While consumers are therefore forced to scrutinize the different offerings and read through the fine print to determine which is better, this double-edged sword also affords telecom buyers the true definition of competition.

While it may seem like the space is getting smaller and just a few big players are battling for the $100 in your monthly telecom budget, make no mistake that we have seen a clear retreat from the days of the incumbent monopoly. Comcast is now the latest to add to the mix its one-two-three punch in Chicago.

On June 19, AT&T made local news when the North Chicago City Council approved a competitive video agreement designed to upgrade its network and move forward into a telecom triple play. AT&T currently only offers IP video called U-Verse TV along with its traditional high-speed Internet, though, and says VoIP will be coming to the area in the future.

On Monday, Comcast’s offering simplified the triple play – known to be voice, video and data – by charging $33 per service when all three are purchased. More specifically, the bundle includes cable, VoIP with unlimited calling and high-speed Internet for 12 months with no contract. All equipment and installation fees are included.

“Unlike the phone companies, which are touting products that are still not available, Comcast delivers all three products today,” said Joseph Stackhouse, senior vice president of Comcast in its greater Chicago area, which is regionally located in Schaumburg, Ill. “Our competitors simply cannot match the combination of our content, quality, Internet speed and pricing.”

While AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and others certainly have similar offerings, Comcast says consumers can save up to $200 per year in Chicago by selecting its three-product ensemble. Competitive carriers will sing a similar tune with a slightly different savings figure.

By specific comparison, RCN in Chicago is currently offering a triple-play bundle for as low as $82.99 per month. The package includes 1.5 Mbps high-speed cable Internet, full basic cable TV and unlimited local calling. Though cheaper than the Comcast deal, the $82.99 package does not include long-distance. A $99 triple-play package from RCN does include long-distance.

Comcast’s greater Chicago region serves 1.9 million customers and employs 5,000 people in Illinois, Northwest Indiana and Southwest Michigan. Headquartered in Philadelphia, the company’s 80,000 workers serve 21 million customers in total.

Comcast San Francisco Mirrors Chicago

Concurrent with its Chicago release, Comcast also offered the $99 total bundle in the San Francisco area. The regular monthly rate of these services is $132.89. Straying from its $200 annual savings figure in Chicago – and this figure will always vary – Comcast spokesman Andrew Johnson says San Francisco consumers can save $350 a year over the carrier’s listed rate card.

After the first 12 months of this rate, the package cost will climb to the $132.89 price. Once coming out with such a special offering, though, telecoms have a tendency to extend such offerings or release new ones so as not to disrupt the flow of happy telecom buying.

Comcast says half of its customers in that area are already bundling two or more services and the offer is currently available to 90 percent of area subscribers. In test markets offering the bundle for a month, Comcast says one out of four new customers are taking the three-product package and half of its VoIP customers have at least two Comcast services.

Comcast Raises Rates in South Florida

On the same day Comcast came out with an offering to save consumers money in Chicago and San Francisco, the carrier announced it will charge consumers more in South Florida. While customers there averted a nationwide rate spike earlier in 2006 because of complications following Hurricane Wilma, area buyers weren’t immune to a cable TV increase this week by an average of 4 percent – or about $2.16 – for standard service.

The average cost of the new standard cable package will rise to $51.50. The increase is just attributed to “the cost of doing business,” according to Comcast spokesman Spero Canton.