The "new and improved" Comcast is busy learning how to get along with communities nationwide, a variety of billing and business changes related to the company's AT&T Broadband acquisition causing mixed reactions the country over. With an advertising campaign championed by four time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, Comcast has set its sights on being liked by America. As the ads state: "You can't just tell people you're committed. You can't simply talk about strength. You have to prove it."

Naturally the process hasn't been entirely smooth. The acquisition and integration of AT&T Broadband's massive and outdated infrastructure, combined with winning the hearts and minds of new customers is a massive undertaking, and one that many analysts predicted would be met with plenty of obstacles.

You also can't help but make an occasional competitor angry. In Boston, Comcast incorrectly informed thousands of RCN customers that Comcast was their new provider even though they weren't; a move that naturally didn't sit well with RCN. 18 different RCN communities received letters stating that they now fell under the Comcast umbrella, also offering them special pricing plans for television and broadband services.

In response to the letters, RCN spent between $30,000 and $50,000 to contact the 85,000 RCN customers via postcard, e-mail and phone to tell them that "recently, you may have received a communication from Comcast... This is simply not true." RCN filed a complaint with the state Department of Telecommunications and Energy, and may be considering future legal action. Whoops.

Mistakes aside, some customers aren't thrilled by the company's push to force users to upgrade to digital technology to view programming that has long been part of their standard cable package. In Pittsburgh, many are complaining that they're being forced to pay as much as $25 more for the same content. Others are still waiting for upgrades to the old AT&T network, with at least half of Pittsburgh still unable to get digital TV and broadband services.

In Massachusetts, residents are irritated by Comcast's recent decision to eliminate a long running "home brewed" local news channel. Community leaders are particularly angry that Comcast has raised rates, yet is offering less to residents. The low budget newscast, a "Cape Cod alternative" was not a large scale operation, nor was it a contractual obligation, but keeping it intact would have gone a long way toward Comcast's self-proclaimed mission statement of proving their dedication to the customer.

Billing related complaints are in style in the San Francisco area, where many customers are busy complaining about a recent pitch to consolidate their broadband and cable bills. Apparently customers do have a choice if they want to keep their bills isolated, but the language of a recent letter makes that less than clear. "Great news that will simplify your life!" suggests the letters, failing to mention that users have a choice in bill consolidation until the very end of the second page.

And of course there is the rate hikes, an endless stream of communities wondering why cable rates are rising at close to six times the rate of inflation, all while they see little to no improvement in their service. Critics charge Comcast raised rates while hiding behind the AT&T brand, blaming the "old regime" for the hikes, only changing the name officially once the dirty deed was done. While Comcast informs customers the cost of programming is primarily responsible, reports (.pdf file) from groups like the Consumer's Union blame merger mania, aided by monopoly market control as the primary culprits for higher rates.

Naturally not all of the change is being received badly, many areas not requiring much if any effort to provide better service than AT&T Broadband. Upgrades are moving forward, and in some areas Comcast is taking an active role in improving the community. In Modesto, California residents applaud paying Comcast a quarter more a month to fund an ambitious project that would link the city's government and school systems with fiber optics.

If Comcast wishes to stand behind its new Lance Armstrong mantra of "proving commitment", then taking its early post acquisition experiences as a guide, the company needs to make a concerted effort to reduce mistakes, communicate more clearly with customers, support the communities it serves, and ensure that customers feel they're getting something in exchange for the endless rate hikes that many are quickly growing tired of.