Power outage=no internet from Comcast

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@johntechwriter wrote:
I wouldn't expect much from Xfinity, other than regular unnanounced price hikes. I've been trying to get a straight answer for two days about when internet will be restored to out 430-unit condo community in the Oakland Hills but all I get on their website is PR double talk, and their Facebook page is complete PR garbage containing not a single fact. When this latest fiasco is over I'm bailing to AT&T.

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If PG&E cut the power because of the fires there isn't anything Comcast can do until PG&E turns the power back on.

I have  PowerWall as well and don't go down during PSPS.   My Comcast internet and TV lasted an hour or so and then went down. 

I had been thinkig of switching my land-line to Xfinity from AT&T, but AT&T never went down...neighther did their internet, which I have kept as backup.

With streaming I can deal with the TV Cable going down, but if the internet is not going to be powered during a PSPS, I may have to go back to AT&T for my fast connection.

Whenever a PSPS is announced, I get a text from Xfinity that states: "Comcast services require commercial power to operate."  However, after the power is cut and I fire up my inverter generator, I still have both cable and internet for up to 5 to 6 hours, which seems to imply that their equipment is on backup power.  If that is the case, then Xfinity doesn't really need commercial power to operate but is just saving money by not having a long term backup solution.

And during a PSPS outage, I notice a lot of generator powered AT&T WiFi networks in my neighborhood.  Luckily a close neighbor lets me use theirs.  Seriously considering dropping Xfinity altogether and going with AT&T.  

Anybody from Xfinity listening?  I've been through two PSPS events in as many weeks, both times I've lost my cable and internet, including my Ooma phone (I no longer have a landline).  I'm not a happy customer right now.

Yes, thank you for those replies. That matches my understanding of the situation. It appears that AT&T has a backup generator system which continued to supply power, and allowed them to continue to supply internet. I'm surprised that Comcast has not made the same investment, but likely shouldn't be.

Hello @robblazarus, and others whose services have been affected by power outages. We appreciate you all for sharing your experience and concerns here on the Xfinity Forums. I'm sorry for the experiences you've had and hope I can help provide more clarity.

As PG&E shuts off power in certain areas to conduct a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) Xfinity services will be affected because Xfinity services require commercial power to operate.  

You can monitor your Xfinity services using the following resources:

Thanks, @mhsherman. I understand and feedback as such is been passed to leadership to see how we can make this experience better for our customers moving forward. As mentioned by @Again, we (Comcast) can do until PG&E turns the power back on. PG&E would have to restore power before Xfinity technicians can safely start work to restore services. 

Because your "saved" programs are saved in the cloud, you should still have access to those during power outages. Are you able to see them again once power is restored? I'd be happy to troubleshoot those issues if you'd like? You're welcome to send me a private message. Please send me a private message with your full name, as it appears on your billing statement. To send a message, click on my name "ComcastChe," then click "send a message. 

Thanks ComcastChe, but I think the point of this thread is the Comcast TV, Phone & Internet go down when their is a PSPS (or other broad blackout) and AT&T (at least) does not.   That does not matter much for most people, but for those of us who have invested in battery backup it means we lose service on all Comcast-related utilities and this is a significant performance issue.

I use AT&T phone and also have their (slow) internet as backup.   If Comcast got more reliable I--and probably many others--would switch completely.  On the other hand, if AT&T installs fiber here before that happens, I will likely go the other way.    Since AT&T clearly has backup power, I would imagine Comcast could as well, but that is management's choice.

P.S.  I also infer that "saved" TV programs are not saved locally  as I could not access them when Comcast was down.  So Comcast really wants to just become aother streaming service, I guess.

@ComcastChe,

@mhsherman said it very well. Your statement presents it as a given and unchangeable fact that Comcast cannot provide internet service if power is down from PGE. But why is that so? Please address that question. Why can't Comcast invest in some kind of back up power source to take over if PGE shuts off power, and continue to provide it for the duration of the outage. As noted, AT&T has done so. Those with internet service from AT&T continued to have internet for the duration of the PSPS. Those with internet service from Comcast did not. Why?

Hi everyone. We do understand your frustrations and right now it's the way our infrastructure works. We understand where you're coming from. Here is a link with a bit of further information if you'd like to take a look: https://comca.st/2TLYAvp.

Does Comcast have a plan to implement alternate energy for its requirements to maintain service? If so, when will that be in place? If not, please say so.

I haven't heard or seen anything officially be determined on that one way or another, so it's hard to say. It's likely that if big changes like that were to be coming down the line, there would be some sort of communication or announcement sent out. Perhaps a commercial, email, or letter in the mail type of thing.