AG Tong Welcomes Comcast Decision To Postpone Data Cap Rate Hike

Press release from the AG's Office:

Feb. 25, 2021

Attorney General William Tong issued a statement welcoming Comcast’s announcement today that they will postpone their ill-timed data cap until 2022. Attorney General Tong had strongly objected to implementing the rate hike in the midst of the ongoing public health and economic crisis.

“Delaying this ill-timed data cap until at least 2022 is the right call. I have heard from families across Connecticut who easily exceeded this cap while studying and working remotely. Far from so-called superusers, these were stories from typical Connecticut families trying to stay employed and educate their children during a global pandemic. To raise rates on these families at the very moment they were most reliant on broadband access and least able to pay more was simply unconscionable,” said Attorney General Tong. “I thank Comcast leadership for their willingness to listen and compromise, and for keeping lines of communication open with my office over these past several months of discussions. I will continue to monitor this matter closely to ensure all consumers are treated fairly.”

Comcast had announced a plan to charge an additional $10 for each 50 GB increment of data customers use above the 1.2 TB cap, up to as much as $100 per month. The plan was initially set to go into effect in March. Under pressure from Attorney General Tong and others, Comcast first agreed to delay the plan until July. The plan will now be postponed until 2022.

Attorney General Tong had been engaged in discussions with Comcast leadership over the past month in the hopes of convincing the company to reconsider the cap. He wrote a letter last month seeking information from the company and urging them to reconsider implementing the cap.

This press release was produced by the AG's Office. The views expressed here are the author's own.