Today, the way people use video and access information has changed dramatically. Four years ago, when we first instituted a broadband Internet data usage threshold, the iPhone had just been introduced...the iPad didn't exist...and the experience of watching streaming video on your home PC or through a Roku box or direct to an Internet-capable TV was much different than it is now.

While the world was changing, so were we. Over the past few years, we have been an industry leader in innovation — delivering exciting new products to our customers on a regular basis. Our recent announcements about the Xfinity TV app, Streampix, HBOGO, WatchESPN, and Xfinity TV on the Xbox 360 are just a few examples of how we're using new platforms to deliver new services to a range of consumer devices and screens.

In 2008, we announced an Internet data usage policy that allowed residential customers up to 250 GB of data usage per month. It was widely recognized that this was far above any normal (including very heavy) residential use of our high-speed data service, and in fact, that remains the case today. (Netflix April 2011 Letter to Shareholders; PC World — "Are Broadband Usage Caps Inevitable?"; ArsTechnica: "Comcast starts 250 GB bandwidth caps October 1"). With the passage of time, it's important to remember that the purpose of the usage threshold was simply to ensure that all of our customers were treated fairly and had a consistent and superior experience while using our high-speed data service. That has been and will be our sole goal. We've never had any intention to limit the lawful use of the Internet or restrict our customers' ability to view online video.

Importantly, we have consistently treated all video carried over the public Internet the same whether it comes from our sites or anywhere else on the public Internet. XfinityTV.com, nbc.com, Hulu, Netflix or YouTube, and every other Internet video site (whether our site or a third-party site) is treated, and will continue to be treated, exactly the same. That's consistent with FCC rules and consistent with what we have always done and continue to do.

We've also always said that we would evaluate customer usage and a variety of other factors and make adjustments as the marketplace evolved. Please see our FAQs and a Venture Beat story on this topic. Over the last several years, we have periodically reviewed this policy, and for the last six months we have been analyzing the market and our process and think that now is the time to begin to move to a new plan. This conclusion was only reinforced when, in recent weeks, some of the conversation around our new product introductions focused on our data usage threshold, rather than on the exciting opportunities we are offering our customers.

So as the market and technology have evolved, we've decided to change our approach and replace our static 250 GB usage threshold with more flexible data usage management approaches that benefit consumers and support innovation and that will continue to ensure that all of our customers enjoy the best possible Internet experience over our high-speed data service.

In the next few months, therefore, we are going to trial improved data usage management approaches comparable to plans that others in the market are using that will provide customers with more choice and flexibility than our current policy. We'll be piloting at least two approaches in different markets, and we'll provide additional details on these trials as they launch. But we can give everyone an overview today.

The first new approach will offer multi-tier usage allowances that incrementally increase usage allotments for each tier of high-speed data service from the current threshold. Thus, we'd start with a 300 GB usage allotment for our Internet Essentials, Economy, and Performance Tiers, and then we would have increasing data allotments for each successive tier of high speed data service (e.g., Blast and Extreme). The very few customers who use more data at each tier can buy additional gigabytes in increments/blocks (e.g., $10 for 50 GB).

The second new approach will increase our data usage thresholds for all tiers to 300 GB per month and also offer additional gigabytes in increments/blocks (e.g., $10 per 50 GB).

In both approaches, we'll be increasing the initial data usage threshold for our customers from today's 250 GB per month to at least 300 GB per month.

In markets where we are not trialing a new data usage management approach, we will suspend enforcement of our current usage cap as we transition to a new data usage management approach, although we will continue to contact the very small number of excessive users about their usage.

Our goal with this improved approach, these consumer trials, and our continued investment in our network is to create products that meet the needs of all of our residential customers (even the heaviest users) and provide everyone with a choice.

Of course, as we bring new product innovations to our customers on multiple platforms, we must address the realities of managing a network that services more than 20 million customers. As the FCC has acknowledged repeatedly, we have to manage data usage on our network for the benefit of all of our customers And we're committed to manage data usage on our network with a clear set of important principles designed to maximize the benefits of using our high-speed data service to access the Internet for all of our customers — principles of consistency, fairness and non-discrimination. At all times, including during our pilot tests, we will be transparent to our customers. We will provide our customers with the information they need to select the service level and options appropriate to their needs, including providing our customers the tools necessary to manage their use of our high-speed Internet service.

Given this changing and dynamic marketplace, we will continue to consider other ways to ensure that all of our customers are treated fairly and have a consistent and superior experience while using our residential high speed Internet service in the way in which it is intended.

Starting today, in Boston and Seattle, we are beginning to launch one of the latest innovations in our communication offerings, Skype on Xfinity. This service, which will be available in 10 markets this week, is yet another example of how Comcast is delivering personalized entertainment and communication options to our customers across multiple platforms.

