Oct. 28, 2009 (PR Newswire) -- LIVERMORE, Calif., Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Comcast, (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) the nation's leading provider of entertainment, information and communications products and services, today announced it is launching next-generation DOCSIS 3.0 and making the leap from broadband to wideband in several areas of California, including Fresno, Merced, Modesto, Stockton, Tracy, Tulare, Visalia, as well as Santa Barbara County (see complete list of 83 cities and communities below). With the launch, Comcast has now begun its rollout of the reliable wideband service in Central California and North Santa Barbara. The company previously deployed wideband in the San Francisco Bay Area and in the Monterey-Salinas area earlier this year.

With wideband, Comcast has introduced a new echelon of Internet speed tiers, which will redefine the customer experience online and create a platform for Internet innovation in the years ahead. Comcast now offers some of the fastest speeds available today in Central California, including the Extreme 50 tier with download speeds of up to 50 Mbps. Wideband also enables Comcast to double speeds for the majority of existing high-speed Internet customers.

"Wideband utilizes our existing fiber-optic network in neighborhoods across our footprint. With this next generation of service, our customers' online experience is dramatically enhanced," said Steve White, Senior Vice President of Comcast's California Region. "And this is just the beginning. Wideband, combined with our fiber-optic network, gives us the capability of meeting the needs of our customers for many years to come by offering even faster speeds in the future."

Beginning October 29th, Comcast's new services will be available to residential homes (and beginning November 5th to all businesses) in the following cities and areas: Acampo, Altaville, Angels Camp, Armona, Arnold, Atwater, Avery, Ballard, Big Trees, Buellton, Camp Connell, Chowchilla, Clovis, Corcoran, Crows Landing, Del Rey, Dinuba, Dorrington, Dos Palos, Douglas Flat, Firebaugh, Fowler, French Camp, Fresno, Friant, Goshen, Grangeville, Grayson, Gustine, Hanford, Hardwick, Hathaway Pines, Jackson, Kerman, Kingsburg, Lathrop, Laton, Lemoore, Lemoore NAS, Linden, Lockeford, Lodi, Lompoc, Los Banos, Los Olivos, Madera, Manteca, Mendota, Merced, Modesto, Mokelumne Hill, Mountain House, Murphys, Newman, Oakdale, Orcutt, Parlier, Patterson, Pinedale, Planada, Plymouth, Rancho Calaveras, Reedley, Riverdale, San Andreas, San Joaquin, Santa Maria, Santa Ynez, Sanger, Selma, Solvang, Stockton, Stratford, Sutter Creek, Tracy, Tulare, Vallecito, Valley Springs, Victor, Visalia, Wallace, Winton, and Woodbridge.