PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Comcast Corp. dates back to 1963, when businessman Ralph Roberts got into the cable TV business in its early days. He spent $500,000 for American Cable Systems, a company in Tupelo, Miss., that strung up cable to carry TV broadcasts to homes that couldn’t get clear reception with antennas.

Later, the former New Yorker incorporated Comcast — named for “communications” and “broadcast” — closer to home in Pennsylvania, and expanded it by acquiring other cable TV providers. In 1990, Roberts’ son, Brian, became president. He accelerated the company’s expansion.