Through our close collaboration with Skype, we focused on building a new product that brings family and friends together through a high-quality video calling experience, in vivid HD (720p/30fps), right from their big-screen TV. It's an entirely new way that our customers can interact with their TVs and the people in their lives that matter the most. As real-time video communication becomes a more integral part of the way people connect, Skype on Xfinity is bringing a simple, affordable, high-quality video calling experience that will allow our customers to communicate with hundreds of millions of Skype users across the globe.

I use Skype on Xfinity just about every night with my family, some who live near and others who live far, and it gives us the opportunity to see each other as we're catching up on the day. The great thing is, I don't have to miss my favorite TV programs while we're communicating because Skype on Xfinity is a fully integrated TV experience that allows you to continue watching TV while video calling (with picture in picture functionality) or instant messaging all at the same time. Currently, no other Skype offering is using HDMI passthrough capability. Which means with Skype on Xfinity, you never have to miss a key moment in a game, breaking news or a season finale because you can quickly telescope back to what you were watching full-screen while continuing to chat with family and friends.

To use Skype on Xfinity, customers will need Xfinity Internet service, an HDMI-capable Comcast cable set-top box and a Skype account. Another great feature about the service is that for Skype-to-Skype calls or instant messages, the other calling party does not need any special equipment beyond what is needed to use Skype. With 4G Network connections that offer mobility, it's possible for Skype users around the globe to use their smartphone, tablet or PC to connect while on-the-go with a Skype on Xfinity customer. Skype on Xfinity has also been optimized for WiFi, so it can work over home wireless networks, like our wireless gateway, or you can choose a wired Ethernet connection.

We've spent a lot of time fine tuning Skype on Xfinity to make it the best user experience for our customers and we're looking forward to bringing it to more markets in the coming weeks.

As we previously announced, Xfinity TV customers are now able to watch Xfinity TV On Demand on the Xbox 360 — the latest new platform that we are using to bring more content to consumers. And while we'll continue to deliver our cable service through set-top boxes, the Xbox 360 is the first of many consumer-friendly changes we'll be announcing in the months ahead as we respond to consumers who want to watch their favorite content when they want to watch it, where they want to watch it, on multiple devices.

But our Xfinity TV Xbox launch — which we thought was a great, pro-consumer benefit — continues to prompt questions about how we deliver this new service, and we think it's important to clarify how this all works.

Your Xbox 360 running Xfinity TV On Demand essentially acts as an additional cable box for your existing cable service. This is an exciting development because it enables consumers to watch their cable service video-on-demand in their homes through a device other than a traditional set-top box — in this case, using a gaming console that delivers Xfinity TV On Demand over our managed network. Rather than delivering this content in the traditional way we deliver our cable services (which is often referred to as video over QAM) or delivering it over the Internet (as, for example, a Netflix or Hulu Plus would do), we are sending that cable service using IP technology to the Xbox over our managed network.

Specifically, we provision a separate, additional bandwidth flow into the home for the use of this service — above and beyond, and distinct from, the bandwidth a customer has for his or her regular Internet access service. Our Xfinity TV content is provided through the Xbox over that separate service flow, and therefore does not use a customer's provisioned Internet service capacity. We use Differentiated Services Code Point ("DSCP") markings to mark the Xfinity TV packets to identify these packets so our network knows that these packets must be transmitted over the separate service flow from the CMTS to the customer's cable modem.

There's also been some chatter that we might be prioritizing our Xfinity TV content on the Xbox. It's really important to us that we make crystal clear that, in contrast to some other providers, we are not prioritizing our transmission of Xfinity TV content to the Xbox (as some have speculated). While DSCP markings can be used to assign traffic different priority levels, that is not their only application — and that is not what they are being used for here.

It's also important to point out that our Xfinity TV content being delivered to the Xbox is the same video subscription that you've already paid for, to your home over our traditional cable network — the difference is that we are now delivering it using IP technology to the Xbox 360, in a similar manner as other IP-based cable service providers. But this is still our traditional cable television service, which is governed by something known as Title VI of the Communications Act, and we provide the service in compliance with applicable FCC rules.

Many of the other services that are delivered to the Xbox 360 travel to the device via the public Internet. And like traffic that runs over the public Internet and is usually available both inside and outside of the home, including our XfinityTV.com content, our Xfinity TV iPad app, and NBC's digital properties like nbc.com, our broadband data usage threshold applies. We treat all of this traffic the same, as required by the FCC's Open Internet rules and the FCC Order and DOJ Consent Decree entered into in connection with the NBCUniversal transaction. And Comcast's network is consistently rated among the best in terms of the quality of delivering broadband Internet services — including by online video providers.

