Comcast Notifies Business Customers of Policies Regarding Potential Outage
We learned that Comcast Business Communications has started preparing for a potential disruption of its high-speed Internet service as a result of the Excite@Home bankrupcy. Comcast has made the following information available:
- On its Web Site, Comcast warns customers of the potential outage. It also says that Comcast is building out a new backbone for business customers that will not involve any of the @Home infrastructure.
- Over the telephone, Comcast has created a recorded message at its Business Communications customer service number, 888-205-5000. This recorded message basically reiterates the information posted on-line.
- Comcast has also created a new customer hotline number to help business customers deal with the potential disruption: 888-447-6060.
Residential customers are directed to call 888-433-6963. There they are instructed to back up their personal web space and check their @Home email daily. This information appears on the consumer-oriented web site.
After having spoken to several customer service representatives, listened to recorded announcements, and read information posted to their web sites, we have concluded that Comcast expects Excite@Home to prevail in its bankruptcy court petition. We urge readers who might be effected to contact their cable carriers, read the documentation available, make their own conclusions, and prepare accordingly.
FYI, CTDATA is a customer of Comcast Business Communications, but only for the connection our employees use to access the Internet from our main office. Our customers have no exposure to this situation. For more information, look here.
Update: We have now done several stories on the impact of various aspects of Excite's bankruptcy on cable companies and their customers. To see other stories, search CTDATA for Comcast Excite.