Comcast Roundup: 250 Mbps on the way, Comcast criticized for being two-faced and more

Every Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. EST, find all the stories you need to know about your friendly telecommunications giant in the Comcast Roundup. Get an e-mail subscription for our Comcast news updates.

DEFINITE READS

• Comcast is said to be planning to unleash 250 Mbps speed Internet in the near future.
• Industry and trade groups are chastizing Comcast for agreeing to FCC rules in its NBCU merger while simultaneously trying to change regulations. Which, in government, is like yelling “Yo, youse a liar!” on the playground.
• NBCU and Comcast continue their dance with the federal government today. The companies say that even if they merged, their online video presence will still be a tiny fraction of Google’s market share.

Below, Comcast comes down hard on hackers the company continues to try and rehab its customer service image.

MIGHT BE WORTH YOUR TIME

• Comcast is continuing to amp up its customer service efforts with its new “Comcast Guarantee” which includes a $20 credit for missed appointments, money-back guarantees and other “really tangible” efforts. See the commercial for the service at the end of this post.
• One of the three hackers that redirected Comcast.net traffic in May have plead guilty. Christopher Allen Lewis a.k.a. EBK faces up to five years in prison.
• Minn. Senator Al Franken is demanding that Comcast and NBC agree to open up all TV programming to non-Comcast subscribers. Both companies have said in congressional hearings that they have no plans to charge for online content.

GIVE A GLANCE

• Clearwire, the wireless network partially owned by Comcast, has beat Wall Street’s revenue and subscriber expectations. (h/t Philly Tech News)
• Comcast is now offering free online storage to its high-speed Internet customers. “Secure Backup & Share” offers two gigs for free, and then charges in tiers up to 200 GB a month for $100 a year.
• Philly Speaks host E. Steven Collins has teamed up with Comcast to create 18 Black History Messages to air on stations across the country. The messages feature interviews with African-American Comcast employees.

The Comcast Guarantee:
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When there is just too much Comcast news to follow, the Comcast Roundup will be there every Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. EST