said by saratoga66 :

Most likely the problem was a bad utility neutral (grounded conductor). This happens frequently especially on overhead services. The most common cause is damage from squirrels who like chewing on the bare aluminum wire. Since all of the utilities are supposed to be connect to a common grounding electrode system the current will flow on the phone, cable and water services and many times the problem will go unnoticed. The cable tech did nothing wrong since he did not cause the initial problem. Comcast is being very nice if the pick up the cost for the damage. The electrical utility should be the one possibly picking up the tab depending what the actual problem was. They are generally not liable for natural casues (squirrels, tree branches, etc.).