Cable ONE Tees Up Free Speed Upgrades

Cable ONE said it will soon start to roll out broadband upgrades for its “Premiere” and “Ultra” tiers that will offer speeds up to 100 Mbps downstream.

Starting in April, subs on the MSO’s 60-Meg Premiere tier will be automatically upgraded to 75 Mbps (downstream) alongside a 5 Mbps upstream, and  Ultra subs will go from 70 Mbps down today to 100 Mbps down, with a 10  Mbps upstream.

Cable ONE, which serves 720,000 customers in 19 states, said it expects speed increases to be implemented across 99% of its footprint by this fall. The operator noted that it has invested nearly $80 million in infrastructures upgrades last year, and has earmarked another $40 million for 2015.

“These new, faster speeds underscore our commitment to delivering the fastest and most reliable Internet service in the markets we serve,” said Joe Felbab, Cable ONE’s VP of marketing, in a statement. “Whether our customers are gaming, streaming, or simply a multi-device home, our new speeds will provide a faster, more seamless Internet experience.”

Cable ONE’s residential Internet plans come with data usage policies. Its 50 Mbps plan comes with a monthly 300 gigabyte allowance, its Premiere plan has a 400 GB allowance, and the Ultra tier has a 500 GB allowance.  If customers exceed those consumption thresholds repeatedly, Cable ONE encourages them to switch to a higher level of service. In 2013, Cable ONE eliminated a policy that charged extra when customers exceeded their monthly data usage caps.