Broadbandinfo.com keeps you up-to-date on the latest broadband news and advancements & developments in high speed Internet, VoIP, WIFI and other broadband technologies. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/ Tue, 13 May 2008 09:54:41 -0500 Tue, 13 May 2008 09:53:08 -0500 FeedForAll v2.0 (2.0.2.9) http://www.feedforall.com Verizon is now offering a new broadband option to nearly one million of its customers throughout New York as the company expands availability of its ultra-fast High Speed Internet service. The service more than doubles the download speed of Verizon's fastest current DSL subscriber line service and provides an alternative to cable Internet. The new Verizon high speed Internet service offers a downstream connection speed of up to 7 Mbps. Pricing for the service can be as low as $39.99 per month if customers order it as part of an annual plan. In addition to its New York customers, Verizon is also offering the new service to three million households and small businesses across the U.S. Verizon High Speed Internet a Fast Solution for Customers According to Michelle Swittenberg, Verizon’s vice president of marketing and sales for New York, "Verizon 7 Megabit High Speed Internet is the way to go for qualifying residents in New York who are looking for a better alternative to higher-priced cable Internet. Our super-fast high speed Internet, backed by DSL technology, provides all the speed you need for everything you do online -- and at a reasonable cost. From digital music and streaming video to photo sharing and online gaming, to video conferencing and working from home -- it's faster, easier and more affordable with Verizon high speed Internet." About Verizon High Speed Internet Verizon high speed Internet service is delivered on a dedicated line from Verizon's central office to the customer's home. Subscribers will have access to such features as online security, email with storage up to four gigabytes, premium technical support, online gaming, Disney Connection, free news from ABC News Now, and free sports from ESPN360. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/verizon-offers-fast-dsl-based-internet-servicein-new-york-05132008.html FB5E6070-B584-4139-946F-0D8D5B08FF31 Tue, 13 May 2008 09:53:08 -0500 Cablevision Systems Corp. recently announced plans to offer high-speed wireless Internet service across its New York coverage area including Long Island. Cablevision CEO Tom Rutledge said the new offering was planned in order to meet the demands of the company’s existing customers who currently subscribe to Cablevision’s high-speed Internet service. New Service Will Offer Mobile Online Access Rutledge says the new wireless broadband service, which will be developed over the next two years, will provide Cablevision's existing Internet customers online access through mobile devices such as Apple's iPhone, BlackBerry smartphones, and laptop computers. The company estimates that it will cost $100 per customer to create the service which will be built on Cablevision’s existing infrastructure. Cablevision currently has approximately 3.1 million cable customers in the New York region. WiFi Technology Will Drive Cablevision Network Cablevision's network design will use the type of WiFi technology which is currently used for wireless routers in homes. Rutledge said the service would be free to existing customers and be available on a fee basis to non-subscribers. He also pointed out that the Cablevision will eventually be capable of offering phone service through the wireless broadband network. Other Cablevision Expansions Cablevision also recently announced its purchase of Robert Redford's Sundance Channel for a price of $496 million. The network will continue to offer its own programming channels including AMC, IFC, and WE TV. Cablevision is also bidding $650 million to acquire Newsday, a major newspaper based on Long Island. Following the announcement, Cablevision shares rose 36 cents or 1.5 percent to $24.11, remaining close to the low end of their 52-week range of $20.68 to $39.75. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/cablevision-plans-wireless-broadband-network-in-new-york-05132008.html 136E02F6-3554-4F26-878D-EF035D7099C6 Tue, 13 May 2008 09:53:08 -0500 Vonage and Covad Communications Company, a leading national provider of integrated voice and data communications, have announced a strategic relationship which will enable Vonage to provide its customers with a broadband solution using Covad's nationwide DSL network. The companies plan to offer the new service to new and existing customers, called Vonage Broadband, by the end of the year. The service will feature maximum download speeds of 3.0 or 6.0 Mbps to both residential and small business customers. Partnership with Covad to Give Vonage Customers More Choice "Consistent with our strategy of focusing on the customer, Vonage Broadband enables us to respond to the demand we hear from customers who prefer the Vonage brand," said Jeffrey Citron, Vonage chairman and interim CEO. "In addition, it provides us with a competitive offering that continues to give customers the freedom of choice." Says Covad president and CEO Patrick Bennett, “We look forward to partnering with Vonage as its broadband wholesale service provider. This new strategic relationship enables us to demonstrate the reliability and award-winning performance of our nationwide broadband network to Vonage's large and savvy customer base." Covad Provides Integrated Voice and Data Communications Services Covad is a leading nationwide provider of integrated voice and data communications offering DSL, Voice Over IP, T1, broadband wireless, Web hosting, managed security, IP and dial-up, and bundled voice and data services through Covad's network and ISPs, resellers, and telecommunications carriers to small and medium-sized businesses as well as home users. Covad broadband and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) services are currently available in 44 states and 235 major markets and can be accessed by more than 57 million homes and businesses. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/vonage-to-offer-dsl-services-through-covad-05132008.html 8A62286C-FC4D-43C8-B3DB-8878F403A976 Tue, 13 May 2008 09:53:08 -0500 Sprint Nextel and Clearwire Corporation are teaming up with strategic investors Intel, Google, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Networks to create a tech company which will offer the first nationwide mobile WiMAX network. The new company, called Clearwire, is expected to dramatically enhance the speed and methods by which customers access the Internet. $3.2 Billion Investment in WiMAX Planned The tech companies have agreed to invest $3.2 billion in the new company. Upon completion of the proposed transaction, Sprint will own the largest stake in the new company with approximately 51 percent equity ownership. Clearwire shareholders will own approximately 27 percent, and the new strategic investors, as a group, will acquire approximately 22 percent. Mobile Wireless Internet Services Will Be Available on Many Devises Clearwire expects to offer mobile wireless Internet services on an array of new devices that will be made possible by integrated WiMAX chipsets, scalable operating expenses, and a commitment to an open architecture. Mobile WiMAX is a standards-based wireless broadband technology designed to operate multiple times faster than today's 3G wireless networks. With embedded WiMAX chipsets in laptops, phones, PDAs, mobile Internet devices, and consumer electronic equipment, mobile WiMAX technology is expected to allow users to wirelessly access a range of multimedia applications, such as live videoconferencing, recorded video, games, and large data files -- anywhere in the network coverage area. Statement from Sprint CEO "For Sprint shareholders, this is an opportunity to unlock and bring visibility to the value of our significant spectrum assets, technology and expertise, by leveraging the technology, applications and distribution strengths of our investors, who together command nearly a half- trillion dollars in market capitalization," said Dan Hesse, president and chief executive officer of Sprint. "We've made an excellent start developing XOHM WiMAX services. Contributing those advances to a strongly backed new company - in which we'll hold the largest interest - provides Sprint with additional financial flexibility and allows Sprint management to leverage and focus on our core business.” "Additionally, the agreements allowing the new company and our cable company investors to bundle and resell Sprint's third-generation wireless services strengthen the distribution of our current services while reducing the complexity and enhancing Sprint's cable relationships," Hesse added. Clearwire Chairman Speaks of Power of Mobile Internet Clearwire Chairman Craig O. McCaw, said, "The power of the mobile Internet, which offers speed and mobility, home and away, on any device or screen, will fundamentally transform the communications landscape in our country. We believe that the new Clearwire will operate one of the fastest and most capable broadband wireless networks ever conceived, giving us the opportunity to return the U.S. to a leadership position in the global wireless industry. