Charter boosts its Internet speed to 60MB

A year after switching over to an all-digital cable TV network in La Cañada Flintridge, Charter Communications has implemented a series of enhancements that have boosted Internet connection speeds and added more than 120 high-definition channels.

Initiated in March, the rollout was completed by August, boosting browsing speeds from 30 megabytes per second to 60 megabytes per second for no additional charge, said Charter spokesman Brian Johnson.

Also complimentary were the 80 channels that went to high definition in August 2013 with the initial digital face-lift, but now with the upgrade, there are more than 200 of them in the lineup, he said.

“We removed the outdated analog signals and by doing so, it enabled us tremendous amounts of bandwidth that could be repurposed by additional HD channels and improving our Internet product,” Johnson said. “We promised folks that when they went on this digital journey with us, there will be benefits down the road … we’ve been able to make good on our promises.”

Glendale, Burbank and Long Beach were the first Southland communities to make the digital switch last year because they had the highest concentration of customers with digital receivers — 94%. That figure has climbed to 100% since the receivers became the only way to watch TV after the switch, Johnson said.

More than $271 million was spent on the upgrades in California and $2 billion is being spent across the country to bring them to Charter’s 29-state footprint.

If some customers feel like they’re not getting faster online speeds, there might be a work-around solution.

“You may need to reboot your modem, which you can do by simply powering it down, giving it a couple of moments and powering it up again,” Johnson said. “You should be able to see the difference.”