Charter Communications announced it will finish rolling out 100 Megabits-per-second (Mbps) broadband to its 26 million Spectrum cable internet subscribers. Customers who subscribe at the internet service’s top tier instantly saw their 60 Mbps service accelerate to the new level. That top-tier service level will rise to 200 Mbps over the next year.
“Customers today enjoy a flagship broadband speed that is 20 times faster than it was eight years ago,” the company said in its press release.
The speed increase is the result of a four-year, $21 billion technology investment technology. Charter now compresses its video streams more aggressively to free up bandwidth in its system – all while boosting video quality.
Aloha Gigabit
Charter also announced the launch of its gigabit-per-second (Gbps) Spectrum Internet Gig service. The $104.99-per-month service uses the existing cable infrastructure so any home could get ultra-fast internet speeds. The hardware rental comes with the service so the only thing you need… is to live in Hawaii. Spectrum Internet Gig arrives in more markets “in the coming months”.
As Charter Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Tom Rutledge explained in the press release, “Charter’s state-of-the-art, fiber-rich network is superior in its ability to deliver fast and reliable internet to millions of consumers across the country.”
The irony of the announcement was not lost on Ars Technica’s Jon Brodkin. He pointed out that net neutrality did not hamper Charter’s technological innovation. Charter and other internet service providers lobbied the Federal Communications Commission to overturn the Obama-era regulations. They complained that the rules kept them from innovating and offering customers better service. Brodkin’s thorough take-down highlights how little truth these complaints contain. Broadband gets faster even with net neutrality.
Chris Casper is a former tech industry product manager who escaped from California for New Mexico. Now he writes about science and tech while searching for the perfect green chile sauce.
