Cox Communications recently announced enhancements to its high-speed Internet service that they say will give customers more speed and choices than ever before. These new features are now available in the company's Cleveland service area, as part of a nationwide roll-out of the enhancements.

Customers who have Cox's Preferred or Premier High-Speed Internet service can now experience greater speeds when downloading large files with the addition of PowerBoost™. The speed enhancement technology uses additional capacity on Cox's local hybrid fiber network to automatically give customers a burst of speed above and beyond what they are used to experiencing.

"Cox customers will automatically enjoy reduced download times of large files such as music, movies and pictures," said Laura Morabito, Director of Marketing. "The best part is PowerBoost is free for all Preferred and Premier Cox High-Speed Internet customers."

PowerBoost offers short bursts of additional speed when downloading large files. The technology is designed to automatically detect you begin a large file download, regardless of file type, and jumpstarts the download with a burst of speed. Cox says speeds will be boosted up to 29 percent faster for Preferred package customers, and up to 25 percent faster for Premier customers.

Want to Experience PowerBoost? Get Cox High-Speed Internet Service for Your Home Now!

New research by Cox Communications, in partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) and TV host and children's advocate John Walsh, reveals that more parents and guardians are talking to their children about the potential dangers of the Internet. Still, many teens remain unconcerned about the risks of sharing personal info online and nearly two-thirds post photos or videos of themselves.

The findings are from the third annual survey Cox and NCMEC have fielded to help parents and guardians understand the potential dangers of the Internet. The 2007 survey was nearly identical to the questions asked in 2006, revealing compelling year-over-year trends about teen Internet use.

Key findings include:

• A large majority of teens (71 percent) have established online profiles (including those on social networking sites such as MySpace, Friendster and Xanga), up from 61 percent in 2006.
• 41 percent of teens report their parents talk to them "a lot"about Internet safety (up five points over 2006), and three out of four say their parents have talked to them in the past year about the potential dangers of posting personal info. The level of parental involvement is higher for younger teens and girls, although it has increased across all age groups and both genders.
• Teens whose parents have talked to them "a lot" about Internet safety are more concerned about the risks of sharing personal info online than teens whose parents are less involved. For instance, 65 percent of those whose parents have not talked to them about online safety post info about where they live, compared to 48 percent of teens with more involved parents.

The national teen Internet survey was funded by Cox Communications in partnership with NCMEC and John Walsh and was conducted in March 2007 among 1,070 teens age 13 to 17.

As a continuation of the research findings, Cox will partner with NCMEC, Walsh and Miss America 2007 Lauren Nelson on the second annual Cox Communications National Teen Summit on Internet Safety June 27 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Teen participants will discuss Internet safety and ways parents, guardians and teen mentors can help children and young adults be safer online, and will deliver the messages directly to Capitol Hill in meetings with members of Congress. The Summit will air on Cox Cable channels nationwide in late summer.

Cox's Take Charge program was launched in conjunction with Walsh in 2004 to educate parents and guardians about the importance of Internet safety and to help families get the most out of mass media in the home. It provides scores of resources to help parents and guardians manage what their children see, and don't see, on TV and the Internet—from instructions on setting parental controls, to a guide to the lingo teens use online, to tips for more constructive conversations between parents and kids. Teaching young children and teens how to stay safer online is a major element of the Take Charge program, thanks in part to Cox's partnership with NetSmartz.com, a collaboration between NCMEC and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Cox has donated nearly $30 million worth of advertising time to NetSmartz and NCMEC to encourage safer online behavior among children.

For more information, read the Cox press release.

Miss America 2007 Lauren Nelson recently announced she is joining forces with Cox Communications to raise awareness about Internet safety. Ms. Nelson will star in a series of Cox public service announcements and make several local appearances in Cox markets to educate parents and children about the critical importance of making safe, smart choices online.

"I'm proud to partner with Cox Communications. We will leverage Cox's resources and my platform as Miss America to urge children to be safer on the Internet," said Ms. Nelson. "When I was 13, I experienced first-hand the potential dangers of unsafe Internet use. Some friends and I made the mistake of giving our names, ages and locations to someone online who we later discovered was a sexual predator. After we received inappropriate photographs from this person, we immediately told our parents, and the situation was defused without incident. Unfortunately, not all kids are as lucky as my friends and I were. That's why I feel an obligation as Miss America to help children avoid dangerous situations online."

"Lauren is a wonderful role model for kids and an ideal advocate for the importance of being safe online. We're delighted she is joining with Cox to deliver critical messages and resources that help parents and their kids make safe, constructive use of the Internet," said Ellen East, Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs for Cox Communications.

Cox's Take Charge program provides tools and tips to empower parents and kids to safely make the most of TV and the Internet. In some of the new Cox PSAs that will debut on Cox Cable channels nationwide in May, Ms. Nelson shares the screen with John Walsh, the TV host and well-known children's advocate who has served as Cox's Take Charge spokesperson since 2004.

