Increasing Broadband Price Competition

Competition has been creeping into broadband pricing for the last several years as cable companies have been using low introductory rates to try to win new customers and offering similarly low price to try to keep them. However, competition might have gone into a new gear recently when Comcast began offering low rates with a five-year price guarantee. The low prices were likely prompted by the recent announcement that Comcast lost 199,000 broadband customers in the first quarter, but Comcast's competitors aren't sitting still. Verizon recently announced a 3-year lock for fixed wireless access broadband prices at $35 per month for customers who accept autopay and who also buy a Verizon cell plan. Not to be outdone, T-Mobile now offers a $35 price for FWA broadband with a 5-year guarantee for customers who have a T-Mobile cellular plan. This announcement by Comcast and the constant advertisements from the FWA providers could prove to be a watershed moment for prices in the industry. Just imagine the glee that USTelecom will have in 2026 if they can announce that prices for broadband are actually decreasing.