Comcast is committed to an open Internet and has pledged to abide by the FCC's Open Internet rules — and our policies with respect to Xfinity TV and the Xbox 360 fully comply with those rules and our commitments. Comcast continues to evaluate the impact, effectiveness, and fairness of its data usage standards, and our fundamental philosophical approach is that the application of broadband Internet data usage thresholds must be based on fair treatment for all of our customers — services that go over the Internet, whether they are XfinityTV.com, nbc.com, or others, are all subject to the same data usage thresholds.

Whatever the delivery method, all of these new ways to watch video, and devices like the Xbox 360 that receive content in an IP format, enable us to bring new experiences to consumers...and that's what we'll continue to strive to do.

Good news, sports fans! Xfinity TV customers can now add WatchESPN online and the WatchESPN app for iOS devices to their live sports toolkit. With WatchESPN, you have even greater flexibility in where you follow your favorite teams. Today, Xfinity TV customers can flip between live games on TV using the Xfinity TV Remote Sports app and use WatchESPN to check out other live coverage on their laptops and iOS devices. It's a great way to stay on top of all the action during the NHL and NBA playoffs.

Want more? You'll can get all the WatchESPN content through Xfinitytv.com including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3.

Be sure to follow @XfinitySports on Twitter to keep up with latest from Xfinity, your home for the most live sports.

Back in 2010, Xfinity TV launched Cinema Asian America on Xfinity On Demand, a unique service which features Asian-Pacific American and Asian programming, and is the only one of its kind in the nation. Each month, I curate a collection of films around ideas that are in the zeitgeist and national conversation, from focuses on foodie films, to the balancing acts of daily life in America. It's like having a film festival in your living room.

To celebrate Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, I put together a special collection of films that showcase the diversity, creativity and dynamism of the Asian American community. These films and specials are at the heart of Xfinity TV's May offerings.

The collection includes documentaries that highlight the lives of iconic figures — famous and infamous, loved and hated, comedic and militant — but all unique. Some films I recommend seeing include Sorceress of the New Piano, a portrait of New York-based, Singaporean avant-garde musician Margaret Leng Tan, most well known for her performance of the toy piano and Aoki, a film about the life of Richard Aoki, a third generation Japanese American and a civil rights activist. Another favorite of mine is Kimjongilia, which gives viewers a glimpse into North Korean society through the cult of personality built around the late Kim Jong Il. All of these films reveal the complexity and reality of individuals who often loom larger than life, and are but just three of the many films available during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month on Xfinity TV. Come check out these films and others, and become part of the conversation on Xfinity On Demand.

Companies are moving more and more data, applications and mission-critical digital assets from on-premise systems to cloud-based environments. We've been talking for awhile now about how this shift is causing many companies to "double down" on their last mile network connection to ensure fast, reliable access to the information they need 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

But just how significant of an impact does network connectivity now have on business operations and success? Comcast Business Services recently commissioned a survey of IT and business managers at small- and medium-sized businesses to find out.

According to survey results, seven in 10 businesses view network connectivity as having evolved from a tactical cost of doing business to a strategic or transformational asset — a 67% increase compared to two years ago! This suggests network connectivity is becoming more than just infrastructure "plumbing" — it's now a critical connection needed to operate effectively.

To further support this, a recent report by analyst firm Analysys Mason suggests that the SMB cloud services market in the U.S. will grow from $2.0 billion in 2011 to $5.3 billion in 2016. In order to make this happen, more businesses will realize that moving to the cloud isn't enough — it's how quickly and reliably they can access that cloud (and the applications in it) that will determine their success.

Ethernet Emerges as Best of Breed

And as businesses realize this, they're finding that Ethernet is a connectivity solution that can meet their needs. This is evidenced in a recent Vertical Systems Group report that found businesses are now investing in Ethernet over T1 lines or other legacy technologies for network connectivity. And our own survey results suggest this "death" of the T1 too. According to the survey, Ethernet is the most common technology used by organizations today (65%) and overwhelmingly the solution that organizations plan to invest in over the next 12 to 24 months (57%).

Survey data is one thing, but here's a real world example of a customer using Ethernet to transform their business. Navos, a mental health facility based in Seattle, recently upgraded its network infrastructure from a 1.5 Mbps T1 line from the phone company to a 50 Mbps Comcast Business Class Ethernet connection. With the switch, Navos will see $7,200 per year in cost savings; experience an 80% reduction in data back-up time; and improve its patient care through quick access to electronic patient records, fast file transfers and reliable video conferencing capabilities.

Is your company ready to be transformed by Ethernet?

Lee Russakoff got his start at Comcast as the sports editor of Xfinity.com, where he wrote his popular blog, The Russakoff Rules. Since joining Comcast six years ago, Lee is now the site's Managing Producer of Digital Content and Strategy. Watch the video to hear Lee share his story.

