Waterford — Atlantic Broadband, the cable operator that completed a $200 million purchase of MetroCast Connecticut in August, announced Thursday that it will invest $20 million over the next two years to bring high-speed Internet service to eastern Connecticut.

The announcement came during a ribbon-cutting outside the company's Myrock Avenue offices.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., joined state lawmakers and local leaders at the event, which marked the official launch in the region.

The 12th-largest cable operator in the United States, the company has about 22,000 cable, 23,000 Internet and 8,000 phone customers in East Lyme, Griswold, Killingly, Montville, New London, Plainfield, Putnam, Sterling and Waterford.

Blumenthal called the company's plans to upgrade its services “a profound step forward for interconnectedness in eastern Connecticut,” and said its $20 million investment would generate jobs and economic growth in a region “that often feels it receives less attention than it deserves.”

He said the promised improvements would help eastern Connecticut tap its “great potential.”

Company officials said that as of Thursday, Atlantic Broadband was offering residential and business Internet services with top speeds of up to 120 megabits per second, which they said independent tests found were more than 10 times as fast as the average speeds delivered by competitors.

Frontier Communications is the company's chief competitor in the region.

David Isenberg, the company’s president and chief revenue officer, said the $20 million investment will enable Atlantic Broadband to provide affordable gigabit Internet service starting in 2016.

He said the company is taking advantage of cutting-edge technology that’s been developed by and for the cable industry and that makes use of existing broadband networks.

“It’s much faster than building a new network from scratch,” said Isenberg, who added that the acquisition of MetroCast has occasioned a “smooth, seamless transition.”

Atlantic Broadband retained MetroCast’s roughly 60 employees, he said.

The company also announced that it was enhancing its TV services, introducing access to thousands of on-demand shows and popular programming in a single package.

Citing increasing demand for commercial-free movies, Isenberg said Atlantic Broadband is launching EPIX, a premium movie and original content entertainment network, and ENCORE, another movie service.

Tony Sheridan, president and chief executive officer of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut, First Selectman Dan Steward and state Rep. Kathleen McCarty, R-Waterford, who read a proclamation from the General Assembly, all praised the company's commitment to eastern Connecticut.

A wholly owned subsidiary of Cogeco Cable Inc., Atlantic Broadband also serves about 246,000 residential and business customers in four other U.S. regions: western Pennsylvania, Miami Beach, Fla., Maryland-Delaware and Aiken, S.C. Its corporate headquarters is in Quincy, Mass.

b.hallenbeck@theday.com

Twitter: @bjhallenbeck