, not the current value.) Return their modem, get a receipt, double check the serial number on the receipt matches the equipment you returned, and save that receipt. You may need it if you ever move or drop Comcast in the future.
      - sigstoat 6y ago
        we're about 8 years too late for that. i'll get back to you in 5-10 years to let you know how it goes, but i'm not very concerned.
        mjevans 6y ago
        Over that period of time you may be able to pay them the current balance sheet value of the exact device they let you on the date your service started. By now it has depreciated entirely. I think I heard about that in a story posted probably the malicious compliance reddit group, and am NOT a lawyer...
  - WWLink 6y ago
    Last time I had comcast internet, they charged me a rental for a modem I never even received in the first place since I told them I had my own modem from day 1.
- captainhat 6y ago
  Many ISPs use limited-duration promotional rates to sign up new customers, after which a discounted rate returns to a higher rate. We can debate the pros/cons of that practice as a marketing tactic, but that's not the same as the unfair charging practice described in the article. As far as I know, Comcast does not engage in forcing customers to rent equipment.
- petarb 6y ago
  Yeah the increased the broadcast fees from 12 to 18 and a bunch of other small fees. Such BS.
- tzs 6y ago
  Unlikely. 1. This law does not affect Comcast, because Comcast does not charge you any rental or extra fees for using your own modem. Switch from a Comcast modem to your own, and your internet bill comes down exactly by what had been the cost of your Comcast rental. 2. Comcast generally raises costs every year or so, almost always at this time of year.
  - chiefalchemist 6y ago
    Yes and no. While it doesn't effect Comcast directly, it does change perceptions and forces in the market. That is, the market can now bear, and Comcast is taking advantage of that. Or so it seems.
  - gnicholas 6y ago
    I have been with Comcast for about a decade and live in SV. I started out paying them $30/mo for 10 mbps and now pay $25/mo for 25 mbps. Their 'regular prices' are ridiculous, but I just call them once a year and ask for a discount (and sometimes say I'll leave) and they find a discount if I commit to a year. There isn't any competition where I live, so I don't mind. I'd be interested to know if others in SV (or elsewhere) have seen effective prices (not just nominal rack rates) increasing. For the record, I don't love Comcast and have even written blog posts about how much I dislike them. But in terms of pricing, I've had an OK experience over a long period of time.
    - OJFord 6y ago
      From my non-US perspective, those are not good prices. I pay £28 ($35 ish) for 150Mbps symmetric. (In practice it's up to 220, never less than the 150 nominal.) Before that I paid £18 ($22 ish) for 30/1.5 (30Mbps down is probably ok for me, I upgraded primarily for the up, but 30 symmetric not offered).
      - gnicholas 6y ago
        They’re not great, even in the US. A friend in Berkeley pays 2x as much and gets 50x the speed (and her connection is symmetrical!). My point was that my prices are going down and my speeds are going up, which was not the experience of the commenter I was responding to.
wittyreference 6y ago
My ISP has already replaced it with a “wifi access charge.” Because the router they provide has WiFi capability.
- Technically 6y ago
  This isn't replaced at all because the charge in question was for users who didn't use the ISP provided modem. That said, I've never understood why they used a separate charge rather than raising the rental fee for the modem. Is there a legal restriction here or a psychological trick to occlude fee hikes?
- mroche 6y ago
  If you replace all the equipment they provide, will they have to drop that charge?
  - sitzkrieg 6y ago
    i did so and yes
miles2 6y ago
I have no choice. Only Comcast is available in the area where I've been living. It's so such shame!

cronix 6y ago

I already got the email from Comcast last week that they were raising rates. Now I know why.

pinewurst 6y ago
Though to give Comcast some (microscopic) credit, they've never attempted to charge me to rent my own equipment in the decade or so I've been dealing with them.
- sigstoat 6y ago
  i bought my own cable modem, installed it, never got around to calling them or returning their modem, and after maybe another month or two, comcast just stopped charging me the rental fee and didn't ask for their modem back. so... pretty decent on their part.
  - medmunds 6y ago
    They will charge you for it if you ever cancel service. (And they'll charge the full retail price when it was new, not the current value.) Return their modem, get a receipt, double check the serial number on the receipt matches the equipment you returned, and save that receipt. You may need it if you ever move or drop Comcast in the future.
    - sigstoat 6y ago
      we're about 8 years too late for that. i'll get back to you in 5-10 years to let you know how it goes, but i'm not very concerned.
      - mjevans 6y ago
        Over that period of time you may be able to pay them the current balance sheet value of the exact device they let you on the date your service started. By now it has depreciated entirely. I think I heard about that in a story posted probably the malicious compliance reddit group, and am NOT a lawyer...
- WWLink 6y ago
  Last time I had comcast internet, they charged me a rental for a modem I never even received in the first place since I told them I had my own modem from day 1.
captainhat 6y ago
Many ISPs use limited-duration promotional rates to sign up new customers, after which a discounted rate returns to a higher rate. We can debate the pros/cons of that practice as a marketing tactic, but that's not the same as the unfair charging practice described in the article. As far as I know, Comcast does not engage in forcing customers to rent equipment.
petarb 6y ago
Yeah the increased the broadcast fees from 12 to 18 and a bunch of other small fees. Such BS.
tzs 6y ago
Unlikely. 1. This law does not affect Comcast, because Comcast does not charge you any rental or extra fees for using your own modem. Switch from a Comcast modem to your own, and your internet bill comes down exactly by what had been the cost of your Comcast rental. 2. Comcast generally raises costs every year or so, almost always at this time of year.
- chiefalchemist 6y ago
  Yes and no. While it doesn't effect Comcast directly, it does change perceptions and forces in the market. That is, the market can now bear, and Comcast is taking advantage of that. Or so it seems.
- gnicholas 6y ago
  I have been with Comcast for about a decade and live in SV. I started out paying them $30/mo for 10 mbps and now pay $25/mo for 25 mbps. Their 'regular prices' are ridiculous, but I just call them once a year and ask for a discount (and sometimes say I'll leave) and they find a discount if I commit to a year. There isn't any competition where I live, so I don't mind. I'd be interested to know if others in SV (or elsewhere) have seen effective prices (not just nominal rack rates) increasing. For the record, I don't love Comcast and have even written blog posts about how much I dislike them. But in terms of pricing, I've had an OK experience over a long period of time.
  - OJFord 6y ago
    From my non-US perspective, those are not good prices. I pay £28 ($35 ish) for 150Mbps symmetric. (In practice it's up to 220, never less than the 150 nominal.) Before that I paid £18 ($22 ish) for 30/1.5 (30Mbps down is probably ok for me, I upgraded primarily for the up, but 30 symmetric not offered).
    - gnicholas 6y ago
      They’re not great, even in the US. A friend in Berkeley pays 2x as much and gets 50x the speed (and her connection is symmetrical!). My point was that my prices are going down and my speeds are going up, which was not the experience of the commenter I was responding to.

wittyreference 6y ago

My ISP has already replaced it with a “wifi access charge.” Because the router they provide has WiFi capability.

Technically 6y ago
This isn't replaced at all because the charge in question was for users who didn't use the ISP provided modem. That said, I've never understood why they used a separate charge rather than raising the rental fee for the modem. Is there a legal restriction here or a psychological trick to occlude fee hikes?
mroche 6y ago
If you replace all the equipment they provide, will they have to drop that charge?
- sitzkrieg 6y ago
  i did so and yes

miles2 6y ago

I have no choice. Only Comcast is available in the area where I've been living. It's so such shame!