Comcast has decided to discontinue the use of its “Xfinity 10G Network” brand name following a ruling that found the term to be misleading. The decision was made by the National Advertising Review Board (NARB) after challenges were raised by industry competitors.
Both Verizon and T-Mobile raised concerns about Comcast’s advertising of “10G,” a term that cable companies have been using since 2019 to describe potential 10Gbps connections, which are significantly faster than what Comcast’s standard cable networks can currently deliver.
While Comcast appealed to NARB after an initial ruling against them by the National Advertising Division (NAD) in October, the NARB ultimately upheld the decision. The ruling stated that Comcast should discontinue the use of the term “10G” in the name of the service itself (“Xfinity 10G Network”) as well as when describing the Xfinity network.
In response to the ruling, Comcast expressed strong disagreement but stated that they would comply by discontinuing the use of the “Xfinity 10G Network” brand name and refraining from using the term “10G” in a misleading manner to describe the Xfinity network.
Although Comcast argued that it offers 10Gbps speeds to 98% of its customers upon request, regulators found that the recent availability of these speeds for some customers did not support the claim of superior speed for the Xfinity network as a whole.
Furthermore, the NARB noted that the comparison of cable networks to 5G wireless with the term “10G” was misleading, as there was no data comparing speeds experienced by Xfinity network users to those experienced by subscribers to 5G networks.
Ultimately, the term “10G” was deemed more aspirational than reflective of current offerings, and Comcast has agreed to cease its use in branding. However, they reserve the right to use the term in a manner that accurately reflects the Xfinity network without misleading consumers.
For cable customers, the key takeaway is to scrutinize actual purchased speeds rather than relying on marketing hype surrounding terms like “10G.” The disparity between cable branding and reality highlights the importance of informed decision-making when it comes to internet service providers.
