This article was published on March 17, 2016

Comcast to Atlanta residents: Don’t fall for Google Fiber’s ‘hype’


Comcast to Atlanta residents: Don’t fall for Google Fiber’s ‘hype’

Google Fiber is beginning to be a real thorn in the side for Comcast and the company suddenly finds itself in a position it’s not used to — having to compete for business.

With Fiber coming to Atlanta later this year, or early next year, Comcast has been circulating fliers that urge locals not to fall for the “hype” of Google’s cheap and blisteringly fast internet service.

A company announcement this week touted Comcast’s new competing service, featuring 1 Gbps speeds, for just $70 a month.

That’s Comcast’s attempt at price competition, given that Atlanta is one of the markets Google Fiber has targeted for deployment. Comcast tells me that while the $70 option will not feature the company’s usage caps (which are being “trialed” in the Atlanta market) users on the no-contract, $140 plan will face usage caps. They also have the option of paying $35 per month extra to avoid said caps.”

What the press release fails to mention is the heavy-handed play by Comcast to push users into a three-year contract. For customers that elect to go the non-contract route, they’ll pay twice as much for the service ($140) and be subject to a 300 GB bandwidth cap each month with a $10 per 50 GB overage fee.

Comcast Battles Google Fiber In Atlanta — With Threat Of Usage Caps Unless You Sign 3-Year Contract [TechDirt]

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