AT&T is increasing the monthly price of hundreds of thousands of home internet plans by $5, according to customer notices and confirmed by company statements. For households already feeling pinched by higher utility costs, that’s another nudge upward on a bill for something that rarely ever stands still.
The increase was noted in subscription billing notifications sent to subscribers, and later confirmed by a company spokesperson in comments to multiple outlets. And while the increase won’t affect everything, it will apply to a wide spectrum of plans already in use, translating into an annual bite for families and small businesses that is difficult to ignore.
What is changing with AT&T home internet plan pricing
Here’s the headline change: $5 more per month for most legacy and existing residential internet tiers. Depending on location and promotions, some customers say they’re seeing popular fiber plans now starting around $85 monthly before taxes and fees. AT&T still gives you up to $10 off when you enable Autopay and Paperless Billing with qualifying payment methods: that’s just enough to offset the bump if you can take advantage.
Not all accounts will get the new price immediately. Notices indicate the change will arrive with your upcoming billing cycle, and customers are typically notified within their online accounts long before it actually takes effect.
Who is affected by AT&T’s latest internet price increase
AT&T says it’s not including those who recently signed up under promotional or introductory pricing. The bump also doesn’t apply to Access from AT&T customers, the company’s low-income program offering discounted broadband for qualifying households.
Everyone else ought to give the billing details page a long, serious read, where line items for equipment fees, network charges or regulatory surcharges can sneakily change up and down with regular service rates. A large number of customers on community forums report having success by contacting support and requesting to move to “newer pricing” or different tiers that might help offset the increase, albeit sometimes temporarily — gains which seem contingent on the region.
Why AT&T says home internet prices are going up now
The reason is justified by higher operating costs including infrastructure, labor and maintenance, the company says. Internal numbers cited by executives indicate an extra cost of around $300 million. Compounding the frustration for customers when their bills go up is the fact that AT&T just reported about $4.9 billion in quarterly profit, according to company filings.
There’s also a strategic dimension. Fiber expansion is expensive, and companies frequently use pricing to incentivize customers into higher-speed, higher-margin tiers. As legacy copper lines grow old, the expense of maintaining them can outstrip revenue, industry analysts say, putting pressure on companies to prod subscribers onto fiber or unified plans.
How these AT&T price changes play out in the market
AT&T is not alone. Competing cable and telco ISPs, meanwhile, have periodically hiked rates and added new fees (kind of like the latest price hike), all while insisting in advertising that they offer “(no) surprise” pricing. Consumer Reports has for years highlighted how modem rentals, add-ons (such as “network enhancement” fees) and expiring promotional prices can obscure what people really pay from month to month.
Meanwhile, the American Customer Satisfaction Index regularly rates ISPs at or close to the bottom of all industries it monitors. The Federal Communications Commission has promoted transparency with broadband “nutrition labels” that detail base price, fees and typical speeds, but many consumers find out about changes only after their bill posts.
What to do today if your AT&T internet bill is increasing
- Review your account notifications and the “view details” section of your bill to find when the new rate is effective.
- If you are affected, call customer care and inquire about current promotions, loyalty credits or switching to a different tier. In some cases, moving to more up-to-date plan structures can dampen or postpone the increase.
- Audit every line item. If you have a router of your own, don’t get charged equipment fees. Verify Autopay and Paperless Billing are enabled with a qualified payment method to receive any available discount. If you are eligible for Access from AT&T, apply; eligibility is determined based on income or participation in assistance programs.
- Shop your options. National carriers’ fixed wireless home internet, municipal fiber where available and some regional fiber providers can offer flat-rate pricing with fewer fees. Check plans by address using the FCC’s availability tools and local broadband maps. If you stay put, having a credible alternative tends to enhance your bargaining power.
Bottom line: another $5 a month may not seem like much, but add up that amount across millions of homes and you’ve got a significant transfer of money from wallets to networks. If you’re affected, there are some preemptive moves — from verifying discounts and comparing competing offers to pushing for retention pricing — that can help keep your bill in check.