Comcast

Comcast, the largest cable TV and Internet broadband provider in the U.S., is changing its data cap policy on its broadband service to encourage its customers to use its service without worrying about how much data they are consuming.

Today, the company announced in a blog post that it will soon begin testing a new pricing model for customers who use an "excessive" amount of data each month. In these markets, the company will increase the cap, which is now 250GB per month, to 300GB per month. And when customers exceed this cap, the company will charge … Read more

Update: May 17, 2012 Do I get results, or what? Less than a day after this column posted, Comcast announced it would ditch its 250GB data cap in favor of a 300GB cap with the option to buy additional 50GB chunks for $10 each. Not bad, although it's amusing timing given their current fight over Net neutrality and cap-free Xfinity on-demand streaming.

Bandwidth caps, the death of unlimited data plans, throttling, "data hog" accusations...I get it. Pay-per-use bandwidth is inevitable: the end of unlimited Internet access is at hand. Bandwidth is a limited resource, especially on … Read more

In response to charges that Comcast favors content streaming via its Xfinity app on the Xbox over that of its competitors, the cable giant denied giving preferential treatment to its app and said its traffic policies are in compliance with the FCC's Open Internet rules.

Comcast announced in March that it will stream Xfinity on-demand content to Microsoft game consoles. The fact that Comcast content streamed directly to the Xbox console will not be counted against subscribers' total bandwidth usage caps prompted accusations that the cable provider is giving its Xfinity app an unfair advantage over the apps of … Read more

Senator Al Franken says Comcast may be violating Net neutrality rules by exempting its own video service from a usage cap on its broadband network.

The Minnesota Democrat today sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice asking the agencies to take a closer look at a new service Comcast announced in March that will stream Xfinity on-demand content to Microsoft Xbox consoles.

The content that is streamed directly to the Xbox console will not be counted against subscribers' total bandwidth usage caps.Comcast now imposes a 250GB monthly data cap on its subscribers.

This … Read more

Federal regulators said today they needed more time to review Verizon's deal to acquire spectrum from the cable providers and cross-sell cable and wireless services.

The Federal Communications Commission extended the typical 180-day review period by 21 days to give it sufficient time to examine the reams of documents that were submitted late by Verizon and the cable companies. Opponents have lauded the FCC's move, claiming the agency has "stopped the clock" on the deal, signalling deeper concerns about the transaction. But the move only marks an extension, and not an actual pause, in the process. … Read more

The Verizon and Comcast cross-selling romance deepens today as each offers each others' network and entertainment services in six new markets around the U.S.

Atlanta, Chicago, Kansas City, Mo., Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., and Salt Lake City are four new cities to access the duo's deals, in addition to the state of Colorado. The expansion follows an earlier West Coast launch in San Francisco, Portland, Or., and Seattle.

New and existing customers can purchase Comcast's Xfinity entertainment products and services in Verizon stores, and in return, Comcast offers Verizon voice and wireless products through its channels, including delivering … Read more

In a letter to investors today, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings suggested that Comcast was competing unfairly in the streaming-video sector.

As part of his company's first-quarter earnings report, Hastings wrote that Comcast was providing the company's Xfinity Web-video service a competitive advantage not offered to Netflix or other competitors.

"Comcast caps its residential broadband customers at 250 gigabytes per month," Hastings wrote. "On the Xbox the Netflix app, the Hulu app, and the HBO GO app, are all subject to this cap. But Comcast has decided that its own Xfinity Xbox app is not subject … Read more

It's no secret that Reed Hastings doesn't think too highly of Comcast.

The Netflix chief executive, who has previously criticized the cable giant's claims that it costs the company a lot to deliver Internet video, fired another salvo Sunday, slamming the company's policy on Net neutrality and data caps.

As he explained on his Facebook page, his complaint is that when Comcast subscribers watch Netflix, Hulu, or HBO Go on their Xbox consoles, it counts against their monthly data limits. However, subscribers who use Xfinity don't have their limits dinged, suggesting that Comcast is giving … Read more

If the inability to access video-on-demand (VOD) channels has kept you away from TiVo (and not its service fee), you may soon have to find another excuse. At least if you're a Comcast Xfinity subscriber.

An automatic software update will be pushed to TiVo Premiere users in the Bay Area starting today and over the coming weeks adding access to the Xfinity On Demand library. Additional markets across the country will get access in the coming months.

You can sign up for notifications on the rollout on TiVo's site.