As we announced last week, the second release of Comcast Mobile app on the iPhone is now available on the App Store [App Store link]. This release is packed with some real meaty features, most of them based on feedback from you, our users!

One of the most requested features – remote DVR – is now part of our mobile app, so DVR users in select markets can schedule recordings of their favorite shows directly through their iPhone or iPod touch. With our remote DVR service, known as myDVR Manager, you have the option of recording a single program, an entire series, and anything in between (one or more episodes of a series, only new episodes or old ones too, save until you delete or until the DVR is full, etc). Couple this with the myDVR Manager feature on comcast.net, you’ll never miss your favorite show!

Right now we’re in the process of rolling out our remote DVR service across the country. As the service is introduced, you’ll automatically be able to use this feature with Comcast Mobile 2.0. The myDVR Manager icon (which is shaped like an eye) appears at the bottom bar of the Guide in the app. If you don’t see the icon, it means that our remote DVR service isn’t available in your area just yet – but it’s on its way to you soon. Once your market gets remote DVR service, the app will display a notification message when you log in (we’ll also send an email to your comcast.net email address).

Now in terms of other new enhancements, the second most requested feature for this app has been Push Notifications for new voicemail and email. Every time there is a new voicemail on your home phone, you have the option of getting a notification on your iPhone. The badge count on the app icon will show how many new emails you have received since the last time you accessed your email (note: this is different from the standard behavior of the iPhone email client which shows you the number of unread messages). We think this is more intuitive, you let us know if you agree. You can also set TV reminders so there is an alert 15 mins before a show begins. If you want to turn off all chimes from the app, use the iPhone Settings (Settings → Notifications → Comcast → Sounds).

Also check out the TV Guide… we’ve tried to improve the user experience. The channel jump bar makes it so you don’t have to keep scrolling to get to channel number 250. You can also filter by Movies, Sports, Kids and HD. Plus, take a look at the little calendar in the Guide that lets you choose Prime Time (so you can jump straight to prime time programs).

And there’s even more… email users will love that you can access your secondary and external email accounts (if you’ve set up SmartZone to access Gmail, Yahoo or other Comcast.net accounts). You can mark an email as Spam. You can forward your voicemail as an attachment within an email. And there is a one-click action to empty your Trash.

For those of you who don’t have a comcast.net user account and haven’t been able to log into the app, we now offer a feature where you can access some of the features of the app like the Guide and the VOD module. Look for the link at the bottom of the login page that says “Comcast TV only subscriber” and follow that link.

Let us know what you think. We are listening and would love to get more of your feedback into the next release.

To see the app in action, check out Scott’s video.

The Academy Awards ceremony is this weekend, so what better time to take to the streets and ask the people of Philadelphia some Oscars trivia? Watch the video to find out how much an Oscar weighs, who won the most Oscars, and how many people know who is hosting the award ceremony.

Remember, you can catch some of the nominated films On Demand, so you’ll be prepared for the award show.

Thanks to everyone who stopped to talk with me.

Working at Comcast: We heard questions and testimony related to Comcast and NBCU as employers, and clearly in this economy jobs are on all of our minds. As a company, Comcast has a track record of creating thousands of American jobs. We have grown from 68,000 employees in 2003 to over 100,000 today. As I said in my earlier post, we offer all full-time employees health care benefits and company-matched 401k accounts. We regularly ask third parties to conduct anonymous employee satisfaction surveys, and are proud to say we have received consistently high marks. In short, Comcast is an employer of choice all around the country and a great place to work. This has led to many third party recognitions of Comcast as a high quality employer, including the recent ranking of Comcast by the Boston Globe as the #1 large employer in the region.

