Comcast doubles the speed to 50Mbps for Internet Essentials plan without added fees

Comcast is doubling the internet speed to to 50Mbps for its Internet Essentials plan without additional fees, according to a statement by the company.

Customers of the Internet Essentials plan will begin to see the changes starting Mar. 1.

"We've been on a mission to address digital inequities in under-resourced communities through Internet Essentials for a decade and there's never been a greater need than now," said Dave Watson, president and CEO of Comcast Cable, in the statement.

The plan will remain costing $9.95 a month, and will upgrade from its current 25Mbps speed. Upload speeds will also increase to 5Mbps from 3Mbps.

The plan is targeted at families who qualify for other subsidized services, including food assistance or housing benefits. This is the sixth time in a decade that Comcast increases its broadband speeds for Internet.

In November, Comcast came under scrutiny after the company announced it would roll out data caps to Xfinity users nationwide. Meanwhile, as the COVID-19 has unveiled a digital divide, users have complained that some of the cheaper plans don't have fast enough internet speed, especially for students.

When companies began shifting to working-from-home practices, broadband internet companies, including Dish, Cox and AT&T, began to upgrade their internet speeds. Comcast boosted its internet speeds for the service to 25/3Mbps per second, from 15/2Mbps.

With Comcast's latest upgrade, the company says it hopes to advance digital equity.

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