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Comcast Unveils $300 'Platinum' Internet

Service aims to compete with top Verizon offering

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 25, 2012 11:58 AM CDT

(Newser) – Is your Internet fast enough? And more importantly, does it cost enough? Well Comcast is looking to make sure the answer to both questions is "yes." It's rolling out a new "Xfinity Platinum" Internet service that boasts a top advertised speed of 305 megabits per second—for the low low price of $299.95 per month, Bloomberg reports. The move is obviously an attempt to keep pace with Verizon's FiOS service, which tops out at 300Mbps for $204.99 a month.

"Presumably, if Verizon FiOS offered speeds of 310Mbps, Comcast would have gone with 315," quips Jon Brodkin of Ars Technica. Still, he notes that Verizon may still be faster; FCC tests show that FiOS speeds are generally about 20% above what's advertised, compared to 3% for Comcast. The new service will only be available in select markets, almost all of them in the Northeast, where FiOS is popular. There's also good news for less-wealthy Comcast subscribers: its existing tiers are doubling in speed.

This Feb. 13, 2012 photo, shows Comcast service vehicles parked at a Comcast facility in Pittsburgh.
This Feb. 13, 2012 photo, shows Comcast service vehicles parked at a Comcast facility in Pittsburgh.   (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 18 comments
Eat_Eateator
Jul 25, 2012 3:44 PM CDT
But MOST IMPORTANTLY, what's the upload speed? Fucking asshole corporations bury the real info down deeper every year. And the fucking media doesn't even talk about that, instead we just get an ad for the new "faster" service. I really don't give a fuck if i can get a movie in two seconds versus two minutes, but as a content generator I want shit to fly out of my computer like it's escaped from hell.
OooShiny
Jul 25, 2012 3:17 PM CDT
Am I reading this right?  That Comcast will charge a whopping $100 extra for a truly miniscule increase of 5 lousy megabytes per second, a nano difference only a quantum physics savant could notice? That's like paying 100 bucks for a loaf of bread that has a brand-new high-tech twisty-tie that unties in 2 twists instead of 3.
14theGipper
Jul 25, 2012 3:14 PM CDT
Funny thing is the cable companies will be their own demise based on this type of business model.  With wireless technology increasing at exponential speeds its only a matter of time before the entire country is covered by wireless high speed internet...... everyone will be cutting the cable.
 

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