It was only a few months ago when entertainment giant Comcast (CMCSA) managed to get a court to see things its way in terms of paying costs on certain pole replacements. Now, Comcast is facing a whole new issue in that vein, claiming that Appalachian Power Company is violating the relevant court order. The news hit investors only slightly, and Comcast shares dipped fractionally in Tuesday morning’s trading.
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Back in February, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) gave Comcast a leg up. It was trying to speed up broadband deployment and get more high-speed internet options available to more homes. Comcast complained that the cost of replacing poles in one area, covered by the Appalachian Power Company (APCo), was far too high.
The FCC issued an order that said that Comcast would only have to pay incremental costs to address situations where a “…stronger or taller pole” was needed. But Comcast alleged recently that APCo was not living up to the terms of the agreement and was charging “unreasonable” fees around pole replacements. Comcast alleged that APCo was charging at least 20% for every pole, and up to 100% in some poles’ cases.
Meanwhile at the Theme Park
Comcast’s Universal Orlando Islands of Adventure theme park is about to get a bit of a renovation, reports note. The day-one attraction known as Lost Continent is being shut down to make way for a whole new project. The shutdown will not hit all at once, but instead will feature phased closures. The Mythos restaurant will close permanently in 2027, and several features from Poseidon’s Fury to The Eighth Voyage of Sindbad have already shuttered.
Further, updates on the earlier reports about the closure of the Horror Make-Up Show have hit, and there will be some disappointing news with this one. Those hoping for a reopening in time for spooky season in fall will be thwarted, as the new show will open in Winter 2026, thus missing the entirety of spooky season. Given that the most recent video clips involved in the show were 2017’s The Mummy, there seems to be good reason for a shutdown.
Is Comcast Stock a Good Buy Right Now?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Hold consensus rating on CMCSA stock based on four Buys, nine Holds and one Sell assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 28.05% loss in its share price over the past year, the average CMCSA price target of $33.04 per share implies 32.8% upside potential.
