Comcast Corp. plans to roll out a programming-on-demand feature for its cable-TV customers here soon and has introduced new high-speed Internet capabilities for businesses.


Ken Rhoades, Comcasts Auburn, Wash.-based area vice president, says both new services come on the heels of $30 million in network improvements that the Philadelphia-based company has made in the Spokane area over the past 4 1/2 years.


For the programming-on-demand feature, Comcast currently is completing installation of about $3.3 million worth of computer servers and is making other capacity upgrades at its main Spokane facility, located at 1717 E. Buckeye, Rhoades says. The company plans to make that feature, called On Demand, available to its digital-cable subscribers this summer, he says.


On Demand allows cable customers to watch movies and other TV programs when they want to, rather than when the shows are scheduled, with programs typically available a short time after theyve aired. In the Seattle market, for example, Rhoades says local news is available within an hour after it airs. Extended highlights of all National Football League games are available shortly after they are played.


What we like about it is that its something our competitors cant do on this kind of scale, Rhoades says.


Regular cable content and older movies available through On Demand typically dont cost subscribers anything extra. As with the current pay-per-view service through Comcasts digital cable here, however, newly released movies and other premium programs will be available through On Demand for an additional fee.


Comcast began offering On Demand in some markets about three years ago and now offers the service to about 60 percent of its customers nationwide.


To offer the upgraded high-speed Internet services for business, Comcast has added static Internet Protocol, or static IP, capabilities.


Most computers connect to the Internet with whats known as a dynamic IP, which means that their ISP assigns them a numeric Internet protocol (IP) address just for the duration of that connection. The next time they connect, theyll have a different IP address.


Static IP, however, allows a computer to have a permanent identification over the Internet and is essential for businesses that want to host a Web site, host their own e-mail server, manage their firewall, or enable employees and vendors to access information remotely.


Dinah Bussard-Herring, a Comcast business services executive based in Auburn, says that with the ability to offer static IP, Comcast hopes to attract more medium- and large-sized business customers, as well as small businesses that have more complex Internet needs.


The static IP service is part of the companys business-class high-speed Internet service, which it markets as Comcast Workplace. The company launched the Workplace package of services about a year ago, but just added static IP here two months ago.


According to information on Comcasts Web site, Workplace options available in the Spokane market cost either $95 or $160 a month, plus an additional $30 monthly charge for a static IP address.