Comcast cranking up internet speeds in KC’s suburbs

Comcast, the dominant cable company in Olathe, Independence and much of eastern Jackson County, said Monday that its internet speeds will soon run about a third faster.

The change comes without price increases, giving customers who had been paying for connections of 75 megabits per second 100 mbps at the same price. Those buying 150 mbps speeds will see their connections amp up to 200 mbps.

Those faster rates kick in immediately for new customers. People already buying internet hook-ups from Comcast will see the speeds kick by the end of the month.

When Comcast tells individual existing customers that the faster speeds are available, they’ll need to restart their modems and wait about 30 minutes, although the company said some households will need to upgrade their devices.

In a news release, the company said, “ Customers who lease modems from Comcast will be able to receive upgraded modems at no additional charge. Customers who own their own modems and need to upgrade their modems to receive the increased speeds will need to purchase a new modem or can lease a new modem from Comcast.”

In early November, Comcast announced that it would start selling much faster connections — delivering download speeds of up to 1 gigabit, or about 1,000 megabits, per second — early next year. The company has not announced pricing for that service.

This story was originally published November 21, 2016 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Comcast cranking up internet speeds in KC’s suburbs."