As Miss Oklahoma, the Lawton native starred in Internet safety PSAs broadcast last year on Cox's cable systems throughout the state. As Miss America, she will return to her home state later this summer to headline Cox Internet safety events in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. In addition, on May 2 she will give the keynote address at a Teen Summit sponsored by Cox's Greater Louisiana operation in Baton Rouge. On June 27, she will join Walsh and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) at Cox's National Teen Summit on Internet Safety at National Press Club in Washington, D.C. At the 2nd annual summit, teens from Cox markets nationwide will discuss strategies to help other teens practice safer online use and will deliver those messages directly to members of Congress during meetings on Capitol Hill.

For more information, read the Cox Communications press release.

Cox Communications recently announced its widespread deployment of PowerBoost™, a new technology that gives customers an added burst of speed when downloading large files. This enhanced feature became available in Cox markets as of March 25, 2007.

Customers who have Cox's Preferred or Premier high-speed Internet services now experience faster speeds when downloading large files, thanks to the addition of PowerBoost™. The speed enhancement technology uses additional capacity on Cox's local fiber-hybrid network to automatically give customers a burst of speed above and beyond what they used to experience for faster file downloads. The PowerBoost™ feature is free for all Preferred and Premier package customers.

"Launching PowerBoost™ reaffirms our commitment to being a friend to our customers in the digital age. We're giving our customers the ability to tap into our powerful hybrid-fiber network and put it to work for them when they need it most." stated Steve Gorman, vice president of marketing for Cox high-speed Internet. "Customers choose our broadband service because it offers the best combination of speed and features for their money, and this enhancement gives them even more of what they've come to expect from Cox."

PowerBoost offers a short burst of additional speed when downloading large files, such as movies, pictures or music. PowerBoost technology automatically detects when a customer begins a large file download, regardless of file type, and jumpstarts the download with a burst of speed, when extra network capacity is available. Speeds will be boosted up to 29 percent for Preferred customers and up to 25 percent for Premier customers.

Click here to learn more and see if service is available in your area.

Vyyo Inc., a supplier of ultra broadband Internet access equipment for cable companies, announced today that it has been selected as a supplier of 3GHz taps and passive network elements by Cox Communications.

Cox will use 3GHz elements from Vyyo within its coaxial network as part of its newbuild architecture and for business services in its existing network. Vyyo has received initial orders for 3GHz passives from multiple Cox systems.

The inclusion of 3GHz passives enables cable companies to meet current and future bandwidth needs while not impacting current legacy 1GHz networks, and the ability to leverage Vyyo Spectrum Overlay active products in the future to achieve ultrabandwidth of up to approximately 3GHz for fiber- like broadcast or targeted service delivery to residences and businesses.

"The use of 3GHz passive elements in Cox's network mirrors the forward- thinking approach the cable industry took when it deployed 1GHz taps and passives well before they were required," said Wayne Davis, CEO of Vyyo. "Further, it will help ensure Cox's ability to add bandwidth capability as required to maintain its leadership position."

"Cox historically has taken an innovative and forward-thinking approach to system architecture," said Avner Kol, chief operating officer of Vyyo. "We appreciate Cox's early recognition of the ability of Spectrum Overlay to dramatically and cost-effectively increase the capacity of existing HFC plant, and we look forward to working with Cox to deploy solutions that help the industry to compete effectively in all of their markets."

Vyyo says its Spectrum Overlay solution is designed to allow cable companies to substantially increase bandwidth to fiber-like performance, leveraging their existing infrastructure and at a fraction of the cost to build new fiber networks. Spectrum Overlay leverages higher frequencies on the existing coaxial cable doubling downstream bandwidth and increasing upstream bandwidth by a factor of at least four. The company also states that, by using Vyyo Spectrum Overlay, cable system operators can create new bandwidth on a targeted basis for approximately 10 percent of the estimated cost per home of telcoommunication fiber builds, while maintaining their existing investment in their HFC networks and set-top boxes.

For more information, check out the press release Vyyo Selected by Cox Communications as Supplier for 3GHz Network Passives.

Cox Communications has earned a coveted spot on The 2007 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity® list.

"Cox Communications is much different from the average corporation; it is a true champion of diversity," notes Luke Visconti, partner and cofounder of DiversityInc, a monthly business magazine and daily Web site. "A total of 317 companies competed for a spot, a 100 percent increase in corporate participation in the Top 50 competition over the last three years."

"We are delighted that DiversityInc has recognized Cox as a top company for diversity for the second consecutive year," said Pat Esser, President. "At Cox, diversity is a critical part of our culture, values and operations. It is truly a business priority throughout the company, including the areas of recruitment, hiring and employee development, supplier outreach, community support, and the products and services we offer our customers." Cox moved up to No. 25 on the 2007 list, from No. 32 last year, and also ranked as the No. 8 company for African Americans.

Now in its seventh year, The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list is the largest competition of its kind. The list is determined solely from a comprehensive survey of diversity management that measures CEO Commitment, Human Capital, Corporate Communications and Supplier Diversity.

The Top 50 list was unveiled during a live video Webcast earlier this month. To see the webcast and the complete list of Top 50 winners, visit www.DiversityInc.com/top50.