There were a number of questions from some members about Comcast’s relationship to our employees and unions, partially stimulated by testimony from the Communications Workers of America, a single union. We believe we were able to put those concerns to rest, noting that: (1) Comcast is a pro-employee company. (2) the CWA’s greatest objection to Comcast is that thousands of our employees voted to decertify the union after we acquired AT&T’s cable properties in 2002. But it’s a historical fact that the cable industry has not seen high levels of labor organization, and there’s no evidence that these decertification elections were anything other than our employees voluntarily deciding that the union they might have wanted to represent them at AT&T was not necessary with Comcast as an employer. (3) Comcast is not anti-union. In fact, in our content properties, we are actually above-average when it comes to unionization: over 13% of our cable programming employees are organized, compared to the 7.1% national average. (4) Together with Liberty Property Trust, we just built an $850 million new headquarters office building in downtown Philadelphia – and we did that with a 100% union workforce. (5) Finally, we see our joint venture with NBCU as an investment in the creative talent of our content employees represented by the various guilds and unions representing directors, actors, technical professionals, and others. We have committed to recognizing the existing collective bargaining agreements between these entertainment unions and NBCU – and to continuing the strong labor-management relations that exist today between NBCU and its unions.

Independent Programming: While the Independent Film and Television Association (the “IFTA”) suggested that our joint venture would reduce opportunities for independent programmers, we explained that this is incorrect. In fact, independent programming – and programming from a wide diversity of sources — will be an important element of our continued growth in both content and distribution. Among the numerous independent programming networks (and outlets for independent programming) with whom we currently work are HDNet, Gospel Music Channel, IFC, Sundance, Magnolia, Ovation TV, Hallmark Movie Channel, Havoc, Here Networks, Shalom TV, RHI, and Concert TV. We currently distribute their movies, documentaries, music videos, and shows on TV, OnDemand, and/or online. Even the IFTA witness acknowledged that (due to reduced opportunities at the broadcast networks) independent programmers have pursued their opportunities with cable companies, including Comcast. We showed our desire to help create new opportunities for independently owned and operated programming networks when we committed to add two new independent programming channels per year beginning in 2011. We are also helping to create new opportunities for distributing content online through Fancast Xfinity TV. The joint venture gives us greater freedom to innovate and create new and exciting platforms and opportunities. Independent programmers will benefit from this innovation.

Diversity: A few members of the Committee raised questions about diversity at Comcast (and NBCU). Brian reiterated the company’s commitment to promoting diversity in everything the company does. To me, as Comcast’s Chief Diversity Officer, this means, among other things, diversity in our workforce, in our programming lineup, in our supplier base, and in our community investments (philanthropy) – and having results we can be proud of. Here are just a few examples of those results:

• Almost 60 percent of Comcast’s employees are women or people of color.
• Many of our cable service regions are led by women or people of color, including our West Division and our Philadelphia, Miami, Houston, Chicago, Portland, and Salt Lake City Regions.
• Women head up three of Comcast’s seven business lines—Comcast Interactive Media, Comcast Digital Voice, and Comcast High Speed Internet.
• We have senior women leading Investor Relations, Corporate Communications, Comcast University, Corporate Administration, Community Investment, and our programming networks.
• We continue to seek out ways to proactively identify minority candidates for employment at Comcast. We partner nationally with the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC), the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA), the National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) and Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) on our recruiting efforts.
• Our diversity efforts have received numerous recognitions and awards. A recent sampling: Latina Style magazine named us one of the “50 Best Companies for Latinas,” Hispanic Business included us among its “Diversity Elite 60: Top Companies for Hispanics,” and the readers of US Black Engineer, Hispanic Engineer and Women of Color magazines ranked us among their “Most Admired Employers for Minority Professionals.”
• Our work on supplier diversity has earned the attention of Diversitybusiness.com, which ranked us among its “Top 50 Organizations for Multicultural Business Opportunities.”
• Minority/women/disabled-owned businesses (MWDB) were key to the construction of the Comcast Center, our new corporate headquarters in Philadelphia. Nearly $100 million in contracts were awarded to 73 MWDBs, comprising 45% of the vendors Minority/women/disabled-owned businesses (MWDB) were key to the construction of the Comcast Center, our new corporate headquarters in Philadelphia. Nearly $100 million in construction related contracts were awarded to 73 MWDBs, comprising 45% of the vendors on the project. On a combined basis, more than 30 percent of the qualified construction contracts went to MWDBS, and on the employment side 21 percent of all hours worked on the project were performed by women and minorities.
• We distribute more than 140 multicultural networks in a variety of formats, featuring programming from around the world, including over 70 Hispanic networks.

Notwithstanding all these successes, of which we are justifiably proud, Brian underscored our commitment to do even better.

