If you’ve been complaining to everyone who will listen about the speed (or lack thereof) of your internet, it looks like someone important may have been listening. Comcast announced that it will be increasing download speeds for its customers in 14 states across the northeastern region of the United States, ranging from Maine to Virginia. If you’re an Xfinity internet user, you should soon be seeing an increase in internet speed, regardless of which of the four tiers of service you’re currently subscribed to. That said, there will be variations in just how much faster your internet gets depending on how much you’re paying.
Folks who are subscribed to the premium plans, “Blast” and “Performance Pro,” can expect their download speeds to jump from 200 to 250 Mbps, and 150 to 200 Mbps, respectively. The more standard “Performance” tier will see its speed jump from 25 to 60 Mbps (which is technically the largest percent increase), while the most basic “Starter” tier will see a 50 percent increase from 10 to 15 Mbps.
Best of all, you won’t have to pay extra to get extra-fast internet. According to Comcast, as a result of this adjustment, 80 percent of Xfinity internet customers will soon be enjoying internet speeds of at least 150 Mbps. The speed increases are slated to begin rolling out over the course of April and in order to actually see the differences go into effect, you have to restart your modem.
If you’re not in the Northeast and wondering why you’ve been left out of this recent act of kindness, Comcast has the semblance of an answer for you. A spokesperson noted that it’s quite common for the company to implement changes first in a particular region before going national with a new plan. Folks in the Midwest actually received a speed increase in 2017, though the improvements were not exactly in line with these latest changes. In any case, we’re keeping our fingers crossed that the speed increases will soon roll out across the rest of the U.S., too.
As for the folks in the Northeast, keep in mind that while your download speeds will increase, there is no word on whether or not there will be any change in your upload speed.
