Comcast Discontinues Newsgroup Service > So my bill will go down?

reply to dadkins

Re: So my bill will go down?

reply to SLD
I get 16mbps down. Back when I started paying $52.95 instead of $42.95, I was getting 4mbps.

I kinda like that I have 4 times the speed now without a penny more per month.

YMMV

This NG crap? It was free when they added it, it is going away now so no net loss.
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Think outside the Fox... Opera

reply to jmn1207
No.
HSI has never went up.
You can still get HSI for $42.95 per month - just like I did in 2003.

How is $42.95 then vs $42.95 now an increase?
ESPN charges Comcast more to carry the channels, Comcast is not going to eat that cost.
*WE* get to pay for that extra cost.

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Think outside the Fox... Opera

It costs much more without TV service. And if you have TV service, your rates have been increased by an amount that more than makes up for keeping the internet prices level. It's just marketing crap. You only see them post prices for their internet, not for TV services, so they "cheat the system" and keep HSI at the same price while raising the cost of TV service, which is mostly hidden from the public.

The HSI rates you now speak of went into effect in April of 2003. Right now a naked HSI costs about 30% more than a person that has TV service. 30%!!! Since that same time frame, my TV package went from $79.95 to $110.95. I lost channels that I now pay $5 for in the form of a Sports Tier. Also, while I do not have my bills in front of me now, I know that the cable box fees have increased significantly, as well as the HDTV service. I'm certain that once Comcast has exhausted these type of sneaky and misleading price changes to recoup their HSI costs, the internet service will once again see another increase.

It's getting close to that time now, and many people will falsely assume that the rate hike is warranted since Comcast went sooooooo long without ever raising these rates. It's bullshit.

Lose the TV.
HSI will either cost you $56.95 or $66.95.
In 2003, HSI without TV was $56.95 - same as it is now.

Now, if it was $56.95 then, and it is still $56.95 now, how do you figure HSI has ever gone up?

WTF does the cost of TV have to do with HSI if you don't have TV service?
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Think outside the Fox... Opera

Since the last ~$3 increase in internet service back in 2002/2003, the standalone HSI service has been enormously profitable for Comcast at the current prices. If anything, it was originally used to deter anyone from signing up for HSI by itself. Customers once were able to get the cheapest TV tier and save money over a naked HSI service.

Over the years, Comcast has increased the cheapest TV rates and moved popular channels over to more costly packages. If you are willing to pay 30% more for HSI, it's no skin of Comcast's back, they will make as much of a profit as someone that pays for TV service and normal HSI rates. Many people were eventually left with a choice of paying more for a TV package, or dropping TV altogether and paying more for HSI.

Where the problem lies is that customers think they are paying less for their HSI service by having TV service. And, undeniably, there are many more customers that have both HSI and TV service. If this were not true than Comcast would not be able to justify only increasing TV service rates while keeping the HSI the same. You HAVE been seeing rate increases, they just come in the form of TV service price changes.

And the poor customer that has been forking over $175 more every year for standalone HSI has nothing to be cheering about. They are paying too much now, and they were paying WAY too much 5 years ago, even with the increased speeds.

If you don't see how Comcast has used TV service price increases to be able to keep HSI prices level, than we simply disagree. The tiny fraction of Comcast's customers that only have HSI and nothing else have very little influence. Their costs are already overpriced, while the "discounted" HSI customers are catching up through TV price hikes that exceed inflation by over 300%.

You are simply wrong as to why your TV service rates increase. It is not to maintain the price of HSI service and never will be. I can guarantee that the HSI service is profitable as it sits. The TV rates are directly tied to the content providers (the ESPNs, TNT etc..) charging COMCAST more to carry their channels. Aside from any other fees the local franchising athority deems necessary to collect for that service. Comcast passes those fees to you for using that service hence a price increase. Also Comcast can't blindly increase the fees when the feel like it, it has to be approved by the governing agencies and the increase has to justified.

On another note your argument has nothing to do with them dropping NGs. They are getting rid of them because they are not popular and are being scrutinized for child porn. No specific fee was ever paid for that service, it was an added feature of the HSI service, so no discount is warranted. It would be like demanding McDonalds gives you a discount on your BigMac because they ran out of ketchup packets. Although ketchup packets are more popular then news groups.

reply to jmn1207
TV pricing cannot affect the pricing of HSI as shown to you several times.
All the conspiracy theories won't change that. LOL!

TV... is TV
HSI... is HSI
CDV... is CDV

I can get HSI without either of the other services for the same price as it was in 2003.
Anyone can clearly see that if the prices of HSI are the same now as they were then in 2003, no increase in price has occurred.

If you really want to split hairs friend, $42.95 or $56.95 in 2003 was actually worth more - with the inflation curve, we are paying less now than we were then!

So, we are forking out less valuable money for way faster speeds? Uhm, I'm kinda ok with that.

Stop already. LMAO!
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Think outside the Fox... Opera

reply to Cybrtweek
Crazy content providers are only part of the equation, I'm not completely wrong. Their rates for TV service are simply outpacing even the higher rates that they pay the content providers. It's all relative when we are discussing methods that Comcast uses to make more money. Dropping features and support for services while increasing rates here and there is all part of it. Everyone claims that their HSI rates have remained unchanged without looking at the bigger picture. Comcast is not in this racket to make less money each successive year they are in business by keeping their prices static while spending more money on increasing our services. They are either making more money by leeching off other services or they are finding cheaper ways to provide things to all of us.

I'm gonna have a beer now and enjoy some of these services that Comcast provides to me.

reply to NOZIREV

"It was never really part of the service"