We also welcomed the chance to explain again our exciting vision of the future of video service. We are glad to continue providing Members of Congress, other public officials, and the readers of Comcast Voices more details about the public interest benefits of this joint venture.

The hearing will be chaired by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) with ranking member Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX). Rep. Conyers had this comment when Comcast filed our FCC Public Interest Statement last December: “It is clear to me that any merger of this magnitude should be reviewed carefully. Nonetheless, Comcast’s commitment to diverse programming and maintaining the journalistic independence of NBCU is encouraging. I am also glad to see that Comcast has committed to maintaining local affiliates, local news coverage and other public interest programming.”

With some of the same witnesses as the hearings earlier this month, some of the testimony will be familiar, but new issues are likely to be brought up as well based on the Committee’s interests and probable witness testimony.

Once again, Brian and Jeff will make the case why this joint venture will benefit American consumers by helping to accelerate the transition to a future of “anytime, anywhere” TV content. They’ll also discuss the transaction’s pro-competitive impact and the competitiveness of the markets in which we operate. In the first two hearings, there was a lot of discussion of competition related issues and online video. As Brian Roberts has said for several years, video over the Internet is our friend not our foe, and we want to bring more video to the Internet, not less. An interesting chart from the Public Interest Statement we filed with the FCC last month shows that Comcast and NBCU are pretty small players in the online video space. Google is the clear leader with nearly 55% of online viewing. Hulu is the second most viewed with 4%, (It’s important to remember that NBCU has only a minority interest in Hulu, whose other owners include Disney-ABC and News Corp-Fox).

Based on the background of the other witnesses, we expect issues related to labor and independent programming to be discussed.

In terms of independent programming and the programming market in general – we don’t think there’s ever been a better time to be an independent producer of video content. Opportunities to produce shows and reach an audience have exploded. Thirty years ago, “video” pretty much meant three networks (owned by three companies) that accounted for virtually all viewing. Then came the cable industry and new channels - first 20, then 40, then 100, and now over 600. And at the same time, satellite and cable companies added hundreds of new distribution channels.

Today, the vast majority of channels Comcast carries are not affiliated with us, and this will continue to be the case even after we join with NBCU – in fact, on a typical Comcast cable system 6 out of 7 channels won’t be affiliated with Comcast or NBCU. And vertical integration of cable channels has been substantially decreasing over time. As this chart shows, in 1992, about 57% of channels were vertically integrated while in 2006 only about 14% were. One of the reasons is the enormous increase in the number of channels available to consumers.

Comcast now offers hundreds of linear channels from companies large and small. They are owned by big companies like Disney, Time Warner, Viacom, and Fox; and by independents like Hallmark, Bloomberg TV, Ovation, The Outdoor Network and ReelzChannel. There are also whole networks devoted to independent films, such as the Sundance Channel and the Independent Film Channel.

And linear channels don’t tell the whole story. In just the last decade, Video on Demand (VOD) has emerged as a distribution vehicle, followed by online video. Our customers have watched VOD over 14 billion times. We’ve got about 17,000 titles now available at any given time. VOD makes millions of potential viewers available for independent programmers as diverse as Havoc which shows specialty surfing, skating, and snowboarding content; Concert TV, Hip Hop on Demand, and KidzBop.

The surge in American homes with fast broadband connections has opened up online video as another outlet. Just in the past few months, Comcast launched the beta version of our Fancast Xfinity online service – this is allowing us to put even more programming online than we have on VOD. Already we’ve got 19,000 titles online, and independent programmers are being distributed in this new way. Ovation TV and Hallmark Channel, which also have linear outlets, are joined online by independent film distributors like Cinetic and Snagfilms. But this service also competes with Netflix, AppleTV, Blockbuster, and scores of other online video services.

All of this means unprecedented opportunities and outlets for all programmers, including independents.

Turning to labor and workforce issues, jobs were on the minds of many Senators and Representatives in the earlier hearings. In many horizontal mergers, because of overlapping workforces there can be significant layoffs after the close of such deals. But this is primarily a vertical transaction with little overlap between the two companies. The goal of bringing the two companies together is not to cut costs by eliminating jobs, but to grow the company by investing, innovating and competing.

