Comcast Launches Amnesty Program Across Maryland and Metropolitan Washington, D.C.

Comcast Launches Amnesty Program Across Maryland and Metropolitan Washington, D.C.

Anyone Receiving Unauthorized Cable Service Will be Given an Opportunity to Turn Themselves in to Avoid Prosecution with No Questions Asked

House-by-House Audit of Cable Systems Will Identify Individuals Who are Receiving Unauthorized Service and Charges Will be Filed

BALTIMORE, Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Comcast and local prosecutors across Maryland and the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. area today announced they will implement a cable amnesty program from November 1 to November 14, 2005.

Anyone who is receiving unauthorized cable service in the jurisdictions listed below will be able to turn themselves in and become authorized, paying customers with no questions asked by calling 1-888-COMCAST or by logging onto http://www.cabletheft.com/. In 2003, the last time Comcast executed this campaign, the company received more than 8,000 calls and thousands of leads through http://www.cabletheft.com/.

Comcast and local prosecutors in the following areas are conducting the cable amnesty program:

-- Alexandria, Va.
-- Anne Arundel County
-- Arlington, Va.
-- Baltimore City
-- Baltimore County
-- Cambridge, Md.
-- Cecil County
-- Calvert County
-- Charles County
-- Harford County
-- Howard County
-- Montgomery County
-- Ocean City, Md.
-- Prince George's County
-- Prince William County, Va.
-- Reston, Va.
-- Salisbury, Md.
-- Washington, D.C.

As part of the amnesty program, residents currently receiving unauthorized cable services may choose to become paying customers over the phone or have the unauthorized service disconnected without facing legal action. In addition, residents receiving cable television through unauthorized cable boxes will have the opportunity to turn in their boxes to Comcast in exchange for new, legal boxes.

Many residents may not realize they are receiving cable service illegally. Comcast's amnesty program will also educate communities about "active" and "passive" cable theft. "Active" cable theft occurs when people knowingly and willfully make illegal connections to the cable system or tamper with equipment so they receive cable service without paying for it. "Passive" theft occurs when an individual moves into a new residence where cable is already installed and fails to notify Comcast that the billing should be transferred to the new occupant.

Following the amnesty program, Comcast officials will complete a house-by- house electronic audit of its cable systems to identify cable thieves. As these homes and businesses continue to be identified, the information will be turned over to the appropriate authorities for possible prosecution, with possible fines and jail time if convicted.

Cable theft across Maryland and Washington, D.C. costs local governments and municipalities millions of dollars in lost revenue each year. Additionally, illegal cable hookups create signal leakage that can disrupt the cable signal in their communities so that law-abiding, paying customers experience decreased picture quality on their televisions.

According to the National Cable Television Association (NCTA), the cable industry lost nearly $4.76 billion during 2004 in unrealized revenue because of theft. That number represents more than eight percent of the $57.6 billion industry gross revenue.

Any persons currently facing cable theft charges from local authorities are not eligible for the amnesty program. Those persons currently under investigation by Comcast for suspected cable theft are eligible for the amnesty program.

About Comcast

Comcast Corporation (http://www.comcast.com/) is the nation's leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services. With 21.4 million cable customers, 7.7 million high-speed Internet customers, and 1.2 million voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of broadband cable networks and in the delivery of programming content.

The Company's content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, The Golf Channel, OLN, G4, AZN Television, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One and four regional Comcast SportsNets. The Company also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectacor, whose major holdings include the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and two large multipurpose arenas in Philadelphia.

Source: Comcast

CONTACT: Stephanie Offen, Comcast, +1-410-568-8821 or
soffen@nevinspr.com

Web site: http://www.cabletheft.com/

Web site: http://www.comcast.com/

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