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/tech-companies-team-up-on-wimax-05132008.html ABD27DEF-3A0A-4FCA-9ADE-7453968428EC Tue, 13 May 2008 09:53:08 -0500 Starting in early 2009, airline passengers will be able to access in-flight high-speed Internet through Panasonic’s new ExConnect service. While specifics have not been released, Panasonic expects the initial service to launch on several airlines in targeted areas of the globe, then expanding to meet demand. In-Flight Internet Service on Hiatus Since 2006 Although in-flight broadband service was originally offered in 2004 on major European and Asian airlines, the service has not been available since 2006 when Boeing discontinued its Connexion Internet service citing rising costs and a lack of interest on the part of their commercial flight passengers. Panasonic’s Trio of In-Flight Broadband Services Utilizing Intelsat’s existing GlobalConnex satellite broadband system -- which is used by corporations and telecom operators -- Panasonic’s ExConnect service will offer Internet access speeds comparable to Wi-Fi hotspots on the ground. Panasonic is offering high-speed Internet as one component in a trio of new in-flight broadband services. These include ExTV, which will allow live television viewing through the aircraft’s entertainment system, and ExPhone, a cellular phone service made possible through a cellular base station located on the plane. Panasonic is at the forefront of the in-flight entertainment industry through its U.S. subsidiary, Panasonic Avionics whose entertainment systems are in service on more than 3,700 aircraft. Demand Growing for In-Flight, High-Speed Internet Pricing has not been finalized at this time but Panasonic expects that passengers will pay approximately $12 per hour or $22 per day for in-flight broadband service. And while details have not been made public, Panasonic says that airline passengers have already started to sign up for the service. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/in-flight-broadband-to-return-05132008.html 2250BB34-1B6E-4498-BF61-C3672C0C5DE1 Tue, 13 May 2008 09:53:07 -0500 Time Warner, the second largest cable provider in the U.S., recently announced plans to spin off its cable services division in an effort to restructure the company as a whole. The restructuring move is seen by experts as a response to Wall Street demands to operate as a media content company to increase the value of its stock. In a company press release, Time Warner chief executive officer Jeff Bewkes said: “Our results this quarter, particularly the underlying operating strength of our cable, networks, and filmed entertainment businesses, gave us the confidence to reaffirm our full-year business outlook. We’ve also made substantial progress on our key structural initiatives. We’ve decided that a complete structural separation of Time Warner Cable, under the right circumstances, is in the best interest of both companies’ shareholders. We’re working hard on an agreement with Time Warner Cable, which we expect to finalize soon. At the same time, we’ll continue to pursue the rest of our aggressive agenda that we believe will deliver increasing value to our shareholders.” Time Warner First Quarter Profits Down from One Year Ago Time Warner’s first-quarter net profit fell 36 percent to $771 million, or 21 cents per share, from $1.2 billion, or 30 cents per share, a year earlier, when it booked a big gain from the sale of AOL's Internet access business in Germany and the unwinding of its cable partnership with Comcast Corp. Time Warner currently owns Time Warner Cable stock (the company rolled off part of its cable unit into Bright House Networks in 2003). http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/time-warner-to-sell-cable-division-05052008.html 67068C9A-6C1C-4F0C-A39B-E9B1A4199CA0 Tue, 6 May 2008 13:33:10 -0500 Charter Communications, the third largest publicly traded broadband communications company in the U.S., has announced its launch of a new high-speed Internet service capable of download speeds as fast as 16 Mbps in most of its service areas in Wisconsin. The new service, called Charter High-Speed Internet Max, will allow Charter customers to download a song in 2 ½ seconds, or download as many as 24 photographs in eight seconds. Charter is offering the same high speeds for Charter Business, the company’s Internet service exclusive to business customers. High-Speed Internet Offered on Premium Tier of Service According to a company press release, Charter’s High-Speed Internet Max is available to its Wisconsin customers on a premium tier of service. The cable operator also offers Charter High-Speed Internet with download speeds up to 5 Mbps, and Charter High-Speed Plus which features speeds as fast as 10 Mbps. Charter Investing in Enhanced Services Over the past year, Charter has invested more than $1 billion in capital to enhance its broadband offerings across the U.S. Says Ted Schremp, Charter’s senior vice president of product management and strategy, “Speed and the reliability of that speed are top priorities of Internet users and for the second time, an independent research firm, comScore, Inc., ranked Charter’s high-speed Internet speeds fastest and most reliable in the communities we serve. Bundling Charter Services Offers Greater Value to Customers According to Schremp, Charter’s Wisconsin customers can take advantage of lower prices when they choose to bundle the company’s video and telephone services. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/charter-launches-faster-high-speed-internet-in-wisconsin-05052008.html E071BF32-C9E1-49C8-A14C-DB791EA9CE47 Tue, 6 May 2008 13:33:10 -0500 According to recent reports, Blockbuster has been in talks for several weeks to buy a stake in a new premium cable TV channel to be launched by Viacom in conjunction with Lions Gate Entertainment and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. A deal would be based on Blockbuster obtaining digital rights to the channel's programming in exchange for an investment in the partnership. Viacom Announced Premium Channel Launch on April 20 Viacom and its two current partners announced plans on April 20 to launch a new premium television channel in September 2009 after talks with CBS Corp's Showtime to renew movie licensing deals broke down. The new channel is as yet unnamed, but will feature such movies as Iron Man, Cloverfield, the upcoming Star Trek, and Valkyrie, as well as older movies from the studios' portfolios and original programming. It’s expected that cable operators will need to charge as much as $5 per subscriber per month to turn a profit from the new channel. Blockbuster Also Pursuing Circuit City Blockbuster also recently announced that it has offered to buy electronics retailer Circuit City for a price of $6 per share, subject to due diligence. Blockbuster stated in a recent news release that it made the bid public because Circuit City shareholders should have the opportunity to participate in determining the destiny of the company. Blockbuster noted the combination of the two companies would result in an $18 billion global retail enterprise positioned to capitalize on the growing convergence of media content and electronic devices. The transaction would allow both companies to benefit from the revenue growth generated by their complementary products, while the resulting synergies would substantially improve consolidated financial performance, thereby increasing shareholder value. