Comcast Internet availability by state
Comcast is the largest provider of cable internet access in the United States, servicing 40% of the market in 2011.[15] As of July 26, 2018, Comcast has 26.5 million high-speed internet customers.[16]
Comcast began offering internet services in late 1996, when it helped found the @Home Network, which sold internet service through Comcast's cable lines. The agreement continued after @Home's merger with Excite.[17] When the combined company Excite@Home filed for bankruptcy in 2002, Comcast moved their roughly 950,000 internet customers completely onto their own network.[18]
Along with the high price of internet subscriptions, Comcast charges users an additional $15.00/month to rent a cable modem.[19] This fee has been seen by some as unfair,[19][20] but is waived for customers who buy their own modems.[21] Comcast charges $20 for internet installation,[22] but the fee is waived for customers who opt to install themselves.[23]
In 2011, Comcast launched its "Internet Essentials" program, which offers low-cost internet service to families with children who qualify for free or reduced price school lunches. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) required this budget service as a condition for allowing Comcast's acquisition of NBCUniversal in January 2011.[24] Of an estimated 2.60 million households eligible for the program, about 220,000 households participate in the program as of June 2013.[25][26][27] A similar program is available from other internet providers through the non-profit Connect2compete.org.[27][28] Comcast has stated that the program will accept new customers for a total of three years.[24]
At the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show, Comcast unveiled a new software platform for its Arris 1682G and Cisco 3941T/3939 modems, which would offer a redesigned configuration interface, support for remote setup and management via an Xfinity mobile app, and enabling integration of supported smart home devices with other Xfinity platforms such as Xfinity TV. The new platform launched under the brand xFi in May 2017. Comcast also unveiled the xFi Advanced Gateway, a new router designed to facilitate faster Wi-Fi speeds, including support for 802.11ac Wave 2, as well as internal support for Bluetooth Low Energy, Thread, and Zigbee for finer integration with Internet of things devices, and support for an accompanying line of Wi-Fi extenders (manufactured by Plume).[30][31][32][33]
In December 2022, Comcast announced that it had trialed symmetric, 10-gigabit service using DOCSIS 4.0; this service was deployed for selected Gigabit Pro fiber business customers in June 2023.[34][35]
Xfinity WiFi
Comcast operates a network of public Wi-Fi hotspots for Xfinity internet subscribers known as Xfinity WiFi, which consists of a mixture of hotspots installed in public locations and businesses, and those generated by supported Xfinity home gateways on an opt-out basis. Users on the "Performance" tier or higher receive unlimited usage of these hotspots after signing in with their Xfinity Account. By default, all dual-band Xfinity home gateways operate both a private network, and a public network with the SSID "xfinitywifi". To conserve bandwidth, these hotspots are capped at 5 simultaneous users. Customers can opt out of providing Xfinity WiFi through either the Comcast website, or by installing a third-party router.[36][37]
Comcast has received criticism for this practice, with critics arguing that the company was abusing customer resources (including bandwidth and electricity) to provide services for other customers, as well as concerns regarding security, and liability for actions performed by users while connected to these home hotspots; in 2014, a proposed class action lawsuit was filed in California, citing violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and similar state laws for these reasons. Comcast defended the service by stating that the public Wi-Fi is firewalled from devices connected to the in-home network, was designed to have minimal bandwidth impact to "support robust usage", and that customers would not be liable for the actions of other users, as abusers can be traced by means of the Xfinity account they used to sign into the network.[38]
Data cap
Initially, Comcast had a policy of terminating broadband customers who use "excessive bandwidth", a term the company refused to define in its terms of service, which once said only that a customer's use should not "represent (in the sole judgment of Comcast) an overly large burden on the network".[42] Company responses to press inquiries suggested a limit of several hundred gigabytes per month.[43][44] In September 2007, Comcast spokesman Charlie Douglas said the company defined "excessive use" as the equivalent of 30,000 songs, 250,000 pictures or 13 million emails in a month.[45]
Comcast introduced a 250 GB monthly bandwidth cap to its broadband service on October 1, 2008,[46] combining both upload and download towards the monthly limit. If a user exceeded the cap three times within six months, the customer's residential services may have been terminated for one year.[47]
Network management and peering
In September 2007, a rumor emerged among tech blogs that Comcast was throttling or even blocking internet traffic transmitted via the BitTorrent protocol.[58] Comcast vehemently denied the accusations of blocking traffic, stating that "Comcast does not, has not, and will not block any Web sites or online applications, including peer-to-peer services", and that "We engage in reasonable network management".[59] After more widespread confirmation that Comcast was throttling BitTorrent traffic,[60] Comcast said it occasionally delayed BitTorrent traffic in order to speed up other kinds of data, but declined to go into specifics.[61] Following the announcement of an official investigation by the FCC,[62] Comcast voluntarily ended the traffic discrimination.[63]