Earlier this year, we gave consumers in Seattle, Portland and San Francisco more ways to connect, communicate and enjoy entertainment whether in the home or on-the-go by adding Verizon Wireless' services to our Xfinity Internet, Video and Voice offerings. I'm excited to announce that we're now expanding the offer to six additional markets, and also adding additional incentives for both new and existing Xfinity customers in all eight of the launch markets.

As of today, consumers in Atlanta, Chicago, Colorado, Kansas City, MO, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Salt Lake City looking for a great wireless, video, data and communications experience will have everything they need via this new option. Additionally, depending on the package they choose, they will be eligible for a variety of new offers and incentives including Visa prepaid cards valued between $50 and $300, and/or a "Double your Data Package" consisting of a complementary 12-month upgrade to Blast!, our Xfinity Internet service that provides download speeds of up to 30 Mbps with PowerBoost® and a doubling of a 4G LTE data plan from Verizon Wireless.

Our collaboration with Verizon Wireless is receiving great reviews from customers in Seattle, Portland and San Francisco and now consumers in six additional markets will have the option to build a fantastic in-home experience through our Xfinity services, along with the reliability of Verizon Wireless' network while on-the-go.

Last Saturday was Comcast Cares Day, and 67,000 Comcast employees, their families and their friends offered their time and elbow grease to nearly 650 projects in 39 states and Washington, D.C. Comcast and NBCUniversal volunteers painted schools; planted trees and gardens; cleaned up parks and trails; and beautified community centers.

But perhaps the biggest gifts during the 11th Comcast Cares Day were the smiles shared by the employees, the executives, the volunteers and the communities where they made a lasting impact on this day of service.

It was another day of memories as Comcast, NBC and Telemundo all hosted rewarding projects. Here's a look at our biggest day of community investment.

Comcast Cable CEO Neil Smit (top) leads the paint detail at Slonaker Elementary School in San Jose.

In Miami, more than 500 volunteers from Comcast, NBC, Telemundo and City Year showed up to give Silver Bluff Elementary School a makeover.

NBC5 Meteorologist Dave Finfrock talks weather with a willing listener at Earth Day Dallas.

It took a bucket truck to top off a new play set at the Knoxville Boys & Girls Club.

In Jersey City, Webb Park takes turn for the green with the planting project.

One word sums it all up as these volunteer painters from NBCUniversal transform a wall at Lankershim Elementary School in North Hollywood, CA.

After significant planning, testing, deployment, and other preparation, we have achieved another critical milestone in our transition to IPv6, by starting the production rollout of support for IPv6 customer home networking! We are the first ISP in North America that has launched support for native IPv6 for both standalone computers and customer home networking. This follows our November 2011 production deployment for standalone computers. So whether a customer in a pilot market connects their home gateway device (a.k.a. router) directly to a cable modem or connects a single PC to their cable modem, they now can use IPv6 if their equipment supports IPv6.

This is a yet another significant milestone for our team at Comcast, the cable industry, and the Internet overall. As a pioneer and catalyst for the real world and at-scale deployment of IPv6 across the Internet beginning more than 7 years ago, this will greatly expand native dual stack support across our network and services. It is also the start of a new wave of IPv6-capable users on the Internet, since the large majority of customers use a home gateway device.

Just as with our standalone computer support for IPv6, customer home networking is also native dual stack. This means that eligible customers will be provisioned with IPv6 addresses in addition to their IPv4 address. We maintain our commitment to the goal of a seamless transition to IPv6 and strongly believe that native dual stack is the best approach for our customers. We also believe that this strategy will over time will meaningfully differentiate our service from our competitors in a way that customers will greatly appreciate. Our native dual stack Xfinity Internet service will provide customers with direct IPv4 and IPv6 access, without the need to use a tunnel, proxy, network address translator, or other inefficient, outdated, and error-prone middlebox. That means customer Internet access will continue to be direct and fast. And because middlebox solutions are not used, customers avoid the risk that certain applications slow down, fail to work, or experience other annoying errors. Since two of the main reasons customers buy our Xfinity Internet service is reliability and the speed — and this approach ensures that we maintain both while other ISPs may face challenges doing so over time — we think our strategic approach to IPv6 will be a winner in the marketplace in the coming years.

This deployment will occur first in our existing pilot market areas, which initially includes parts of Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. In the coming months one of our biggest objectives is continuing to expand this deployment to more and more of our network around the U.S.

We again extend our appreciation to our vendor partners and especially our co-workers who have been committed to the goal to seamlessly introduce IPv6 in our network and to lead the way in the U.S. We continue to encourage others across the Internet ecosystem, especially content providers, to enable IPv6 support by default.

For all the key technical details, check out this complementary blog post today from John Jason Brzozowski.