You’ve probably heard about Cox Communications already, unless you’ve been living under a rock for a few years. Also known as Cox Cable and formerly Cox Broadcasting Corporation, it is the third-largest able television provider in the United States, with 5.9 million customers. It has headquarters at the Sandy Springs area of DeKalb County in Georgia, just north of Atlanta.

Cox’s parent company, Cox Enterprises, expanded into the cable business in 1962 via the purchase of several cable systems in Pennsylvania, Oregon, California, and Washington. It then formed subsidiary company Cox Broadcasting Corporation, which was listed as a public company on the New York Stock Exchange in 1964.

Cox’s services include standard and high-definition cable television, DVR services, On Demand video in most of its markets, digital telephone, and four levels of high-speed Internet.

As a company, Cox has been recognized for its corporate culture. In 2007, Diversity Inc. magazine, a publication that recognizes companies that create and nurture the respect for all cultures in the workplace, named Cox #25 on its Top 50 Companies for Diversity list. The next year, Cox climbed to #6. Cox was also named #8 on the Top 10 Companies for African-Americans.

Okay, so it’s great to be a Cox employee. How about a Cox customer?

As far as awards go, Cox’s high-speed Internet won the PC Magazine Reader’s Choice Award for High Speed Internet from 2003-2007. J.D. Power and Associates also gave Cox their highest honor for high-speed Internet satisfaction in 2005, and then the same honor for cable TV in 2006.

Cox prides itself on being green (that means for the environment!) and on reaching out to the communities it belongs in through youth and education projects.

Cox calls itself “your friend in the digital age,” with a track record that so far is something to be proud of. If you’re looking to subscribe to a new service or switch from your current provider, you might want to phone a friend.