From product launches to ribbon cuttings, customer care to community volunteerism, we’ve had a busy 2019 here at Comcast in the Freedom Region, which encompasses Greater Philadelphia, New Jersey and northern Delaware. As we kick off the holiday season and prepare for a new year, we wanted to take the opportunity to look back.
We’re always focused on adding value for our customers – whether it’s with new tools, faster performance or more choice. Here are a few of the exciting things we introduced to our Xfinity product lineup this year:
- We brought even more speed, coverage and control to the Xfinity Internet. For instance, we boosted download speeds for some of our most popular Xfinity Internet packages for residential customers in the Greater Philadelphia Area. Also, we enhanced Xfinity xFi, which allows customers to get the most for their home WiFi networks, with advanced security and a new parental control feature. And we launched Xfinity Flex to give Internet-only customers an easier way to stream entertainment and manage their connected home devices right on the TV.
- For Xfinity X1, we continued to increase entertainment options, adding apps like NBC Sports Gold and Amazon Music to our ever-growing library of streaming content, following the addition of Amazon Prime Video to our platform in December 2018. We hosted events like Xfinity Watchathon, a week of free access to thousands of movies and shows, and celebrated diversity milestones like Black History Month, Lunar New Year and Pride Month with curated collections of series, movies and music.
- As part of our on-going commitment to make our products and services accessible to everyone, no matter their abilities, this year we were proud to launch Xfinity Eye Control, enabling people with physical disabilities to navigate their televisions using only their eyes; a partnership with NuEyes, to bring Xfinity Stream entertainment to visually impaired customers; and, launched a customer service program for the deaf community in American Sign Language (ASL) – called ASL Now – for Internet Essentials, Xfinity Internet and general Xfinity billing questions.
- Xfinity Home, named the best professionally installed security system in the market today by CNET, became even more pet-friendly as we introduced a new AI-powered pet filter to our Xfinity Home camera, helping customers find Fido when they check in on the go.
- We added the latest Apple and Samsung devices and new shared data options to Xfinity Mobile to provide even more choice and flexibility, as well as expanded bring-your-own-device options to include Android-based smartphones.
To highlight these features and more, we opened seven new Xfinity Retail Stores in the area this year, including a recent opening in Manahawkin, NJ. We now have 31 Xfinity Retail Stores across Greater Philadelphia where customers can try out our products, talk to knowledgeable staff and make adjustments to their accounts. Meanwhile, employees like Sean Davis, a technician out of Delaware, is making a difference on the job inspiring a special message to customers, colleagues, family and friends during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Our residential customers weren’t the only ones with new tools and features to enjoy. Our Comcast Business customers like Walnut Street Theatre, ChocolateText, AIRX Technologies and the Borough of Washington, NJ, have also had access to new benefits and enhanced product offerings. For instance, we added X1 for Business and the Xfinity TV Remote App, helping establishments like restaurants, gyms and stores keep their patrons connected to sporting events, the news, and their favorite entertainment. Then, there’s Xfinity Communities, which is streamlining technology and entertainment solutions for Temple University students living off-campus at the new, amenity-rich Vantage complex – a first.
We also unveiled a new state-of-the-art facility, The Newark Center, in Delaware. Our new customer support center brought together nearly 800 employees who previously worked out of two separate Delaware facilities. By bringing the two teams together, the new facility fosters teamwork and encourages a more collaborative, cross-functional environment that will ultimately enhance the employee and customer experience. The new center boosts a number of amenities and was designed with sustainability in mind.
We think about sustainability as we make every business decision, and we’re focused on creating a culture of sustainable innovation at Comcast that inspires environmental responsibility. This year in Greater Philadelphia, sustainability efforts were highlighted on Earth Day.
In addition to offering innovative products and services that power our customers’ homes and businesses, Comcast is committed to making a difference in the communities where we live and work. Here are a few of our community investment efforts this year:
- In the program’s most significant change to date, we expanded eligibility for Internet Essentials, the nation’s largest and most comprehensive broadband adoption program, to include all qualified low-income households in our service area. In Philadelphia, Internet Essentials has connected approximately 288,000 individuals, from 72,000 households, to the Internet at home.
- More than 11,000 local Comcast NBCUniversal employees and their families, friends and community partners “made change happen” this spring as they volunteered at 200 project sites across Greater Philadelphia as part of the 18th annual Comcast Cares Day.
- We gave $195,000 in college scholarships to 69 high school seniors in New Jersey, Southeast Pennsylvania and Delaware as part of our annual Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Program.
- As part of our year-round commitment to supporting members of the military community, and in celebration of Veterans and Military Families Month, members of Freedom Region VetNet gathered at VFW Post 475 in Newark, Del., on Veterans Day to ceremoniously retire more than 200 American Flags collected through the VetNet Flag Program.
For an overview of our 2019 announcements and more, visit https://corporate.comcast.com/press.
We continue to invest in our products, our people, and our communities, and look forward to a great 2020. Best wishes for a happy and bright close to the year, and thanks again for letting us be a part of it!