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Comcast To Offer Pay-As-You-Go TV, Broadband Service (dslreports.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the convenient-way-to-spend-money dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from DSLReports: Comcast plans to roll-out prepaid cable TV and internet services later this year in portions of Illinois and four other states. According to a company announcement, Comcast's Xfinity Prepaid Services lets users sign up for TV or internet services and renew service for seven or 30 days at a time -- instead of paying by the month. A one-time setup fee of $80 includes equipment and 30 days of service, with users paying $15 for an additional seven days and $45 for an additional 30 days. "We want to create an easy, pay-as-you-go option for people who want more flexibility and predictability when buying our services," said Marcien Jenckes, Executive Vice President, Consumer Services, Comcast Cable. "And our partnership with Boost Mobile will give Xfinity Prepaid customers even more places where they can conveniently sign-up and pay-as-they-go."

9 of 43 comments (clear)

  1. Uhh... by MrAwesomeSauce · · Score: 2

    Pardon my stupid, but whats the difference between paying for a month, and paying for 30 days?

    1. Re:Uhh... by sexconker · · Score: 2

      7 months have 31 days.
      How many have 28 days?

      (ALL OF THEM.)

  2. HOW much to start-up? by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 2, Insightful

    $80 ??

    are you insane?

    I'll stick with torrents.

    go fuck yourself, comcast. I'll use you for data, but I see you are still in dreamland when it comes to voice and video.

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    1. Re:HOW much to start-up? by kheldan · · Score: 4, Informative

      I wouldn't even waste my time with their TV service if it was free. I found out the hard way the awful truth: recompression. They recompress the living fuck out of every channel to get it all into the available bandwidth. You may be technically getting 1080i, but as soon as there is any sort of motion, you see the compression artifacts like crazy. I'll stick with the antenna on my roof and downloading everything else.

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  3. Jesus by rsilvergun · · Score: 3, Interesting

    has the economy gotten this bad? Pay-As-You-Go isn't something companies do to be friendly, they do it because they don't trust their customers to pay their bills after the fact.

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  4. Fcc rules on cable card's and owned HSI hardware by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 2

    Can you take that prepaid box and use it on your post paid account? to get out of paying that $2.99-$10 /mo fee?

    What you get per prepaid and later move to post paid do now have this box for free + the main box as part of the base rate?

    What if you want want a cable card? Under the law they must give you one and refund the cost of there hardware.

    What if you want to add something like HBO? under the law they must let you add stuff like HBO to any base plan. Even if just to get a lower HBO promo price then HBO standalone.

    There site says you own the box but they may not let move that owned box to an other plan

    The cable card law says
    Pay only for equipment you have. Your operator must give you a discount on any packages that include the price of a set-top box if you choose to use your own CableCARD-enabled device. FCC Rule 76.1205(b)(5).

    Use your own set-top box without extra charge. FCC Rule 76.1205(b)(5)(C). Your cable operator may charge you to lease a CableCARD or tuning adapter, but may not charge you an additional service fee for using your own digital-cable-ready television or set-top box.

    Receive all "linear" channels (channels other than "on-demand") in your subscription package. This includes premium channels and specialty channels. For some channels delivered using a technique called "switched digital video," you may need a second device called a "tuning adapter." This device is typically provided at no additional charge to CableCARD customers. FCC Rule 76.1205(b)(4). CableCARD-ready devices currently cannot receive your cable operator's Video on Demand services.
    There line of BS makes there rant about how people own there own boxes is bad after seeing the FCC ideas that would allow customers to buy the cable boxes rather than leasing them from cable co. Seem like there are playing it both ways to rip people off. May at least the can get them to list the fee as outlet $9.50 box rent $0.50

    What about per paid internet why are forced to buy there hardware for the internet plan and can't use hardware that you own now?

  5. So they are being obtuse on purpose, right? by arthurh3535 · · Score: 2

    Because people want ala-carte, not pay as you go. I swear businesses really are trying to be stupid.

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    1. Re:So they are being obtuse on purpose, right? by evilviper · · Score: 2

      People want cheaper service... They think ala carte will do that, but if it doesn't end up being cheaper, then they really DON'T want it.

      Prepaid cellular service was a big factor in getting prices down. Fees couldn't be hidden remotely as easily, and people could switch from one service to another at any time without concern about 2-year contracts.

      It's possible that prepaid TV service will start to reform the cable industry in the same ways. It certainly can't hurt, as they're under attack by Netflix and others.

      Personally, I advise just about everyone to put up a good old TV antenna. The vast majority of the country has hundreds of channels (including sub-channels) of very high-quality TV broadcasts over the air, which you can receive for as little as $30 in equipment, one-time charge.

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  6. Re:Pretty sure... by FlyHelicopters · · Score: 2

    If it doesn't, then they finally have a solution for people like my friend, who have a 60 dollar window each month between paying all their bills and adding to their debt.

    And that is why your friend is IN that situation... because they are $60 away from being in debt, and using that last $60 to buy fast Internet.

    He/she will NEVER be free of it, because of their decisions...