UPDATE: I received a call from a Comcast rep yesterday shortly after posting. The rep informed me that there is (or maybe he said there will soon be and I misunderstood the timing) a speaker that can be attached to the touchpad. The speaker is apparently considerably louder than the touchpad and comes with a 30' connection wire, which should allow be to run the wire through the floor and mount the speaker in my home's lower level, which should help considerably.
However, here's my problem: I spent an hour+ on the phone today with Comcast trying to locate that speaker. Spoke with six or seven different people, none of whom had heard of it, which is why I'm thinking it may be coming but is not out yet. Unfortunately, I didn't take down the name or contact number of the rep who called me about the speaker yesterday. I'm hoping he will again see this post and contact me about when/where I can obtain that speaker.
WOULD THE COMCAST REP WHO CONTACTED ME YESTERDAY ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND THE SPEAKER PLEASE CONTACT ME AGAIN! THANKS VERY MUCH!