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FCC directs Comcast to restrict price of its broadband offer after NBCU merger
MUMBAI: The Enforcement Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted a consent decree resolving its investigation of Comcast Corporation’s compliance with certain broadband-related merger conditions imposed by the US media watchdog’s order approving the Comcast-NBCU transaction.
The Bureau specifically negotiated an unprecedented year-long extension of the merger condition requiring Comcast to offer a reasonably priced broadband option to consumers who do not receive their cable service from the company. In addition, Comcast will pay an $800,000 voluntary contribution to the U.S. Treasury as part of the settlement.
FCC chairman Julius Genachowski said, “Today’s action demonstrates that compliance with Commission orders is not optional. The remedies announced today will benefit consumers and foster competition, including from online video and satellite providers, by ensuring that standalone broadband is truly available in Comcast’s service areas. I am pleased we were able to resolve this issue.”
Among other conditions in the Comcast-NBCU Order, the Commission required Comcast to continue to offer standalone broadband Internet access services at reasonable prices and with sufficient bandwidth to customers who do not subscribe to Comcast’s video cable services.
Specifically, the Commission required Comcast to offer standalone broadband services on terms equivalent to packages that bundle broadband and video cable service.
Comcast was ordered to offer a broadband service with a download speed of at least 6 mbps at a price no greater than $49.95 for three years. The Commission also prohibited Comcast from raising prices on the required broadband service for two years. Finally, Comcast had to “visibly offer and actively market” standalone broadband Internet access service to highlight the availability of this special service and other standalone broadband services.
After receiving information suggesting that Comcast was not adequately marketing its standalone broadband services, the Bureau thoroughly investigated Comcast’s compliance with the merger condition. Comcast responded fully to the Bureau’s investigation. Ultimately, the Bureau and Comcast reached agreement to address the Bureau’s concerns, resulting in today’s consent decree.
Under the terms of the consent decree, Comcast must continue to offer its “Performance Starter” service until at least 21 February 2015, representing a one-year extension beyond the requirement in the Comcast-NBCU Order. This is the first consent decree in FCC history extending a merger condition.
Consumers will directly benefit from the greater availability of this reasonably priced broadband option, potentially worth many millions of dollars in savings to consumers. Comcast also must pay $800,000 to the U.S Treasury.
In addition, the consent decree imposes a detailed compliance plan requiring Comcast to undertake numerous actions, including the following:
- training its customer service representatives and retail sales personnel to reinforce their awareness and familiarity with the Performance Starter service;
- ensuring that new and existing Comcast customers have equal access to a web page devoted exclusively to describing and permitting online purchase of all retail standalone broadband Internet service options;
- listing the Performance Starter service tier on product lists issued to Comcast customers;
- conducting a major advertising promotion of Comcast’s standalone retail broadband Internet access service offerings in 2013; and
- continuing to offer the Performance Starter service at its owned and operated retail locations and offering its third-party retail agents and independent dealers the opportunity to sell the Performance Starter broadband service.
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With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
