Comcast has boosted the Internet speeds for customers in 14 Northeastern states. The announcement came as the cable company answered questions from Congress regarding their pending merger with Time Warner Cable.
Specifically, two of Comcast's Xfinity Internet tiers received speed boosts. The Xfinity Internet Blast now ticks along at a speedy 105 Mbps, up from just 50 Mbps. The Xfinity Extreme 105, meanwhile, has been boosted to 150 Mbps from 105 Mbps. Perhaps a name change for the latter tier is now in order?
It's the 13th time in the past 12 years that the service provider has raised Internet connection speeds and the second time in as many years that Blast tiers have doubled.
The good news is that customers won't have to pay an extra cent for the increased speeds. What's more, most customers can realize the new speeds simply by rebooting their modems.
The bad news, however, is that some may need a newer modem to take advantage of the newfound speeds. Customers are encouraged to check online to see if their modem is approved for the new speeds.
Comcast also sends word that they now have more than one million Wi-Fi hotspots across the country. Marcien Jenckes, executive vice president of consumer services, said they want customers to have Wi-Fi access wherever they are. Speed, reliability and accessibility on any device are all important and they are committed to growing their hotspots and keeping ahead of the rise in user demand, the executive added.