Resort, Comcast To Meet About Digital Service Change

OCEAN CITY – A heads up was given to the Ocean City area this week that the Comcast cable and internet service is making a switch to digital service, and the proper equipment will be needed in order to continue functioning as usual.

At the conclusion of Tuesday afternoon’s Mayor and City Council meeting, Councilwoman Mary Knight brought to the public’s attention Comcast cable company’s intention to transfer all services to digital.

In an interview on Wednesday, she said in the Ocean City area Comcast is changing all cable television and high speed Internet to digital.

“If you don’t have the appropriate [cable] box by July 13, nothing is going to work,” Knight said.

She said that Comcast customers will have to contact the company to have their cable boxes changed to the appropriate device in order to adapt to the digital service. The company will mail the device, come to your home or report to a Comcast office to trade in.

“Every day I have driven by [Comcast office] and there are lines out the door,” Knight said.

According to Knight, there has been concern expressed over those involved with condo associations that provide Comcast’s service for all their members where the associations receive one bill and then allocate it to each condo unit.

“So those condo users aren’t getting this info unless their condo association is on top of things,” Knight said.

According to its website, Comcast is upgrading its network to deliver television programming in an all-digital format. The upgrade will allow the utility to deliver higher quality digital picture and sound to customers, but will also allow them to offer more high-definition and On Demand programming, faster Internet speeds, and enhanced home phone services.

Comcast is making this change in order to improve its network and continue to bring customers the products and services into the future. Prior to the network upgrade in the area, Comcast will send letters and postcards with the list of the channels being migrated to all-digital and information on how to obtain the required equipment.

“A lot of people don’t know this is going on,” Knight said.

A Comcast representative will attend the June 6 Mayor and City Council meeting to provide more information for the Ocean City’s area migration to digital service.