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Buying a Cable Modem to Stop Comcast Modem Rental Fee

I really hate the idea that honest and upstanding Americans continue to spend good money to RENT a cable modem from Comcast when they can save a lot of money by buying a great modem for very little money.  So I aim to help you avoid these awful rental fees.

Comcast usually charges about $10 a month for you to rent a cable modem, which is $120 a year, and Add the "taxes and fees" that Comcast layers onto your bill and maybe the cost is $140 a year.  Wow.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?  STOP!!!

Cable modems are inexpensive!  You can buy a new, modern, blazing fast, Comcast-certified cable modem for less than $40 from Amazon.

But How?
  1. Buy this cable modem, the TP-Link TC-7610-E
  2. Unplug your Comcast rental cable modem
  3. Plug in your modern, newly purchased cable modem
  4. Restart your WIFI router (unplug it for 30 seconds, and then plug it back in)
  5. Wait a couple minutes
  6. Go to any website
  7. Comcast will put up a page instead of the website
  8. Log into Comcast using your Comcast account to enable the new modem
  9. The modem will be ready to go in minutes.
  10. Return the crappy rented modem to Comcast so they will stop charging you for it.
  11. Make sure you get a receipt when you return the modem.  Keep that receipt.
  12. Verify that Comcast stopped charging you a modem rental fee on your monthly bill
  13.  After four months, buy yourself a nice $10 gift each and every month.

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