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/blockbuster-in-talks-for-stake-in-viacom-premium-cable-channel-05052008.html 2021A9FD-48BF-429C-8C57-3C708179CC04 Tue, 6 May 2008 13:33:10 -0500 Charter Communications has renewed its distribution agreement with the Outdoor Channel. The deal will allow the cable channel’s 30.8 million cable and satellite subscribers to access its programming. Tom Hornish, chief operating officer at Outdoor Channel, spoke about the deal saying, “Charter's markets perfectly align with Outdoor Channel's target audience of outdoor enthusiasts. This is an excellent opportunity for both organizations to deliver high quality outdoor programming to an audience that truly appreciates the great outdoors." Outdoor Channel Popular Programming Outdoor Channel provides entertainment for its audience by creating primetime categories such as hunting, fishing, off-road motorsports, or Western lifestyle. Programming within the different categories air on different weeknights. The cable network is known for such shows as Realtree Outdoors, Dock Dogs, Jim Shockey's Hunting Adventures, and Scent Lok's Gettin' Close with Lee &Tiffany. The channel’s programs can be viewed on multiple platforms via Charter including high definition and video-on-demand. With the launch of the Outdoor Channel’s newly designed website, www.outdoorchannel.com, viewers can also watch the channel’s program online. Outdoor Channel is a wholly owned subsidiary of Outdoor Channel Holdings, Inc. Outdoor Channel Founded for Outdoorsmen When the Outdoor Channel was founded, its intent was to offer programming designed to educate and entertain sportsmen at every skill level. Founded by outdoorsmen for outdoorsmen, the channel promotes such traditional outdoor activities as fishing, hunting, and shooting sports. The channel’s programs target traditional sportsmen of all ages with a focus on activities that the entire family can enjoy in the great outdoors. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/charter-communications-renews-outdoor-channel-deal-05052008.html 86603977-661D-42AB-BE73-04EC888DC009 Tue, 6 May 2008 13:33:09 -0500 AT&T is expanding availability of AT&T U-verse television and high speed Internet in parts of Atlanta. The company’s U-verse service combines television, broadband, and wireless services delivered over AT&T's advanced Internet Protocol (IP) network. AT&T is the only national service provider which offers a 100 percent IP-based television (IPTV) service. The IP technology allows AT&T customers to take advantage of U-verse’s feature-rich services such as extensive HD channel offerings, more control over their services, and greater value. AT&T’s Commitment to Southeast Customers Sylvia Anderson, AT&T’s Georgia president, stated in a recent company news release, “AT&T has made a commitment to help customers in the Southeast benefit from faster and wider delivery of innovative new services like AT&T U-verse. Our customers will reap the rewards when they experience AT&T U-verse TV. We look forward to expanding U-verse services and video choice to more customers in the Southeast." AT&T Offers Extensive U-Verse Television Features U-verse customers can enjoy numerous television features including extensive channels, the ability to set a DVR from any location and record up to four standard definition programs at once, photo browsing and slideshows, customizable weather, stock, sports and traffic information, Yahoo games, and built-in picture-to-picture channel surfing. U-Verse High Speed Internet Available at up to 10 Mbps According to AT&T, U-verse high speed Internet offers a variety of download speeds depending on which level of service a customer selects. The company’s Max service offers download speeds up to 10 Mbps; its Elite service has speeds up to 6 Mbps; the Pro service features speeds as fast as 3 Mbps, and Express service speeds up to 1.5 Mbps. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/att-expands-u-verse-in-atlanta-05052008.html 6FB33A25-2EF3-44F6-86A2-04FDD0B48651 Tue, 6 May 2008 13:33:09 -0500 Comcast recently announced that the cable company has doubled its high-speed Internet speeds for its Business Class Internet service tiers across the U.S. The service, available at no additional cost to Comcast’s business class Internet customers, features download speeds up to 16 Mbps and upload speeds up to 2 Mbps. New Service Offers Ultra-Fast Downloads Through the new service, business customers will be able to download a 220 MB file in less than two minutes compared to 10 minutes with a 3.0 Mbps DSL connection. Comcast business customers can access even faster download speeds through the company’s PowerBoost™ Internet speed enhancer, which is designed to speed up downloads for Software Service Pack, Digital X-Rays, and PowerPoint presentations. With PowerBoost™, business customers can also upload files twice as quickly. Comcast Offers Bundled Services to Business Class Customers Comcast also recently launched its Business Class Bundle, where for the first time, business owners can bundle their high-speed Internet service with digital voice and video service. In addition, Comcast is the only major U.S. Internet service provider to offer Microsoft Communications Services at no additional cost with its broadband services, allowing its customers to benefit from a large enterprise communications infrastructure with fully synced e-mail, shared calendars, contacts and tasks. Comcast Plans to Continue High-Speed Internet Enhancements According to a company news release, Comcast plans to continue to increase Internet speeds as it evolves from broadband to wideband with the introduction of DOCSIS 3.0 (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specifications) technology, “Comcast is dedicated to and focused on offering a better broadband Internet experience so business customers are equipped with technology solutions that save time, increase productivity, and offer more value,” said Bill Stemper, president of Comcast Business Services. “We will continue to innovate to keep small and medium-sized businesses on the cutting edge of new technology.” http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/comcast-offers-faster-high-speed-internet-for-business-customers-05052008.html 91639F8A-FE91-44D5-AEBE-DF4A2A59C8C1 Tue, 6 May 2008 13:33:09 -0500 AT&T Inc. and Starbucks Corp. have launched an extensive Wi-Fi service rollout at more than 7,000 company-operated Starbucks coffee shop locations across the U.S. beginning in San Antonio. Starting May 1, the two powerhouse companies will offer a mix of paid and free Wi-Fi service to their combined customers. Free Wi-Fi for Starbucks Card Holders Starbucks Card holders will have access to up to two hours of free Wi-Fi each day and will be able to purchase two additional hours for $3.99. A monthly subscription will also be available for $19.99 which includes access to any of AT&T’s Wi-Fi hot spots in 89 countries throughout the world. Additionally, Starbucks 100,000 plus partners across the U.S. will be given free AT&T Wi-Fi accounts allowing Internet access in Starbucks company-owned shops where it is offered. AT&T Customers Offered Free Wi-Fi at Starbucks AT&T’s U-Verse Internet customers and remote access services business customers will receive unlimited free access to Starbucks Wi-Fi service, and AT&T plans to offer Starbucks Wi-Fi to its wireless customers soon. With the largest Wi-Fi network in the U.S., AT&T’s partnering with Starbucks expands its hot spots to 17,000 in the U.S. and 70,000 worldwide. 