Comcast wants to be more than a wire for your television content and Internet. It also wants to be a serious technology company rivaling Apple and Google — an idea that has troubled supporters of a free and open Internet.
At a media event in San Francisco on Wednesday, Comcast demonstrated the latest of its technology innovations: a new version of X1, its television operating system. Like other modern TV software systems on the market, X1 runs apps, records content to the cloud and recommends things for people to watch based on their preferences.
The X1’s remote control has a microphone for people to find something to watch by speaking a command, such as “Watch USA,” “Find ‘The Godfather’ ” or “Show me kids’ movies on HBO.”
X1 also has more advanced features, like the ability to use the software to summon a customer service technician to fix a problem. An interactive map shows the technician’s location to the customer.
“X1 for us has been a huge game-changer,” said Brian L. Roberts, Comcast’s chief executive.
Comcast’s critics have raised concerns that the cable giant could use sophisticated technologies like X1 to become a more powerful gatekeeper of TV content. For example, Comcast could potentially use X1 to promote content from certain providers while pressuring others to pay Comcast higher access fees.
Such a practice would violate the principle of net neutrality, the idea of keeping the Internet a level playing field for companies of all sizes to protect innovation and healthy competition. (Net neutrality would apply to online video but not to whether, for example, a given cable channel is carried by Comcast.)
Awkwardly, a team of Comcast executives, including Mr. Roberts, held the event just a couple of days after President Obama urged the Federal Communications Commission to adopt the strictest net neutrality rules possible. The purpose, the president said, was to prevent broadband companies like Comcast from pressuring content providers into paying for fast lanes to ensure their content reaches consumers.
Comcast in the past had already butted heads with Netflix, the streaming video provider. Many Netflix customers using Comcast had complained that Netflix’s streaming video had been sluggish. In February, Netflix agreed to pay Comcast a fee to connect directly to its network to ensure smooth delivery of Netflix content.
In the background, Comcast has been pursuing a big merger with Time Warner Cable, another move that could give Comcast even more leverage in its negotiations with content providers.
Ahead of the event, Comcast on Tuesday published a blog post with a cheeky title: “Surprise! We Agree With the President’s Principles on Net Neutrality.”
In it, David L. Cohen, a Comcast executive, said that contrary to popular belief, Comcast supported the principles of net neutrality, including prohibition of a fast lane for content providers that pay higher fees.
“What is remarkable is that if you compare the president’s articulation of his vision for net neutrality as set forth in the White House talking points released yesterday afternoon, we are on the record as agreeing with every point,” Mr. Cohen wrote.
However, Mr. Cohen said Comcast did not agree with the president’s support of reclassifying the Internet as a telecommunications service. He said the Federal Communications Commission already had adequate authority to enforce the principles of net neutrality and should do so.
At the event on Wednesday, reporters gravitated toward the topic of net neutrality in light of the latest news from the White House. Mr. Roberts reiterated Mr. Cohen’s points.
Regarding the idea of Internet fast lanes, Mr. Roberts said: “It’s not what we want to do, have done or what we think the industry should do.”
He added that the company was still determined to complete its acquisition of Time Warner Cable, despite the president’s position on net neutrality, and that he still expected a decision to come by the first quarter of next year.
“One of the reasons why we wanted to buy Time Warner Cable is the product we just saw wonderfully demonstrated by our team is really hard and really expensive and different than plain old cable,” Mr. Roberts said.