Ignoring critics, Verizon, Comcast dive deeper into cross-selling pact

Six new regions are getting the Verizon-Comcast treatment.

The wireless operator and the cable provider revealed today they’re selling their cross-network bundle of mobile and broadband services in and around Atlanta; Chicago; Kansas City, Mo.; Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.; Salt Lake City and throughout Colorado. The U.S. Department of Justice may well find that cross-selling pact anticompetitive, but Verizon and its cable partners aren’t stopping until they’re told they have to. As in the case with other such launches, Verizon and its cable partner are offering a Visa prepaid card valued between $50 and $300 for customers that couple Verizon Wireless mobile service with a Comcast residential broadband or TV plan. They’re even adding a little extra incentive in this new round of launches with a “double your data package” promotion, which will combine a 12-month upgrade to Comcast’s 30 Mbps Blast cable modem service with Verizon’s PowerBoost offer, which doubles a smartphone user’s monthly data cap.