Comcast is a pro-employee company and has been for over 45 years. We are very proud of our employees and value their contributions to the success of the Company. We’ve grown to over 100,000 employees and offer all full-time employees healthcare benefits and 401k accounts with company matching. Our competitive pay and benefits package is just one reason why we are an employer of choice across the country. While union-represented employees are a small percentage of our total workforce, we respect the right of employees to choose whether to be represented by a union and have pledged to honor the existing collective bargaining agreements between NBCU and its unions and to preserve and continue these productive relationships. We value good union workers. In fact, our new headquarters building in Philadelphia - the largest private development project in the history of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania - was built with 100% union labor.

As at the earlier hearings, we expect a lot of questions, and we’re ready to provide good answers.

You may have seen our commercials about the Comcast Customer Guarantee recently and you might be wondering what it is and why we’re doing it.

The Guarantee is a series of promises that clearly outline what you can expect from us and how we’re holding ourselves accountable to provide you with great service.

We created the Guarantee because it helps you, and it helps us, when we get things right the first time. And we’re backing this up in really tangible ways, like giving you a $20 credit if we’re late for or don’t show up for your appointment, or giving you a complimentary service if we don’t fix a problem the first time, or offering a 30-day money back guarantee on new services.

The national rollout of our Customer Guarantee is the latest step in our ongoing commitment to improve the quality and consistency of the overall customer experience – from sign-up to service visits and everything in between.

A little more than two years ago, I went on the road with some of our senior executives and had very open, face-to-face conversations about customer service-related issues with our employees and with customers just like you. The resounding feedback was that we could do better.

We’ve made some big changes to how we operate that let you know we heard you. We’re able to offer the Guarantee today because of changes like these:

• When our technicians are at your homes for scheduled service calls, they now have the technology to check every product and service in the home before leaving. This helps them find and fix problems you might not even know you’re having, saving time and effort for everyone.
• We’ve given handheld devices or laptops to 16,000 field technicians to help them better communicate with you and their local offices.
• We’ve invested in our operations centers and created a new automated diagnostic troubleshooting portal called Grand Slam so we can monitor network and product performance and proactively fix issues before you’re impacted.
• We’re also making it easier for you to communicate and do business with us, with options like online chat and a new customer account management program called CustomerCentral.
• And our Digital Care team, led by Frank Eliason (@comcastcares), is engaging customers in new and different ways, literally seeking out and helping anyone on the Web who is talking about Comcast in blogs, online forums or on Twitter.

Sure, this sounds great but what does it really mean for you? Basically, it means as a Comcast customer, you are directly benefiting from our ongoing efforts and investments. Take a look at this comparison between January 2010 and January 2009:

• 822,000 fewer service-related phone calls
• 114,000 fewer service-related visits
• 27,000 fewer repeat service calls
• 16,500 fewer install-related service calls

While we’re encouraged by the progress we’re making, we know our work isn’t finished, which is why we’re continuing to focus on additional ways to better serve you. We interact with our customers about one million times a day. That’s a million opportunities to prove we care, we understand, and we are committed to getting it right.

So go ahead…the next time you speak with a Comcast customer representative or have a technician visit your home, ask them about the Comcast Customer Guarantee and what it means to them.

Comcast is taking some of the most aggressive and proactive steps in the industry to prevent malicious bots from taking over our customers’ computers. Last October, we launched a comprehensive initiative called “Constant Guard” which includes a dedicated staff of highly-trained security professionals whose job it is to help proactively detect and contact customers who we believe may be infected by a bot. We can also help our customers remove the bot and teach them how to get protected and back up on the Internet.

As Ellen points out in her article, by helping to remove some of the “noise” in the networks caused by bots, Comcast is aiding the potential identification of “higher-order threats that could compromise critical computer systems.”

We remain vigilant in our work to help our customers protect themselves. For example, as part of our comprehensive effort to protect our customers, we recently began to offer our customers the #1 rated Internet safety software program from Symantec – the Norton™ Security Suite, powered by Norton 360 technology – which we offer for no additional charge. We also help promote greater awareness about what parents and individuals can do to protect themselves from bots and other online threats through our Security Web site at www.comcast.net/security. The site is open to anyone and we encourage everyone to take a few minutes to read some of the information we have there so we can all be better aware of how to protect ourselves, our children and our digital assets from bots and hackers.

In the meantime, we’ll keep up the fight against bots.