Less than a year after expanding Xfinity fiber Internet outside of its historic cable franchise territory into Milford, Orange and Woodbridge, Comcast is now introducing Xfinity fiber in Norwalk, Stratford and Wilton. In all, Comcast says the new expansion will provide Xfinity fiber network access to nearly 73,000 homes and businesses in the three municipalities, with service already available on a limited basis in Stratford.
Comcast has begun spooling out fiber cable in Norwalk and Wilton, anticipating being able to offer service to an unspecified number of households by the end of August. Comcast is also pushing fiber service into Windham County as well. Broadband users can get updates on when service arrives online at Xfinity.com/MyTown.
As one example currently in a Stratford neighborhood, the company is offering its gigabit fiber service at a base rate of $50 a month, for customers who sign up with no contractual commitment, while those who commit to a three-year contract in Stratford can lock in a $60 rate. Lower bandwidth plans shave $10 or $20 off the monthly rate. Extra fees apply for installation, and for a gateway device after the first year of service.
"It's a great deal — so I think right there that shows you customers have options, and that's the good thing about bringing Comcast to more communities," said Elizabeth Walden, a spokesperson in the Berlin office of Comcast.
Comcast is providing new fiber customers two years of free access to its Peacock Premium streaming service that provides programming from its NBCUniversal subsidiary. New broadband customers can get one Xfinity Mobile line free for one year, at about a $40 monthly value.
In addition to its Connecticut broadband and cable TV operations based in a Berlin facility totaling 63,000 square feet of space, Comcast is a major employer in Fairfield County with its NBC Sports headquarters in Stamford. The company did not provide an updated count of its employee base across its Connecticut operations.
Walden said Comcast has no immediate plans to open an Xfinity storefront in Norwalk, with its lone Fairfield County store near Danbury Fair mall. The closest Xfinity store to Stratford is less than 20 minutes north in Derby.
Comcast increased broadband revenue 3 percent across its U.S. territories in the second quarter, with the company not breaking out broadband revenue at the state level. In filings with the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, Comcast reported $33.3 million in cable TV revenue in Connecticut over 12 months through 2023, a 4.6 percent decrease from the prior 12-month window. That was less severe a decline than the national drop in cable TV revenue.
CABLE COMPANIES IN CT
Cable companies have been counting on new fiber Internet services to spur growth. A Comcast executive reported in July that the Philadelphia-based giant had strung fiber cable across half its existing cable footprint nationally, with the expectation of reaching the 60 percent threshold by year-end.
While cable companies are able to deliver gigabit Internet over coaxial cable using the most up-to-date technology, fiber optic networks offer the ability to match those speeds in uploading videos, a big draw for some customers.
Optimum has been the dominant cable broadband provider in much of Fairfield County dating back to the days of Cablevision, which Altice USA acquired in 2015. Altice USA reported that 60 percent of its net gains for fiber Internet in the second quarter were from existing customers who have had subscribed to cable Internet service previously.
"The legacy Cablevision ... footprint is one that we're laser-focused on. We've launched our new, hyper-local, go-to-market playbooks in the past quarter, and we are seeing incredible stabilization across our footprint in over 100 of the markets that we've launched," said Altice USA CEO Dennis Mathew, speaking in early August on a conference call. "We are seeing our ability to compete improve."
Frontier is several years into rolling out fiber Internet service statewide. Other cable and fiber broadband providers in sections of Connecticut include Stamford-based Charter Communications, Cox, Breezeline and GoNetspeed.
Includes prior reporting by Paul Schott and Luther Turmelle.
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