[Cust Svc] Custom Xfinity Integration

I saw this news report about a new service Comcast is testing. This would benefit customers who hire 3rd parties to setup custom AV networks in their house. quote:But the basics of the program certainly seem promising for both dealers and Comcast. No longer will an integrator’s technicians have to wait outside a client’s home for the cable installer to show up within an allotted service window. No longer will an integrator simply have to stand by watching a cable technician install a set-top box in a client’s home and then immediately have to disconnect it so it can be integrated with a fully networked system. No longer will an integrator covet the cell phone number of his favorite responsive local Comcast technician only to be frustrated when that guy eventually leaves the cable company. And, lastly and perhaps most importantly, no longer will an integrator have to roll a truck to a client’s home to simply reboot the cable box. “When we pick up that phone, we will know who they are and they will know who we are,” says Neal Roberts, manager of technology and product at Comcast Labs. Roberts is a former custom integrator installer himself, so he knows the frustration that integrators go through not having a direct pipeline to be able to get things done at the cable company on behalf of their clients. “Once they are labeled as an CXI partner, integrators will be able to act on behalf of of their customer or with the customer as part of the XCI program,” he says. “They will also have in-roads to documentation and remote control codes. as well as a path to set up modems, set-top boxes and schedule service calls.” http://www.cepro.com/article/comcast_beta_testing_custom_xfinity_integration_cxi_dealer_program/