Visitor

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3 Messages

Tuesday, November 25th, 2025 2:04 PM

Frederick MD channel 268 wmpt for nhk interruptions of sound and picture

Within the past 24 hours channel 268 which is WMPT (Maryland public TV) broadcasting NHK is interruped with fequent sound outages and less frequent picture outages to a black screen.  I've tried all the troubleshooting with the bot.  I've reset the cable box.  This is not happening pon any other channel nor with streaming content.  How can I get some troubleshooting help or an explanation this is a probem wiht WMPT or NHK in Japan.  The lack of being able to reach a human at Comcast is a [Edited: "Language"].  I'm even willing to sit on hold for an hour if necessary.  

Again.
- started 24 hours ago
- only channel 268
- the tv is fine
- all other channels both cable and streaming work fine
- cable box has been restarted
- tv has been restarted.

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Official Employee

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2.1K Messages

3 hours ago

@user_ym97iz - I understand your frustration with the constant interruptions on Xfinity Channel 268 (WMPT / NHK World-Japan) in Frederick, MD, especially after trying the standard troubleshooting steps. The fact that the issue is only on this channel and not on any other cable or streaming content suggests it is likely an issue with the specific signal feed for WMPT's NHK subchannel either at the source (Maryland Public Television, MPT) or within the Xfinity system's reception and distribution of that specific signal. Since you've already reset your box, the next steps focus on reporting the issue to the correct parties.

 

First, you have come to the right place for support on our end :) Our Digital Care Team is wonderful to work with, and we're happy to investigate this further if necessary!

 

Based on your troubleshooting, the problem is most likely upstream of your specific equipment. Here are the two most probable causes for a single-channel issue:

1. Xfinity System Signal Degradation
This is the most common reason. We receive the WMPT signal, which includes the NHK World-Japan subchannel, at a central hub. If there is an issue with the tuner or reception equipment handling WMPT (Channel 268) at the Frederick distribution point, only that channel would be affected.

2. WMPT (Maryland Public Television) Broadcast Issue
The problem could be at the source. WMPT's Frederick broadcast is 62.4 over-the-air, which corresponds to our channel 268. If WMPT is experiencing temporary or intermittent technical difficulties with its equipment for the NHK World-Japan subchannel feed, then all cable providers relaying that signal would experience the issue.

 

While we are responsible for your cable service, you can also report the issue directly to the station that originates the signal. This helps them isolate if the problem is on their end before it even reaches us.

1. Contact Maryland Public Television (MPT) Viewer Services: You can call their engineering/viewer services or use their online contact form to report a broadcast issue specifically for the NHK subchannel (which they list as being on over-the-air channel 62.4 in the Frederick area).

- Look for a "Contact Us" or "Technical Facilities" section on the MPT website for the best phone number or email address. (A technical facilities contact number found in a search result is 410-581-4033).


After contacting them, if it appears the issue may be on our (Xfinity's) end, let us know! We can have you send us a private message so that we can take a closer look at things, troubleshoot remotely, and/or submit a ticket to our backend/engineering team(s). I really appreciate your time on this, and we look forward to working towards a resolution together :)

Visitor

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3 Messages

Thanks for your reply.  It's the first communication from Comcast that actually makes sense and likely was not written by a bot.  I have reached out to WMPT and await word from them.  I will update this forum post once I hear back.  It's quite posible they are having tissues with their (satellite?) feed from NHK.  Hopefully they will  be able to confirm whether this is an issue from their end.  

Although it does not line up with the time frame of 24 hours, there have been multiple sessions of work on the cable network in our area within the past month.  

Official Employee

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2.1K Messages

@user_ym97iz - We are not bots here, but all real agents, and by your side 7 days a week :) Thank you for the update! And for your willingness to reach out to them (and to follow up again here once you have more info). I look forward to finding out what you (and they) discover, and hope this is resolved very soon!

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Visitor

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3 Messages

hello Sara.  Yes, I realize, thankfully,  you are not a bot.  

I spoke to an admin at WMPT who got an engieer to call me.   They have no reports of issues on this channel at WMPT (our channel 268) and further no upstream outages on their fiber feed from NHK which is then transmitted by them.  Also, as confirmation we noted that the other three channels of WMPT are not experiencing this issue.  I think the next step is investigation on Comcast's end.  If you've not seen our record, you may want to know our zipcode is 21755-8610.


One suggestion which I cannot do, is to try picking up WMPT over-the-air but our antenna cannot get the signal from their tower.  

Thanks

John

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