Read update
- New FCC Broadband Rules
Four of Xfinity's home internet plans just received a free upgrade. If you're on the Connect, Prepaid, Connect More, or Fast plans, you will now experience download speeds up to 150 Mbps faster than before. Unfortunately, this upgrade does not extend to Xfinity's premium home internet packages.
UPDATE: 2024/03/15 10:08 EST BY ANDREW HEINZMAN
New FCC Broadband Rules
The FCC now decrees that any internet download speed below 100 Mbps cannot be called "broadband." Presumably, Xfinity adjusted its internet speeds in anticipation of this regulatory action. Other ISPs may upgrade their low-cost plans to conform with the FCC's new standard, though some may simply rebrand plans that no longer qualify as broadband.
Customers on the Xfinity Connect and Prepaid plans benefit the most from this change. Going forward, Xfinity Connect will offer download speeds of 100 Mbps, up from 75 Mbps. The Prepaid tier now reaches speeds of 200 Mbps—a huge upgrade from the previous 50 Mbps speed.
Those with a Connect More package will now enjoy 300 Mbps connectivity, up from 200 Mbps. And while Xfinity isn't extending an upgrade to premium subscribers, those on the Fast plan get an upgrade from 400 Mbps to 500 Mbps.
Here's a more condensed rundown of the Xfinity plan upgrades:
- Connect: 150 Mbps (Up from 75 Mbps)
- Xfinity Prepaid: 200 Mbps (Up from 50 Mbps)
- Connect More: 300 Mbps (Up from 200 Mbps)
- Fast: 500 Mbps (Up from 400 Mbps)
To reiterate, these are download speeds. Xfinity hasn't upgraded its uplink speeds, meaning that you'll still experience relatively slow uploads on these entry-level and mid-tier plans. Comcast isn't very transparent about its upload speeds, but from what I've gathered, the cheaper plans float around 15Mbps. (Personally speaking, I'm on the Gigabit plan and only get 100 Mbps uplink.)
Xfinity notes that these changes may be helpful to some Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) participants. The government-funded ACP, which will be shut down on May 1st, provides a $30 home internet discount for low-income families. ACP customers. If you currently redeem ACP benefits on a mid-tier plan, you may now downgrade to a cheaper plan without being subjected to sub-100 Mbps speeds.
Note that Xfinity is also offering ACP customers the $9.95 Internet Essentials or $29.95 Internet Essentials Plus packages. You can also receive a home internet discount through the Lifeline program, and Xfinity invites ACP customers to call 1-800-Xfinity for promotional offers or other savings.
Today's speed upgrade applies to all new and existing customers. To see your current Xfinity plan, simply visit the Xfinity Plans page and log into your account. This may be a good opportunity to downgrade to a cheaper plan, especially if you're a Fast or Superfast customer.
Source: Comcast
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