Jeff Baumgartner

Altice USA is placing a bet on fiber that’s so large that it will become grossly inaccurate to refer to the company as a “cable” provider in the years to come. Altice USA, the service provider comprised of Altice NV’s acquisitions of Cablevision Systems and Suddenlink Communications, has embarked on an ambitious investment initiative that will skip DOCSIS 3.1 and instead focus on a fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) upgrade that will encompass the bulk of its footprint over the next five years.

The five-year deployment schedule, referred to by Altice USA as “Generation Gigaspeed,” is slated to start in 2017 and bring FTTP to its entire Optimum (former Cablevision) footprint and to most of its Suddenlink footprint. The company plans to announce its initial rollout markets in the coming months. It’s a big and bold move, as the combined footprint of Optimum and Suddenlink pass about 8.3 million fiber/cable homes. Altice USA’s plan also bucks the industry trend.

Comcast said it is rolling out a free speed upgrade in several markets that will raise the max download of its “Performance Pro” tier to 100 Mbps (from 75 Mbps), and “Blast Pro” to 200 Mbps (from 150 Mbps). Comcast said it’s deploying the speed boost in Washington state, Colorado, Utah, Tucson, parts of New Mexico, Houston, Oregon/Southwest Washington, Minnesota, and the Kansas City area. The company said most new customers in those areas should get the new speeds immediately when they sign up, and existing customers can expect to see the new speeds before December 1. Those speed tiers also include free access to more than 15 million Xfinity WiFi hotspots.

Pushing ahead on a pledge tied to its acquisition of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, Charter Communications has launched a standalone, low-cost broadband service for qualified seniors and families that costs $14.99 per month. The uncapped, contract-free offering, called Spectrum Internet Assist, delivers 30 Mbps downstream by 4 Mbps upstream, speeds that exceed the Federal Communications Commission’s current definition of wireline “broadband” -- 25 Mbps down by 3 Mbps up. Those customers can also add in-home Wi-Fi through Charter for an additional $5 per month. Qualified customers (families with students that participate in the National School Lunch Program and seniors 65 and older who receive Supplemental Security Income program benefits) can also bundle other Charter services. A triple-play under the program that includes phone and TV, starts at $74.97.

While prospective customers for the program can’t have had a broadband subscription from the operator within 60 days of signing up, they likewise won’t be denied the offering due to a bad credit score. However, they must clear any outstanding debt incurred within the last year with Charter, Time Warner Cable or Bright House Networks in order to be eligible. Charter is initially offering Spectrum Internet Assist in its legacy service area, and expects to make it available across its remaining footprint by mid-2017.

Comcast said is extending Internet Essentials, the company’s high-speed Internet program for low-income homes, to senior citizens in Boston (MA). Comcast also said it has donated $100,000 to Boston's Tech Goes Home for digital literacy training for seniors. The operator also donated 110 laptops to seniors at the South Boston Neighborhood House and high school students throughout the city. Comcast has introduced a similar Seniors-focused trials of Internet Essentials in Palm Beach County, Philadelphia, San Francisco County, and Seattle. Internet Essentials, originally a voluntary commitment linked to Comcast's acquisition of NBCUniversal, provides high-speed Internet service (up to 10 Mbps downstream) to those who qualify for $9.95 per month, plus subsidized computer equipment (less than $150 each) and free Internet training.

Comcast is preparing to launch 1-Gig (downstream) broadband service using DOCSIS 3.1 in several new markets in early 2017. Comcast has consumer trials underway in Nashville, Chicago and Atlanta, and has already announced that Detroit and Miami will be soon added to that list. Comcast announced Nov 1 that it has launched 1-Gig service via D3.1 in Detroit, with a base price of $139.95 per month while also testing “promotional base pricing” of $70 per month with a three-year service contract. Comcast also said it still plans to launch D3.1 in Miami before the end of 2016.

Cox Communications has expanded a monthly 1-Terabyte data limit to most of its high-speed Internet tiers, with the exception of the MSO’s 1-Gbps “Gigablast” offering, which remains at 2 TB. The revised policy applies a 1 TB monthly data plan to the following Internet offerings: Starter (5 Mbps down/1 Mbps up); Essential (15 Mbps/2Mbps); Preferred (50 Mbps/5 Mbps); Premiere (100 Mbps/10 Mbps or 150 Mbps/20 Mbps, depending on area); and Ultimate (200 Mbps/20 Mbps, or 300 Mbps/30 Mbps, depending on market).

AT&T said it is expanding the availability of fiber-fed 1 Gbps service to portions of at least ten additional major metro areas in Oct. AT&T, which recently dropped the “GigaPower” moniker in favor of a new umbrella brand, AT&T Fiber, said it has launched 1-Gig this month in Columbus (OH); Detroit (MI); and Huntsville (AL); and will add the following markets later this month: Augusta (GA); Bakersfield (CA); Ft. Smith/Northwest Arkansas (AR); Louisville (KY); Lubbock (TX); Memphis (TN); and Mobile (AL). The company said it has introduced 1-Gig in parts of 32 major metro areas, and is on track to reach at least 45 metros by the end of 2016, and 67 overall. AT&T claims to be marketing gigabit broadband to more 3 million “locations,” a number that it plans to expand to 12.5 million by mid-2019.

AT&T said it will deliver gigabit service to 11 more metro areas as it also drops the “GigaPower” name and starts to employ a new umbrella brand -- AT&T Fiber. The additional metros that will get 1-Gig from AT&T Fiber include Gainesville and Panama City (FL); Columbus (GA); Central Kentucky; Lafayette (LA); Biloxi-Gulfport and Northeast Mississippi; Wilmington (NC); Southeastern Tennessee and Knoxville; and Corpus Christi (TX). AT&T said the expansions increase its commitment to bring gigabit service to parts of at least 67 metros, and expects to have 45 of them online by the end of 2016. AT&T Fiber service is already deployed in 29 metro areas spanning 3 million “locations,” the company said, noting that it’s on track to exceed 12.5 million locations planned by mid-2019.

AT&T confirmed that it is sunsetting Internet Preferences, a targeted Web advertising program it has been using in tandem with its lower-cost GigaPower broadband service tiers. In Austin (TX), for example, AT&T has been selling a Premiere tier of the 1-Gig service for $70 per month, when subscribers agreed to participate in Internet Preferences alongside a Standard version, without the targeted ad option, for $99 per month.

AT&T said that, starting in October, all GigaPower customers, regardless of whether or not they previously chose to opt-in, will receive the stand-alone 1-Gig service for $70 – a price that happens to match up with Google Fiber’s stand-alone gigabit offering. “To simplify our offering for our customers, we plan to end the optional Internet Preferences advertising program related to our fastest internet speed tiers,” AT&T said. “As a result, all customers on these tiers will receive the best rate we have available for their speed tier in their area."

AT&T said that the leadership of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) has notified the company that IBEW-represented former DirecTV employees have voted to ratify two contracts. AT&T noted that one agreement covers over 1,600 employees in AT&T's field services group, located in 14 states.