12 Million AT&T and Starbucks Customers Given Wi-Fi Access As the rollout continues market by market through the end of the year, nearly 12 million AT&T and Starbucks customers will have access to Wi-Fi service. "People want to stay connected to their world 24/7," said Rick Welday, AT&T chief marketing officer. "Laptops and smartphones give us the online mobility we crave, and now millions of AT&T and Starbucks customers will get Internet access free from the comfort of their neighborhood Starbucks." http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/att-and-starbucks-launch-wifi-rollout-04302008.html E7814875-CFC8-464B-B1F3-977DFF6DDC97 Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:27:02 -0500 Qwest Communications International, Inc. launched two super high-speed fiber-optic Internet services including Qwest Connect Quantum which provides DSL connection speeds up to 20 Mbps. This premium service is being introduced to residential and small business customers in 23 of Qwest’s top markets. Qwest Provides Fastest DSL Speed In response to customers’ requests for higher Internet speeds, Qwest’s Quantum plan is the fastest DSL time offered by any major U.S. phone company. The plan will allow subscribers to download a two-hour movie in as little as six minutes or 30 songs in as little as one minute, and surfing the Web should be as fast as changing channels on a television. The cost for this premium service is $104.99 per month, or $99.99 per month when bundled with Qwest’s local phone service. Qwest Fiber-Optic Cable In addition to its Quantum service, Qwest also introduced Qwest Connect Titanium with a connection speed of 12 Mbps for $51.99 per month or bundled for $46.99. These faster DSL speeds are possible in areas where fiber-optic cables have been installed near homes. By bringing optical fibers into neighborhoods and installing them as close to homes as possible, the copper phone lines carry signals over shorter distances, allowing higher connection speeds. Qwest’s High-Speed Internet Commitment In a company press release, Qwest stated that it plans to spend up to $300 million to accomplish its FTTN (fiber to the neighborhoods) upgrade making 20 Mbps speeds available to an estimated two million Qwest customers by the end of the year. To see when Qwest Connect Quantum and Qwest Connect Titanium will be available in your area, go to www.qwest.com. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/qwest-introduces-20mbps-dsl-04302008.html 8323B5BF-3045-456D-984F-C01A07AF9FA5 Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:25:25 -0500 Blockbuster has been accused of violating the Video Privacy Act in a federal class-action lawsuit filed by Cathryn Elaine Harris, a resident of Dallas County, Texas. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, alleges that by participating in Facebook's Beacon program, Blockbuster disclosed Harris's movie rental and sales records to Facebook without her written consent. Facebook introduced the Beacon program in November 2007 to track Facebook user activities on websites such as Blockbuster's, then share the tracked information with the user's Facebook friends. Facing the prospect of 50,000 of its members accusing the online company of invasion of privacy, Facebook modified its Beacon program four weeks after it had been initiated to require a member's consent before sharing this information. Facebook Changes Privacy Policy Originally, the Beacon program which shared information obtained by 44 advertisers, including Blockbuster, was implemented by default; so unless a Facebook user had specifically opted-out of the Beacon program, their private information would be automatically shared with their Facebook friends. Despite Facebook's changes to the Beacon program which now require a member's consent before the website shares their information, Harris alleges that unless a Facebook member also opts-out with Blockbuster, the information may still be shared without a Facebook member's consent. Blockbuster Publishing Customer Movie Rental Records The Video Privacy Act prohibits movie rental companies from disclosing their customers' identifiable rental records unless they have the customer's written consent. The Harris lawsuit seeks $2,500 damage for each time Blockbuster may have disclosed her information to Facebook. Blockbuster spokesman Randy Hargrove said, "Our alliance with Facebook included numerous levels of privacy protections built in for our online subscribers. While we cannot discuss the specifics of this lawsuit, we intend to vigorously defend the company in this litigation." http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/blockbuster-sued-for-sharing-information-with-facebook-04302008.html 96831E49-2FB0-4F11-9D61-EA35936AFC4F Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:22:42 -0500 In a move sure to please its industry critics, Comcast Corp. has announced that it will no longer block peer-to-peer file-sharing technologies from BitTorrent Inc. and other companies after a long dispute over the issue. Rather, Comcast has pledged to work in collaboration with BitTorrent to more effectively address issues associated with rich media content and network capacity management. Blocking Practices will Stop by Year end Comcast’s practice of blocking peer-to-peer (P2P) technologies has come under federal scrutiny. The cable television and Internet provider says it will continue to manage Internet traffic during peak times but promised to end the practice of blocking file sharing by the end of 2008. Tony Werner, Comcast Cable’s chief technology officer, said in a recent statement: "This means that we will have to rapidly reconfigure our network management systems, but the outcome will be a traffic management technique that is more appropriate for today's emerging Internet trends. We have been discussing this migration and its effects with leaders in the Internet community for the last several months, and we will refine, adjust, and publish the technique based upon feedback and initial trial results." Comcast and BitTorrent to Develop New Technologies for P2P Both Comcast and BitTorrent Inc. will also work with other tech companies, Internet service providers, and the Internet Engineering Task Force to "explore and develop a new distribution architecture" to more efficiently deliver rich media content. According to BitTorrent Inc. co-founder and president, Ashwin Navin, "BitTorrent will take the first step in enhancing our client applications to optimize them for a new broadband network architecture. Furthermore, we will publish these optimizations in open forums and standard bodies for all application developers to benefit from." http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/comcast-to-stop-blocking-bittorrent-file-sharing-technology-04022008.html 9EFA0A7C-E849-465F-8A9F-3197E7B83C31 Wed, 2 Apr 2008 11:04:32 -0500 Comcast Corp. has partnered with Nortel Networks to conduct the first test of a 100 Gbit/s line rate optical transmission solution this week. Comcast and Nortel timed the trial to coincide with the 71st meeting of the Internet Engineering Task Force which Comcast is hosting this year. First Ever Trial Over an Existing Network This was the first trial for live Internet traffic to run over a 100 Gbit/s wavelength on Comcast’s existing fiber network which currently delivers 10 and 40 Gbit/s links. The test utilized existing metro and long-haul fibers which connect Philadelphia and McLean, Va., that currently support high-definition video, voice traffic, and Internet on Comcast’s national network. Important Test for Next Generation of High Bandwidth Services In a technological environment where 100G is definitely a hot topic, Comcast says the test of this 100 Gbit/s solution will provide important information on how developing technology will support the next generation of high bandwidth services, although the technology is not expected to become available commercially until 2010 at the earliest. Comcast Fiber Network Makes Project Infinity Possible In addition to the 100 Gbit/s test, Comcast’s fiber network will play a significant part in Project Infinity, the cable operator’s new initiative which will offer a mix of more than 1,000 high-definition options by the end of 2008 - a 400 percent increase in the company’s current high-definition offerings. Comcast’s future goal for Project Infinity is to offer more than 6,000 movies a month - half of which will be available in high-definition - in 2009. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/comcast-and-nortel-networks-test-100g-wavelength-03242008.html 5E34B34D-F2F4-48F4-92F3-7BBCEEEC5459 Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:45:24 -0500 In a recent decision designed to increase competition in voice, video, and broadband services for consumers, the FCC has "banned carriers from entering into exclusive contracts to provide telecommunications services in residential apartment buildings,"as stated in an FCC news release. Reasons Behind FCC Ban In a statement posted on the www.ftc.gov website, the FCC states that these contracts - specifically exclusive "triple-play" offerings from cable companies which have negotiated deals with multi-tenant residential apartment buildings - block consumer access and harm competition for voice, video, and broadband services. By banning the contracts, the FCC has opened the door for telecommunication companies to vie for apartment-dwelling customers. FCC History of Banning Exclusive Contracts According to the FCC, this is not the first time the Commission has taken action to prevent exclusivity when it comes to competition for communications services to apartment buildings. In 2007, the FCC banned exclusive deals for video services in multi-tenant buildings and in 2000, the Commission blocked exclusive contracts between telecommunication providers and apartments. Cable Company Reaction to Ban Although the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) - which is the cable industry’s foremost lobbying entity - has declined comment on the recent FCC ban, it has previously maintained that the FCC does not have the authority to abolish contracts which are already in place between apartment buildings and cable operators. The NCTA’s position has been that cable operators would not be able to recover the investments they have made in apartment building infrastructure in order to provide these services. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/fcc-bans-exclusive-triple-play-deals-in-apartments-03242008.html 15A80C8E-0395-4356-85BD-95DB6BFEF770 Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:43:32 -0500 Cable operator Charter Communications is teaming up with the Nielsen Co. to measure the cable television viewing habits of 330,000 Los Angeles-area households using digital set-tops. The information derived from the set-tops will enable Charter to provide extensive household and demographic reports for local television markets. Pressure from Advertisers to Track Television Habits Nielsen, and the television industry as a whole, have been under increasing pressure from advertisers to provide the same type of viewership tracking that Internet advertising offers. Nielsen responded to the pressure by advocating the use of digital set-tops. Discovery and ESPN were the first cable networks to start tracking viewership with different technology, but Charter Communications is the first cable operator to participate in Nielsen’s set-top service. Charter Committed to Precision in Measuring Viewership In a joint press release from Nielsen and Charter Communications, Jim Heneghan, senior vice president of Charter’s advertising sales says, "Charter is committed to improving the precision of local market measurement. By working with Nielsen, we are ensuring that our advertiser and agency clients get the most reliable data possible to evaluate their media buys." Privacy Concerns Abated In measuring viewership, a major concern among cable companies has been their commitment to protect the privacy of their subscribers. Thus Charter will provide the measurement data to Nielsen in anonymous form and Nielsen’s reports - based on Charter’s information - will contain only anonymous and aggregated data. "At a time of rapid technological change in the television industry, Nielsen is inventing new ways to measure how people watch television," said Jed Meyer, senior vice president of Nielsen DigitalPlus, in a statement. "Through these studies, we will provide Charter with new insights on the consumption of all digital video. At the same time, we will be investigating the potential of digital set-top boxes and the data they generate to enhance our existing audience-measurement services." http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/charter-communications-and-nielsen-to-measure-cable-viewing-03212008.html DCB10A79-CBC2-46A7-A65D-FD0BF71B062C Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:35:11 -0500 The latest successful album that was released over the Internet comes from the industrial rock group Nine Inch Nails. The release of the album "Ghost's I-IV" resulted in nearly 800,000 transactions within its first week of the release over the Internet, according to an announcement released by the band. This figure includes a combination of paid digital downloads, online orders of limited edition vinyl & CD, an album boxed set, as well as free downloads that the band has made available. 9 of the 36 new tracks can downloaded for free at ghosts.nin.com. In October of 2007, the popular alt-rock band Radiohead made waves releasing their new album “In Rainbows” over the Internet with and allowed consumers to choose their own price for the digital download – a first of its kind. Sales statistics were for album was not released. A representative of Nine Inch Nails has stated that the release of "Ghost's I-IV" has generated more than $1.6 million of revenue from downloads and orders within the first week of sales. The band has not released sales data to Nielsen’s SoundScan, whose data is used in the music industry to track the Billboard 200 albums chart. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/nine-inch-nails-drives-music-sales-on-web-03142008.html 4A54D0A8-B6CC-4D27-8382-07385F1E691E Fri, 14 Mar 2008 12:41:06 -0500 The government’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration agency (NTIA) began mailing coupons last week to help consumers pay for digital television (DTV) converter boxes which will prevent their analog sets from becoming obsolete. Analog Televisions Become Obsolete in 2009 Effective February 2009, networks will air television broadcasts in digital signals only. The Digital Transition means that viewers who currently receive programming via an antenna and do not have cable or satellite service, will need to purchase a digital converter box to view television when the new broadcasts start. As many as 13 to 21 million households may be impacted by the switch to DTV. Converter Boxes Available at Major U.S. Retailers The NTIA’s coupons are worth $40 each and will offset the retail cost of digital converter boxes which range from $40 to $70 each. Consumers may request two coupons per household which must be used within 90 days or they expire. The coupons, which resemble plastic gift cards, can be used at such major retailers as Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target, RadioShack, and Circuit City. How to Apply for Coupons Any U.S. consumer who wants to apply for digital converter box coupons can call the NTIA’s 24-hour hot line at 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009), or go to www.dtv2009.gov to access an application form. The form can be filled out online, or faxed to 1-877-DTV-4ME2 (1-877-388-4632), or mailed to P.O. Box 2000, Portland, OR, 97208-2000. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/dtv-converter-box-coupons-in-the-mail-02252008.html 68A4A984-1563-4A2F-B129-2A16DCD7919B Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:08:22 -0600 A recent Nielson Co. survey reveals that minorities may be more affected by the change to digital television next year than other groups. According to the survey, of the 13 million analog-only U.S. households (or 10.1 percent of all U.S. households), Hispanics make up 17.3 percent, African Americans 12.4 percent, and Asians 11.7 percent - more than 40 percent of households. Caucasian analog-only households comprise 8.8 percent of the total. Survey based on data from 15,000 Households As part of an overall television ranking forecast by the Nielsen Co., the survey was completed after 18 months of research which involved Nielsen staff visiting approximately 15,000 U.S. households. Information on DTV Conversion For complete details about the conversion to digital television in February 2009, go to: www.broadbandinfo.com/cable/digital-transition/default.html http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/minorities-may-be-affected-most-by-switch-to-dtv-02252008.html 78D72E3A-74B0-44C0-8827-20EE5A5625D2 Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:08:22 -0600 In the San Francisco Bay Area, Comcast is vying for broadband Internet users with its local competitor, AT&T by offering a new service with 16 Mbps downloads versus AT&T’s 10 Mbps service. Comcast’s Blast service - Doubling its Broadband Speed Comcast has achieved its competitive edge by offering Blast, a new tier of broadband Internet service which allows for the 16 Mbps downloads. That’s nearly twice the speed of its own Performance Plus service which averages 10 megabits per second. Speeds for uploads are also increasing from 768 kilobits per second to 2 Mbps. AT&T plans to counter Comcast’s new service by offering its own service upgrade later this year. Speeds up to 100 Mbps Planned in the Future Comcast intends to further upgrade its broadband speed through a new standard called Docsis 3.0 which may deliver download speeds up to 100 Mbps by the end of the year. The technology may eventually allow for download speeds as high as 160 Mbps. Blast Broadband Prices in the Bay Area The cost of Blast service is $66.95 a month. Comcast’s Bay Area cable television customers can receive Blast service for $52.95 per month. For Comcast phone service customers, the cost will be $62.95 per month. For Comcast Triple-play customers - those who currently have cable television, Internet, and phone service - can upgrade to Blast for just $10 per month. Beginning Feb. 22, Comcast’s current Performance Plus customers will be automatically upgraded to Blast service at no additional cost. Comcast’s Network Improvements Comcast accomplished its speed upgrade by adding capacity to its network of nodes, each of which serve hundreds of homes. But all of Comcast’s customers may not be able to take advantage of the faster broadband service. Wireless router users who extend broadband through Wi-Fi will have to upgrade to 802.11 g or n routers; 802.11b routers cannot handle the faster speeds. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/comcast-battling-att-with-faster-broadband-service-02252008.html F62814A8-026A-447D-AC9E-D439FD26D734 Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:08:22 -0600 Wal-Mart has begun selling Magnavox digital-to-analog television converter boxes in all of its 3,400 U.S. locations. The move coincides with the government's issue of $40 coupons to help consumers purchase converter boxes to enable analog television sets to receive digital broadcasts next year. TV Converter Boxes Needed to Receive a Digital Signal Beginning February 2009, television stations will air programming in a digital format only - there will be no more analog "over-the-air" broadcasts. Analog television sets which cannot receive digital signals will need a digital-to-analog convertor box in order to continue to watch television programming. Government Coupons Available According to the National Telecommunications and Information Association (NTIA), the U.S. Commerce Department is issuing the coupons for digital converter boxes to anyone requesting them. The coupons will be mailed the week of February 18. To date, more than 4.4 million coupons have been requested out of an estimated 13 million households who currently have analog television sets. Wal-Mart has worked closely with the NTIA to ensure that its customers can use the government coupons to purchase converters at its stores as easily as redeeming a gift certificate. Digital Converter Box Price The cost of the Magnavox converters at Wal-Mart is $49.87, or just $9.87 with a government coupon. Wal-Mart plans to stock a second converter box brand later this year. Consumers can request digital converter box coupons online at www.dtv2009.gov or by calling 1-888-DTV-2009. The coupons expire 90 days after they're issued. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/wal-mart-selling-digital-tv-converter-boxes-02142008.html 9242E5B1-2601-4BBA-A613-BB0D82AFA394 Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:42:52 -0600 Smithsonian Channel will now reach five million more viewers thanks to a recent able carriage deal signed with Charter Communications. Smithsonian also inked a deal with Verizon Communications' FIOS TV service which adds an additional 800,000 viewers. The two agreements increase Smithsonian's total number of viewers to 21 million. Both Charter and Verizon will carry the Smithsonian Channel's high-definition programming as well as "Smithsonian On Demand," the channel's video-on-demand service. The Smithsonian Channel launched Sept. 26 to 15 million DirecTV homes as a co-venture of the Smithsonian Institution and Showtime Networks. The intent of the network is to showcase the Institution's extensive resources of collections, exhibitions, archives, and cultural expertise. The channel's video-on-demand service offers programming on history, science, art, popular culture, and educational programs including documentaries, live events, performances, and stories similar to those in Smithsonian magazine. Revenue generated by the channel will help support Smithsonian exhibitions and public outreach programs. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/smithsonian-channel-inks-deal-with-charter-communications.html CBE036C9-3DEE-49F6-87AD-0CC56C5A6551 Fri, 15 Feb 2008 14:09:09 -0600 The Big Ten Network is now airing its first original reality series "Minnesota Basketball: The Journey," with the next episode debuting on Feb. 4. The 30-minute, 8-episode series follows Tubby Smith's first season as coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers including activities on the basketball court and beyond. The new reality program takes Big Ten Network subscribers courtside with the Minnesota basketball program though they eyes of the Golden Gophers' players, coaches, staff and its fans. The behind the scenes program showcases footage of Gopher practices, time out huddles, and takes you into the locker rooms to witness Tubby Smith's exciting pre-game, halftime and post-game speeches around the nation. The Gophers are off to their best start since the 2000-01 season as of January 30, and the new reality show has hit home with its fans. "The Big Ten Network has an opportunity to bring Big Ten fans closer to their favorite programs than ever before," notes network president Mark Silverman. "Minnesota Basketball: The Journey" is an example of how we are creating original, compelling programming that people will want to see." After its launch last August, the Big Ten Network became the first new network in cable or satellite television history to reach 30 million homes in its first 30 days. The Big Ten Network is available through providers such as DIRECTV, DISH Network, AT&T U-Verse, Insight Communications, WideOpenWest, RCN, Buckeye Cable System, Massillon Cable, Service Electric and nearly 200 other cable operators. About the Big Ten Network: The Big Ten Network covers the Big Ten Conference and its 11 member institutions offering an extensive schedule of conference sports events and shows; original programs in academics and the arts and sciences; campus activities; and associated personalities. Sports programming includes live coverage of more major men's and women's events than ever before, along with news, highlights and analysis, all complemented by hours of university-produced campus programming. The network is available to all cable and satellite carriers and television distributors nationwide, with most programs offered in HDTV. The Big Ten Network is a joint venture between subsidiaries of the Big Ten Conference and Fox Cable Networks. More information: www.BigTenNetwork.com. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/big-ten-network-airs-reality-show-on-minnesota-basketball-01312008.html BA96511C-D9AE-43D5-9B9F-61EFBDDD19CA Thu, 31 Jan 2008 11:17:11 -0600 Netscape Navigator, which hit the Internet market in 1994 as the world's first commercial Web browser, will be retired on February 1, 2008. The present owner of the browser, Time Warner Inc.'s AOL, has decided to end further development and technical support for the product to refocus AOL as an advertising business. Netscape, one of the main players in the Internet boom of the 1990s, saw its market share dwindle after Microsoft Corp. bundled its own browser, Internet Explorer, as part of every Windows operating system in the late 1990s. Today Internet Explorer represents 90 percent of the Web browser market. Netcape to Make Way for Mozilla Firefox Netscape's programming also spawned an open-source project called Mozilla, in which developers from around the world contributed to writing and testing the software. The result was a new standalone browser, Mozilla Firefox, which caused Netscape's market share to drop to practically nothing after it hit the market in 2002. Firefox presently commands ten percent of the browser market. Navigator's Roller Coaster Ride to Retirement The concept behind Netscape was originally developed by a team at the University of Illinois' National Center for Supercomputing Applications under the browser name, Mosaic. Team member Marc Andreessen and some of his colleagues left the university to offer the browser to the commercial market. By going public in August 1995, Netscape fueled the Internet boom with the largest initial public offering (IPO) in Wall Street history. Prices for the stock started at the then steep price of $28 per share and doubled on opening day, giving the company a $2 billion market value. After Microsoft's Internet Explorer took over the browser market, Netscape eventually dropped its fees for Navigator, but was unable to revive interest in the once-ubiquitous browser. In 1999, Netscape was sold to AOL in a $10 billion deal. Browser Security and Programming Updates to Cease Although people will be able to download Netscape Navigator indefinitely, AOL will stop developing and releasing security and programming updates on February 1. Netscape director, Tom Drapeau, recommends that the small number of present-day Netscape users download Firefox as their browser instead. