Skip to main content

Most hated ISP in the U.S. is now offering faster broadband

Comcast
Comcast
If you live out in the sticks and just got your first taste of fiber broadband, perhaps you should keep looking, as the world is already moving well beyond that seemingly speedy standard. Comcast has announced that its 2Gbps fiber package is now available to as many as 18 million homes around the U.S.. On top of that, it has a new gigabit cable package coming just around the corner.

The first cities to be applicable to the new  DOCSIS 3.1 cable connection are Atlanta and Nashville, with customers in those areas getting the option to upgrade their existing cable connections to the new high-speed system at some point in the next few months.

Recommended Videos

Following on from those cities in the latter half of 2016 are Detroit, Chicago, and Miami, though Comcast isn’t being any more specific about expected launch dates just yet.

Related: Comcast doesn’t like its customers using their own routers, and it’s fighting back

However if you are one of those within the areas for Comcast’s 2Gbps fiber and don’t mind upgrading your own wiring, you may not need to wait for high-speed cable. Already available to those living in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Miami, and Nashville, and with expansion to further smaller markets, the aforementioned 18 million homes now have access to the super-fast connection.

Although the DOCSIS 3.1 cable connection is a great innovation, allowing faster Internet in homes and businesses that have yet to be upgraded to fiber optic, the photonic connection standard is the future of wired data transfer and will likely be the most forward-thinking upgrade path.

Offering both gives plenty of Comcast customers a choice, though Comcast may need to do more than that to retain its place as one of the more popular cable and telecoms providers in the U.S. It’s currently rated as the most hated (by far) broadband provider according to FCC complaints.

Often it seems though that people don’t have much choice if they want to switch. Are you stuck with a terrible ISP?

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale is a freelance evergreen writer and occasional section coordinator, covering how to guides, best-of lists, and…
Affordable broadband out of reach for most tribal reservations in the U.S.
broadband rural access native tribal v2

Only 33 percent of residents living in tribal ZIP codes around the U.S. have access to an affordable broadband connection, according to a new study from BroadbandNow, a customer advocacy and Internet Service Provider (ISP) comparison site.

In comparison, 51% of people who live in ZIP codes that are not on tribal reservations have access to affordable broadband.

Read more
The new, more detailed Apple Maps is now available across the U.S.
Apple Maps

Apple's revamped Maps is now available across the country. The redesigned Apple Maps adds much more detailed information and reduces Apple's dependence on third-parties to supply data. Not only that, but it also adds the new Look Around feature that competes with Google's Street View -- though Look Around isn't yet available in all markets.

Apple originally launched Apple Maps in 2012, but the launch was riddled with bugs -- to the point where Apple CEO Tim Cook even apologized for the issues. Since then, Apple has been working hard to improve Maps, and announced a full redesign of the service in 2018. The redesign first made it to certain cities, like the San Francisco Bay Area, and by the end of last year, it was available in around half of the United States.

Read more
The U.S. government says you need to update Firefox right now
Mozilla Firefox

If you use the Mozilla Firefox web browser, the government recommends that you update the browser because of a zero-day vulnerability that could enable hackers to take control of your computer. 

The United States Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is encouraging those with the Firefox browser to update to versions 72.0.1 and ESR 68.4.1.

Read more