Comcast changes name to Xfinity

Comcast changes name to Xfinity, customers don’t care

Update: An official announcement from Comcast confirmed that it will, in fact, not be changing its corporate name, but rather branding its cable services as Xfinity.

Comcast, the biggest cable provider in the United States,  is changing its name. According to the company’s blog, Xfinity will now replace Comcast as the company’s new product name in an attempt to show customers that it’s not the ”same old company,” but rather an innovator.  That could be a tough sell considering the company’s current reputation as a behemoth with terrible customer service.

If Xfinity sounds familiar, it’s because Comcast used the name back in December when it announced the launch of Fancast Xfinity TV, providing the internet TV platform a host of popular TV shows, including The Simpsons and The Sopranos. The company actually announced the name change on its blog last week, but is only making a big publicity push for it now.

While the company says Comcast will still remain its corporate name, all new products will be branded under Xfinity. The company states that the new name is about new products across technology platforms and faster speeds. While it’s great to improve on more TV shows, HD features and more language channels, what about customer service?

Comcast’s Achilles heel has been its notorious bad customer service and technical difficulties. On the American Consumer Satisfaction Index, Comcast has a substantially lower rating than competing cable and satellite TV providers like DirecTV and Cox Communications. A Google search on “Comcast” lends several high ranked anti-Comcast results, including ComcastSucks.org, a site dedicated to making Comcast a responsible business entity.

While I commend Comcast for attempting a new start, it would seem that fixing customer service and technical issues should be the main focus. And while a  Twitter account dedicated to customer service and a new Comcast Customer Guarantee are good steps, they are small ones. Comcast is going to need more than a new name to keep customers from grumbling and looking at more innovative and flexible products like Boxee or Apple, which tap into the internet to watch shows rather than through cable.

Comcast kills the NBC Iconic Peacock Logo... Good or Bad Decision?

Above is the new, Comcast-approved logo for NBC Universal, which you may notice is missing a little something.

Visual interest, for one -- but more important to the long-standing identity of NBC, the network's peacock logo is being banished from the corporate letterhead when Comcast takes over next week. The new bosses unveiled the plain wordmark against a bluish-purple background at a town hall meeting with NBCU employees on Thursday (Jan. 27).

For good measure, the representation of Universal's spinning planet in the old NBCU logo (which is below) is gone too.

"It seemed kind of busy," incoming NBCU CEO Steve Burke said at the meeting in New York, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The peacock will still be featured on-air on NBC and news channels CNBC and MSNBC, and presumably Universal Pictures movies will still feature the word "Universal" unfurling across the globe. 

But the corporate identity indicated by the new logo seems calculated to be as bland as possible. It's accompanied by a new company slogan, "Let's make history. Again" -- which says about as little as "Characters welcome" and "Watch what happens," so at least it's consistent with what already exists at NBCU.

Soon-to-be NBC Entertainment president Bob Greenblatt is reportedly interested in making more provocative shows at the network. We hope the creative environment there comes up with something edgier than the new logo.

Comcast-NBC merger expected to have net neutrality conditions

Comcast-NBC merger expected to have net neutrality conditions

Federal regulators aren't expected to decide this week on whether to approve a merger of Comcast and NBC Universal, as they weigh placing conditions on Internet access, as well as other requirements, according to sources familiar with the reviews.

The two Democratic commissioners are pushing to ensure the merged broadband and media company preserves local media and that Comcast can't use its market power to make it harder for content and media companies to reach consumers.

The merger has been blessed by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, as long as the companies agree to certain conditions, including some on online video. The FCC would not give details, but analysts said they expect Comcast to agree to provide NBC shows as long as other networks are providing their content to online video providers such as Apple TV and Netflix.

According to sources familiar with the FCC review, Comcast and NBC are expected to agree to net neutrality rules for a limited number of years. Those rules would be upheld even if the FCC's recently passed Internet access rules are overturned by courts.

Comcast, meanwhile, has been seeking speedy completion of its year-long review by the FCC and the Justice Department. Sources said Justice has finished its review and is waiting for the FCC to vote on Genachowski's order.

In a blog earlier this week, Comcast executive vice president David Cohen said the merger appeared near a vote. He noted that the company's commitment to provide $9.99 broadband access to low-income communities has been hailed by the tech community. The firm has received support from filmmaker Ed Burns and some minority groups and lawmakers.

But it has also faced a flurry of opposition. Internet service provider Earthlink has petitioned for conditions that force Comcast to unbundle its broadband access so companies like it can provide Internet access to Comcast customers. Voxel, a company that hosts traffic for Web sites such as The Observer, said Comcast doesn't play fair in business-to-business relationships. Specifically, it said Comcast purposefully keeps its pipes congested for certain content delivery networks such as Voxel and Tata Communications in order to charge them for better delivery of content.

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