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/aol-to-retire-netscape-navigator-01302008.html 930C321B-67FD-4E86-B92C-AA8F97F384C9 Wed, 30 Jan 2008 11:16:09 -0600 Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey and Discovery Communications are teaming up to form OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network - a new cable network scheduled to launch in 2009. Designed as a multi-platform media venture, OWN will debut in more than 70 million homes on what is currently the Discovery Health Channel and will include the Oprah.com website. The network will be simulcast in HD. Ownership of the network will be split evenly between Discovery and Harpo Productions, Inc., Winfrey's company which produces The Oprah Winfrey Show and operates Oprah.com. Winfrey will serve as chairman of the network and control the channel's editorial and website content, branding, and creative vision. Discovery will handle distribution, origination, and other operational requirements for the venture, while both partners will contribute to advertising sales. As part of a joint announcement, Winfrey and David Zaslav, president and CEO of Discovery Communications, said the network's mission is to provide a platform which empowers viewers to "live their best lives." Winfrey and Zaslav said that this is a cashless deal, but did not disclose financial details. According to Winfrey, she will continue "The Oprah Winfrey Show" per her exclusive distribution contract for the program which expires in May 2010. She expects the possibility of ending the show to be discussed as early as this fall. With the addition of OWN, Winfrey significantly expands her media reach which presently includes "O, The Oprah Magazine," the Oprah.com website, "Oprah and Friends" - a satellite radio program which airs on XM Satellite Radio, and feature films through Harpo Productions. Discovery Communications, one of the world's largest media companies, reaches 1.5 billion subscribers in more than 170 countries. Its networks include Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel, Animal Planet, The Science Channel, Discovery Health, and HD Theater, with additional digital properties such as HowStuffWorks.com. The OWN deal represents Discovery's latest effort to increase brand name recognition of its cable networks before implementing its plans to take the company public later this year. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/oprah-winfrey-to-launch-new-cable-network-01212008.html 98C9641C-52DC-4A5E-884F-8445397B8FBA Tue, 22 Jan 2008 09:27:04 -0600 After years of rumors, Netflix finally confirmed its plans for a set-top box which would allow customers to stream movies from the Web to their TV. The Netflix LG Box-Set Partnering with Korean giant LG Electronics, Netflix will likely embed the receiver into a dual-DVD player, which also supports HD-DVD high-definition DVD formats and competing Blu-ray. While the specific details and price were not yet disclosed, some speculate it will cost around $799. The box-set is to roll out sometime in the second half of 2008. LG also confirmed it's planning on a wireless set-top box which would allow for customers to reduce clutter by keeping the box away from the TV. Netflix's Deal to Customers Stays the Same The online TV streaming feature would be the same as the PC instant viewing feature and will be included in all of its various price plans which range from $4.99 to about $16.99 a month – at no extra charges. The online library consists of over 6,000 movies and TV shows – all of which can be streamed to the TV. Neflix also noted that they are exploring partnerships with makers of Internet-connected game consoles, cable and satellite companies. The Competition Isn't So Fierce As more and more people are watching movies online, many companies joined the sector to cash in on the hype. For instance, Vudu offers a set-top box for $399 and allows for customers to buy or rent from a library of 5,000 titles. Apple Inc also offers Apple TV and TiVo is also letting users download TV shows and movies through a partnership with Amazon.com Inc. Late last month Wal-Mart Stores Inc canceled its online video download service and various other video download services have also struggled, including CinemaNow and Vongo. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/netflix-movies-now-streaming-on-tv-via-internet-01052008.html F214D781-F6AE-4ADC-B51D-68C6E900F600 Mon, 7 Jan 2008 14:08:35 -0600 Just recently, McAfee and Cox Communications announced that they would partner up to deliver antivirus and security software applications for those using high-speed Internet through Cox, the country's third largest cable company. The Cox Security Suite includes McAfee VirusScan Plus, Privacy Service and SiteAdvisor and will be available to Cox high-speed broadband subscribers early next year at no additional cost. As long as the customer maintains an active subscription, the applications will be automatically upgraded. McAfee Security Benefits and Features The McAfee security suit that will be provided to Cox high-speed Internet customers will include Virus protection / removal tool, a privacy feature and a diagnostics tool which provides warnings against potentially dangerous websites. VirusScan Plus The VirusScan Plus blocks, detects and removes viruses, spyware, Trojans and any other malware programs. Privacy Service The Privacy Service application provides parental controls for blocking access to specific websites and the display of some images. It also limits the total amount of time users can access the Internet. SiteAdvisor SiteAdvisor guards against malicious websites that feature spam, adware, phishing attacks and other online scams. Consumers Underestimate Internet Security While more than 90 percent of consumers believe they have the security software needed to guard against online threats, less than 50% of consumers actually have an adequate level protection according to a recent survey by the National Cyber Security Alliance. Cox high-speed Internet customers are expected to benefit with added Internet security from the award winning Internet security supplier with its new McAfee suite in early 2008. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/mcafee-and-cox-partner-on-broadband-security.html F56D6A5A-57E9-4082-829D-B36C8FB987BB Tue, 18 Dec 2007 16:37:30 -0600 Viacom and Blockbuster Inc. have teamed up to bring Internet viewers "Jackass 2.5," which will be released on the Internet and will available to view for free from December 19 - December 31. Blockbuster Inc. will present Paramount's "Jackass 2.5" free of charge at on its website at Blockbuster.jackassworld.com. The DVD version will be available for purchase December 26, 2007 on store shelves and can be downloaded for a fee on Apple's iTunes Store as well. "It's the first broadband movie ever distributed by a major studio," stated Thomas Lesinski, president of Paramount Pictures Digital Entertainment. Using Broadband to Generate Buzz News of the Internet release first broke on September 5, 2007 on Sirius Satellite's The Howard Stern Show - one month after the popular alt-rock band Radiohead created a massive buzz by releasing their latest album, In Rainbows over the Internet with a choose your own price model. Considering this release mostly consists of outtakes from the previous film Jackass Number Two, the financial risks of airing the movie for free over the Internet are greatly minimized and will significantly reduce advertising costs associated with the film release as it will likely receive a large amount of essentially free promotion through Internet blogs and through media reporting. Blockbuster Inc. will likely benefit by driving thousands of site registrations to blockbuster.com and strengthen their marketing database of customers. