Comcast announces 65% Benchmark to Roll Out Wideband High-Speed Internet Services in 2009.

Comcast announced it is setting a new goal to reach more than 30 million homes and businesses, or 65% of its footprint, this year with superfast wideband speeds running on next-generation DOCSIS 3.0.

Comcast also confirmed it has now introduced these new faster Internet speeds across 30% of its footprint, or more than 15 million homes and businesses, redefining its customers’ online experience and creating a revolutionary new platform for Internet innovation for application developers in the years ahead. Comcast’s superfast speeds have already begun launching in ten major markets, including the Twin Cities, the Boston Metropolitan region and parts of Southern New Hampshire, the Philadelphia Metropolitan area, parts of New Jersey, Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Ft. Wayne, Portland and Seattle. Comcast will launch additional new markets in the weeks and months ahead.

With wideband, Comcast is able to offer some of the fastest Internet speeds available today, including the Extreme 50 tier at up to 50 Mbps downstream. It also able to double speeds for the majority of existing high-speed Internet customers for no additional cost.

“What we’re finding is that speed really matters to consumers, particularly as they watch more video on the Internet on sites like YouTube and Fancast.com. In addition, gaming, downloading and other applications get even better with more speed,” said Steve Burke, Chief Operating Officer, Comcast Cable. “Looking ahead, our goal is to get our entire footprint up to 12 Mbps and to offer 50 to 100 Mbps in as many places as possible.”

As part of the wideband deployment, Comcast is launching two new premium speed tiers to its residential and business class customers. Both services are ideal for households or businesses simultaneously using several computers or Internet-connected devices. They also will appeal to those who simply want some of the fastest speeds available in the U.S. today: