Comcast Falls Short on Billing and Accessibility in Seattle Audit

A newly released audit found that Comcast complies with most of Seattle’s Cable Customer Bill of Rights. However, the report also highlights two key areas where the company fell short—applying late fees too early in February and failing to adequately inform customers with disabilities about available services—and notes that seven other standards could not be fully assessed. The findings come as the city prepares to renegotiate its cable franchise agreement with Comcast, set to expire in January 2026.

The audit was requested by Seattle City Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth and Mayor Bruce Harrell to evaluate whether Comcast, one of the city’s two cable providers, meets the standards established to protect and inform cable television customers.

“Seattle residents deserve fair, transparent, and accessible service,” said Hollingsworth. “This audit ensures that providers like Comcast are held accountable.”

According to the report from the Seattle Office of City Auditor, Comcast complied with 39 out of 49 tested service standards in both policy and practice and met another four based on its documented policies. Two standards were not met, seven could not be assessed due to vague language or lack of data, and one was not tested.

The most significant issue involved Comcast’s billing system, which applies late fees to February bills before the due date, violating city rules that require at least 30 days before a late fee is charged. Because February has fewer days, the system generates March bills before the February due date, automatically adding late fees. Comcast says it manually credits those charges, but the city concluded this reactive approach does not meet the standard and may cause customer confusion and complaints.

In its response, Comcast disagreed with the audit’s recommendation to update its billing process. The company instead suggested changing the city’s billing window to 27 days for February, a proposal the City Auditor’s Office rejected on the grounds that it would shorten the payment period for customers and still fail to meet current rules.

The second area of noncompliance involved Comcast’s communication about services available to customers with disabilities. While the company offers accessibility services, such as closed captioning, large-button remotes, and in-home equipment assistance, the audit found these offerings were not mentioned in Comcast’s welcome kit or other general customer materials. Without that information, customers may be unaware of services they are entitled to under city rules.

Comcast partially agreed with this finding and committed to including accessibility information in its welcome kit starting in the first quarter of 2026.

The audit also offered observations relevant to Comcast customers. The company operates four service locations in Seattle—more than the one-per-75,000-customers required. However, services at third-party-run stores in Ballard and West Seattle differ from those at Comcast-run locations downtown and at Northgate. For example, third-party employees reported being unable to provide bill credits and referred customers to other locations for certain services.

Seattle’s rules do not currently apply to online chat support, only phone service. The audit noted that Comcast met the required response time for live agents over the phone but promoted its chat function even during phone interactions.

Comcast was also found to comply with rules requiring interest payments on deposits, maintaining accurate records, and issuing credits for outages—though only to customers who report them. In contrast, some jurisdictions such as Philadelphia provide automatic outage credits in certain situations.

In 2023, Comcast transitioned customers to paperless billing by default, providing information on how to opt out. The company remains compliant with the rule allowing customers to choose between mailed or electronic bills.

According to a 2024 city-commissioned survey, 54 percent of Comcast customers and 66 percent of customers with Astound, Seattle’s other cable provider, were unaware of the Cable Customer Bill of Rights. The city encourages customers to contact their cable provider directly with issues, and if not resolved, to file a complaint with the city by calling 206-684-8498 or visiting its website.

The City Auditor’s Office plans to conduct a separate review of Astound’s compliance later this year.