THIS IS AN ARCHIVED NEWS STORY FROM 2020 AND THE CONTENTS OF THIS ARTICLE MAY NO LONGER APPLY. FOR THE LATEST COMMUNITY NEWS CLICK HERE.
MAY 26 UPDATE FROM COMCAST: The target timeline for the work to be completed on internet reliability improvements is June 15. Each home is unique based on the services they have and the configuration to support these services. Therefore, Comcast will continue to have technicians available to support residents to help maximize their network experience.
ORIGINAL POST:
During public comment at the May 5 City Council meeting, citizens from the China Creek and Reserve neighborhoods shared their concerns about Comcast Xfinity’s internet reliability. Since then, the City has heard from approximately 100 people with similar internet connectivity problems. Our staff brought these concerns straight to our Comcast government representative, and after multiple conversations, the company has mobilized to make this their highest priority project.
Comcast had been in a holding pattern while they waited for a PSE permit to move forward with improvements. That permit was finally approved by the utility and the company can now work to update the network. Comcast anticipates that residents will start seeing improvements in as soon as the next two weeks. The City is in regular communication with Comcast through this process. Last week, Comcast had to apply for a permit through the City and we were able to get that expedited and approved within 24 hours to ensure progress isn’t stalled.
In the meantime, Comcast has created an email account specifically for this Newcastle project and residents. Please note, as of Aug. 10, the email account has now been deactivated. If you have ANY questions, or wish to talk with a technician about your network, please follow the instructions from Comcast below:
Dear Comcast customers,
We are in the process of making updates to our network in the City of Newcastle. While the network updates are being done, the technical operations team is reaching out to customers who contact us to ensure that their home network is optimized. If you have questions, or wish to talk with a technician about your network, send us an email at the address below. Please note, we have received a list of names of residents with potential issues, some without full contact information (i.e. home address). We will need the name on the account, a current phone number and home address if you wish to be contacted. During this extraordinary time, we understand the importance of staying connected through Internet service. Thank you for your patience.
Note: During the home network technical review, the technicians will be following COVID protocols ensuring that the safety of our customers and employees is the top priority.