Comcast vs. AT&T U-verse

Comcast is one of the largest cable providers in the United States, and they have positioned themselves comfortably in a lot of markets where there is little to no competition. AT&T is poised to introduce U-Verse in a lot of markets that Comcast has an established presence in, and the competition will result in a great situation for consumers. Choosing between Comcast and AT&T U-verse may prove to be difficult if you do not have enough information about either provider.

Price
Cable companies tend to provide their services at a higher price, especially in markets where there is little or no competition. Comcast Triple Play Packages are priced similarly to comparable packages from AT&T U-Verse. The difference is that Comcast requires a minimum of a 12 month contract to get their best pricing packages. AT&T U-Verse packages have no contracts, and some of them also come with a monetary incentive to switch, so you will not have to renegotiate your prices every 12 months to fend off higher prices. AT&T may also provide incentives to customers who subscribe to their cellular services. Comcast does offer higher internet download speeds with some of their Triple Play packages, but AT&T provides a significantly larger channel lineup than Comcast in some markets.

Customer Service
The customer service experience can make or break your relationship with any service provider. Comcast has an abysmal customer service record for all of their services and their technical support, and there is enormous detailed documentation of it on the internet. Since AT&T U-Verse is a very young service, you can expect AT&T to work harder to recruit and maintain customers. AT&T is still developing, installing, and expanding U-Verse, so you may need to take advantage of AT&T’s customer service and technical support more often as the service goes through growing pains. Comcast is well established, so installations should not be as difficult or time consuming, and you may not require customer service or technical support from them.

Bandwidth Caps and Throttling
Comcast was recently investigated by the FCC for throttling BitTorrent data transmissions on their network, and plans to slow data transmissions from rival VoIP providers. Comcast has also started applying bandwidth caps of up to 250GB/month in certain markets. AT&T is not throttling U-Verse, but they are running bandwidth cap trials in certain markets. Even though bandwidth caps may be imposed on either service, AT&T will remain neutral when it comes to prioritizing data. AT&T also acknowledges that some of their bandwidth intensive services (HD over IP and VoIP) may result in slower data transmission speeds when they are used, but they are not consciously reprioritizing your data.

Should I Choose Comcast or AT&T?
Neither of these services are perfect, and they both have their flaws, but AT&T is less invasive in terms of manipulating data traffic. Since AT&T is eager to recruit new customers, you can expect them to work harder to keep customers happy. Comcast may provide more reliable services, but their exploits in data manipulation are well documented, and they have already been investigated by the FCC. They are known for having poor customer and technical support, but you may not need to rely on them as heavily as you would for a younger service like U-Verse. If you are in a market where both of these services are available, it is in your best interest to take advantage of AT&T’s 30 day money back guarantee and try the U-Verse service before you make a decision either way. This way you will not be locked into a Comcast contract and have to pay a fee to break it. AT&T U-Verse has unlimited potential, but Comcast may be more reliable for you. Take time to thoroughly investigate both services before making a decision.

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