Comcast has introduced an upgraded Outage Center showing nearby service outages on a map and offering customers near-real time updates on repairs.

The new outage maps depict the specific areas impacted, usually by zip code or service node, along with what services are involved, whether the outage is part of scheduled maintenance or unplanned, how many customers are affected, and an estimated time when repairs will be completed.

Comcast’s new service outage map, in this case showing outages in northeastern New Jersey. (Image courtesy of: telcodad)

The cable company is using technology similar to what many electric utilities use to pinpoint and report on outages automatically. Detailed outage information both appeases customers and cuts down on the number of duplicate calls reporting outages Comcast already knows about. Comcast’s engineers can also self-report planned maintenance to give customers an immediate notification that work is underway. Just minutes after completing the work, a technician can report service as restored. The more customers that report an outage, the more red alert symbols appear on the map.

Comcast customers note the outage map is not exact in accuracy, but is a major improvement over Comcast’s original outage website, which offered only vague information.

Unlike most electric utilities, Comcast is still keeping access to the complete roster of service outages under wraps. The outage map only offers limited zoom-out, limiting one’s ability to check for outages in other areas.