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“You could have a cable content cabal happen here,” Bernoff said.

Or, Comcast could open the portal to customers of all Internet providers, including the telcos, which would allow it to drive ad revenue, Bernoff said.

“It’s also an admission really that the portal is a great proposition, but not necessarily one that causes people to choose Comcast over another [high-speed] operator. You could get Verizon DSL and look at it [Comcast.net], under what he [Burke] is suggesting,” Bernoff added.

Comcast officials declined further comment on Burke’s remarks. Burke and other Comcast executives were not available for interviews, according to Comcast senior director of corporate communications Vibha Agrawal and director of financial communications Tim Fitzpatrick.

There is no timetable or even a definite plan to open up the video, audio and other multimedia features of Comcast.net to Internet users across the country.

The cable-systems operator also has no current plans for either a subscription-supported or ad-supported Comcast.net portal that might compete with Amazon, Google, Yahoo, Youtube or other purveyors of video to any and all browsers of the Internet.

“We’re exploring different opportunities to make video content available across different devices,” Agrawal said. “We have no specific announcement at this time.”

The company in December created the Comcast Interactive Media division, headed by president Amy Banse, Fitzpatrick noted. The division was formed with the purpose of developing and acquiring content for Comcast services that could run on multiple platforms, including the Web and mobile media platforms.

“We think the PC can become a dashboard for the entertainment experience for our customers,” Banse told Multichannel News in December.

But “the low-hanging fruit is clearly within our footprint,” Banse added.

Comcast has used the premium content on Comcast.net to drive new high-speed data subscriptions. It added 437,000 new customers during the first quarter, expanding its total to 8.96 million.

If the company decides to open the portal to all Web surfers, the main selling point of its high-speed data service would be its speed.

That strategy could also help the company compete with lower-priced high-speed Internet services marketed by rivals such as Verizon and AT&T, which offer DSL services for as low as $14.95 monthly.

Comcast runs videos on Comcast.net through a media player called “The Fan.” It currently contains video ranging from content from Fox Sports, NASCAR.com and Disney content to complete NHL games, thanks to a rights deal Comcast’s OLN struck with the league.

While Comcast hasn’t announced plans to distribute live, 24-hour networks through The Fan, its strategy of steadily bulking up the content on the site allows users to build playlists of video clips and shows that could pull them away from the TV.