What to know before you open your Comcast TV or internet bill: Rates are going up (again)

If you’re a Comcast subscriber, it’s not the most wonderful time of the year: The cable giant is raising its rates again. In a move subscribers have seen before – most recently in 2018, 2019, 2020 , and 2021 – Comcast’s TV service will see big increases in fine-print fees that it doesn’t advertise, while the large-print rates for its broadband will inch up by a smaller amount. Comcast didn’t provide specific numbers for the TV fee hikes, but journalist Phillip Swann, who covers the video business at the TV Answer Man site, recently reported figures for some markets. Swann linked to a copy of a letter Comcast sent to the Board of Selectmen in Sandown (NH) that had the broadcast TV fee going from $24.95 to $27.25 a month, with the regional sports fee inching up from $11.85 to $12. The inflation was much worse in other markets, with Taunton (MA)  subscribers seeing their broadcast TV fee rocket from $18.65 to $26 a month. Both the broadcast and sports fees reflect higher prices demanded of TV providers by two popular categories of channels: local stations and regional sports networks. Comcast’s broadband rates are also increasing by $3 a month on all speed tiers for internet-only subscribers, although customers who also pay for TV won’t see this bump. Comcast is also jacking up its cable modem rental fee from $14 to $15, a form of internet inflation that you can dodge by buying your own modem.