Telecoms Add Home Internet Users as Comcast, Charter Lose 185,000 Broadband Subscribers
Updated
Updated · Cord Cutters News · Aug 23
Telecoms Add Home Internet Users as Comcast, Charter Lose 185,000 Broadband Subscribers
1 articles · Updated · Cord Cutters News · Aug 23
Summary
Comcast and Charter lost a combined 185,000 broadband subscribers in Q1 2026 while Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T kept adding home internet customers through 5G fixed wireless and fiber.
Prices as low as $35 a month, multi-year price locks and streaming perks are helping telecoms pull households away from cable bundles in what the report calls "Cord Cutting 2.0."
Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T are pushing both wireless and fiber options, while lower-cost brands such as Visible, Metro, Mint and Straight Talk widen the shift beyond the big carriers' flagship plans.
Fiber remains the premium choice for heavy-use homes, 5G targets renters and areas without wired upgrades, and satellite options such as Starlink extend the competition into rural markets.
The broader change is that consumers increasingly choose internet by price, speed and flexibility rather than defaulting to the cable company that owns the local line.