The Denver Post

COLORADO FIRMS MAKE PLAY AT 2018 CES IN LAS VEGAS

- By Tamara Chuang

Comcast is upping internet speeds offered to Colorado customers beginning Tuesday, which comes three months after the state’s largest cable company announced price increases for some of its cable TV services.

The new speeds, between 10 and 50 percent faster, are part of the company’s usual upgrade in speeds made every 18 to 24 months and don’t come with a price hike. Customers of the faster Performanc­e Pro plan will see a jump to 150 megabits per second, from 100 mbps. Upload speeds, however, are unchanged.

“The reason we are doing this increase is because new devices are coming online every day and we are staying ahead of demand through faster speeds and unrivaled technology, like our wireless gateways,” Leslie Oliver, a Comcast spokeswoma­n, said in an email. “… Faster speeds help ensure people have the speed necessary to power the increasing number of devices they are connecting in the home — computers, tablets, smartphone­s, gaming consoles, home automation devices and more.”

There is one catch: Customers will need a newer DOCSIS 3.0 modem. If a customer doesn’t have one, they can swap their existing modem for the new xFi Wireless Gateway for free.

In October, Comcast increased prices for Colorado customers on certain plans and services, with its stand-alone Performanc­e Pro internet plan rising about 2.5 percent to $81.95 a month. Other plans, including double and triple play requiring two or more services, stayed the same, at least for Colorado customers. Comcast, like most telecom services, typically raises prices annually.

Comcast doubles the capacity of its internet speeds every 18 to 24 months, Oliver added. The last time it increased speed for the Denver area was in September 2016, when the Performanc­e Pro plan jumped to 100 mbps, from 75 mbps.

The faster speeds should translate to smoother video streams of high-definition movies. But it could also mean customers reach their data cap faster. Comcast started capping Colorado customers in November 2016 to one terabyte but said most users don’t come close to touching it.

Besides Colorado, Comcast is also increasing internet speeds this month for some customers in California, Washington, Utah, New Mexico, Minnesota, plus the cities of Tucson, Kansas City and Houston.

For those with the proper equipment, Comcast recommends restarting the modem to get the faster speed.

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