Comcast loses 144,000 broadband customers as it blames irrational pricing
Comcast lost 144,000 residential broadband customers in Q3, as fixed wireless and fibre rivals put pressure on its cable business.
Comcast lost 144,000 residential broadband customers in the third quarter of 2026, more than the 91,000-customer loss it reported in the same quarter last year. The company says fixed wireless and fibre providers are taking share, while its executives described some rival promotional pricing as “irrational”. 12
The figures appeared in Comcast’s results for the quarter ended 30 September. Its cable business also lost 274,000 customers, according to the company’s earnings release, while the wireless operation added 368,000 customers. 12
Why Comcast is losing broadband customers
Comcast co-CEO Mike Cavanagh said fixed wireless remains aggressive and that fibre construction is still elevated in parts of the company’s territory. CFO Jason Armstrong argued that some fibre offers of $30 to $40 a month do not reflect the cost of building networks, which he said can exceed $1,500 per home. 12
The comments point to a familiar pressure in the US broadband market: established cable networks are being squeezed by newer fibre builds and by fixed-wireless services that use mobile networks to reach homes. Comcast’s own network combines fibre and cable, but fibre-to-the-home is available across only small parts of its cable footprint. 2
Armstrong also linked some of the customer losses to “pricing transitions” — the point at which promotional deals expire and customers face a higher monthly bill. Comcast said it is refining its offers and retention strategies, but the customer figures show that those efforts have not yet stopped the decline. 2
Comcast’s response
Comcast said it has begun what Cavanagh called the most significant operating and cost transformation in the company’s history, with an opportunity worth billions of dollars over time. The changes will create a charge of more than $1 billion in the fourth quarter, according to the company’s earnings call. 2
That restructuring comes as Comcast tries to balance falling traditional connectivity numbers against growth elsewhere. Its wireless business added customers in the quarter, but mobile growth does not immediately replace the predictable revenue of a long-term home broadband relationship. The company therefore has to defend its cable base while investing in network upgrades and responding to lower-priced alternatives.
The dispute over “irrational” pricing is also a warning for customers. A provider may see a discounted fibre plan as economically unsustainable, but consumers usually see only the monthly bill and the speed available at their address. If rival networks keep expanding, Comcast’s ability to raise prices after promotional periods may become increasingly limited.
Our opinion
Comcast’s results look less like a temporary wobble than a warning that its old broadband advantage is weakening. Fixed wireless is not perfect for every household, and fibre availability remains uneven, but customers now have more alternatives in enough markets to make promotional pricing and service quality matter.
Calling competitors’ offers “irrational” may be understandable from a network-build perspective, yet it does not solve the customer problem. Comcast needs to show why its service is worth staying with when a rival offers a lower bill, rather than relying on the cost of its infrastructure as the main explanation. The next test will be whether retention changes can slow losses without pushing more customers towards the exit.