Mediacom bumps up internet speeds for more than 80% of customers

Mediacom became the latest cable operator to boost internet speeds on its lower-tier plans, following earlier moves from Comcast, Charter Communications and Cable One.

The changes apply only to download rates, with speeds on its entry level plan rising from 60 Mbps to 100 Mbps and its Internet 100 tier doubling from 100 Mbps to 200 Mbps. Speeds on its Internet 300 plan will jump to 400 Mbps. It is also doubling speeds to 100 Mbps on its Connect2Compete Plus tier for low-income consumers.

A Mediacom representative told Fierce the idea to upgrade its service tiers “started with a conversation about creating a quality product to pair with the recently launched Affordable Connectivity Program.  Once we settled on 100 Mbps for our C2C+ program, we decided to adjust some of our other popular plans, as well.” The representative said the operator already had DOCSIS 3.1 technology in place which enabled the changes.

The upgrades apply to its residential wireline services only, rather than business or fixed wireless. More than 900,000 customers or over 80% of its residential customer base will benefit from the move, the representative said.

Asked whether it plans to push corresponding upgrades for upload speeds, the representative said “download needs still far outpace upload needs in today’s marketplace, so today’s announcement was focused on increasing downstream capacity.”

Mediacom said in a press release customers may have to reboot newer modems for the change to take effect. Older modems may have to be replaced entirely, but those leased from the company can be exchanged at no charge, it said.

Its decision follows moves from other operators to raise speeds on their sub-gigabit plans. In February, Cable One announced it is planning to scrap its 100 Mbps plan at the end of Q1 and automatically upgrade all those on that tier to its 200 Mbps offering at a small additional cost. Shortly after, Comcast raised downlink and uplink speeds on a trio of its mid-tier plans while Charter Communications neared completion of a multi-year quest to increase speeds for customers on its entry-level Spectrum plan to 200 Mbps.