Multi-Gig Symmetrical Speeds to Be Available Everywhere, Comcast Says

Comcast will announce next month the availability of multi-gigabyte symmetrical speeds throughout its entire footprint, Comcast Cable CEO Dave Watson said Tuesday during a J.P. Morgan investor conference. Watson said Comcast is enjoying "good success" in state-level broadband digital divide grants. The company extended its network past 840,000 passings last year and expects to do 1 million this year, with most of that unsubsidized, he said. Watson said about 85% of Comcast's mobile service traffic isn't carried via its mobile virtual network operator agreement, and it's "testing very actively" offloading more using its own spectrum. Comcast also unveiled its Now TV streaming platform Tuesday. At $20 a month, its lineup includes more than 40 live linear channels and more than 20 free ad-supported channels and Peacock Premium. It's available to Xfinity broadband subscribers.