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/jackass-2-5-marks-the-first-major-movie-released-over-the-internet.html D2CA4BE5-5662-4C50-B533-8FB321E5119F Fri, 14 Dec 2007 14:39:24 -0600 In the wake of high definition television (HD) exploding popularity in homes in the US, Charter Communications has decided to make a switch and will deploy switched digital video (SDV). SDV technology dynamically optimizes bandwith management which should not only improve cable video bandwidth, but also improve broadband cable high-speed Internet and digital phone bandwidth as well. Charter and other cable operators, are faced with extreme pressure to deliver a more bandwidth-rich HD television programming experience without completely re-constructing their plant. While the initial SDV deployment will start in Charter's Los Angeles area properties in Malibu, Burbank and Glendale, the entire SDV plan is for all of Charter's properties serving 20 states and 5.7 million customers. Charter is hoping to test in California so that they can monitor any surprises in the engineering - if any. Main Video Competitor: DirecTV Employing SDV will strengthen cable providers' position to compete with high definition satellite operators such as DirecTV. Not surprisingly, Charter's decision to deploy SDV comes at the same time that mega competitor DirecTV Group Inc. plans on offering up to 100 HD channels by year-end - perfect for the holiday season. Charter is fighting back by saying that it too expects to offer more than 100 HD options in most of its markets by the end of 2007. These options also include HD video-on-demand titles. Charter Chooses BigBand for SDV Charter has selected a "start to finish" platform from BigBand instead of piecing together a new system from multiple vendors. Cox Communications Inc. has recently chose BigBand for SDV in Northern Virginia and Phoenix, Ariz. Cablevision Systems Corp. and Time Warner Cable Inc. have deployed SDV the most broadly, and Comcast Corp., which is in the middle of early SDV field tests in Cherry Hill, N.J. and the Denver area, has also selected BigBand's SDV. In total, BigBand says they have deals with five operators in 20 cable systems that pass more than 11 million homes. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/charter-deploys-sdv-to-improve-broadband-bandwidth.html 3C64EAB4-AF3A-4996-85BD-A490C0578D48 Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:47:16 -0600 While the Internet's been around for decades, and consumers have been shopping online for nearly 15 years, sales from this year's "Cyber Monday" rose 21 percent up from last year, setting a new U.S. record for online shoppers. According to market research firm comScore Inc, U.S. online shoppers spent $733 million in one single day. Last year the same day, the numbers were 21 percent lower. The average dollar spent per buyer decreased by 12 percent due to heavy online discounts and because new Cyber Monday shoppers tend to spend less than veteran buyers. But because the number of online shoppers increased from 38 percent last year, overall sales skyrocketed. According to comScore, Monday's sales saw an 84 percent increase from the average daily online spending totals during the last four weeks. Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday - Retail vs. E-tail The Monday after Thanksgiving has been coined Cyber Monday. It's the Monday after Black Friday, when everyone runs to get brick and mortar deals. But when they can't find the deals they want in the stores, many come back to work on Monday, sit down at their work computer, and start looking for deals online. Data shows that 60 percent of Cyber Monday sales were done at a work computer. The increase in online shopping is a result of higher confidence in the Web, websites becoming more secure minimizing the fear of theft and more consumers doing targeted shopping. A whopping 44 percent of all Internet users were shopping online on Cyber Monday. Web traffic peaked at almost 3 million hits per minute, with Amazon.com, Wal-Mart Stores Inc, Target Corp, Dell Inc and Best Buy Co Inc getting hit the most. Internet Shopping Last Year The busiest online shopping day last year was Wednesday, Dec. 13, yielding $667 million. Surprisingly, Cyber Monday last year was only the 12th busiest day in terms of sales for the 2006 holiday period. Overall, online sales increased by 17 percent from the same days last year - more than $10.7 billion has been spent online from Nov. 1 through Nov. 26 this year according to comScore. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/2007-cyber-monday-sets-us-record.html C4676E83-96F0-4B82-8B27-97A8AAAF7F7A Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:28:18 -0600 Just recently the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced that a Comcast customer watching the Police Blotter ON DEMAND, helped catch a bank robber. The bank robber called the ‘Bluffer' was noticed by a viewer who then contacted the officials, which ultimately lead to his arrest. Comcast's Police Blotter ON DEMAND The Police Blotter is a community oriented local video on demand, showcasing updated profiles of criminals, fugitives and missing individuals from the Philadelphia Police Department's most wanted lists. Launching last December in Philadelphia, the blotter gives Philadelphia area residents who subscribe to Comcast Digital Cable an opportunity to help catch criminals by providing valuable tips to the authorities. And so far, it's proved itself fairly effective. While America's Most Wanted viewers have been aiding the FBI and local police with tips and leads for years, ON DEMAND will possibly yield higher success simply because people can pause and rewind the details. People not only get a better look at photos, surveillance footage and other important specifics, but they can study them on their own time and at their own pace. Comcast Lives Strong As for free press, who could blame Comcast for sending out a press release claiming that they're helping to solve crimes. Technically, they did - one bored man put a bank robber behind bars. Who knows how many more criminals will be caught via this method. We have yet to see. Comcast is one of the nation's leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services. It has 24.2 million cable customers, 12.9 million high-speed Internet customers and 4.1 million digital voice customers. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/comcasts-on-demand-aids-fbi-in-finding-criminals.html A90E2592-67B6-439E-887A-D89FF55D3E6A Tue, 20 Nov 2007 11:55:59 -0600 As the first city to form an independent organization to own and operate its free citywide WiFi network, the Boston WiFi project will not be completed by 2008 as originally planned. While technical issues carry some of the blame, the majority of the hold up comes from lack of funding. Building the WiFi Network On Their Own Announcing its WiFi plans in the summer of 2006, Boston shunned the original models followed by other cities such as San Francisco, which gave responsibility for building its wireless Internet network by contracting with outside firms. Instead, the city of Boston founded OpenAirBoston, a non-profit established to manage the program. The organization was to raise up to $20 million from businesses and foundations for the project. The group has not been able to raise such funds and has now scaled back its goals to between $12 million and $15 million. The amount raised to this date has not been disclosed. The Grove Hall Pilot Grove Hall, a low-income neighborhood with about 8,000 households was chosen for a test pilot to bring high-speed Internet access to local homes and businesses. Only a quarter of the neighborhood is estimated to have computers. Once the Grove Hall pilot is complete, OpenAirBoston hopes to use it as an example of free WiFi, in hopes of fund-raising that will extend the WiFi network to other neighborhoods. OpenAirBoston has enlisted and trained over a dozen families in Grove Hall to help test the wireless network and to communicate back to officials about their experience with the network. Techincal Issues Arise While funding is short, the Grove Hall test bed has also been troubled by interference and other technical difficulties. OpenAirBoston will have to add another 13 routers to fill in coverage. Because WiFi is so fickle and so new, even experts argue that one could be sitting next to a wireless router and not get any signal, or be 30 feet away and get a strong signal. The signals seem to bounce off everything, creating inconsistencies. OpenAirBoston told the media that while the debut of citywide Internet access is not likely for 2008, the WiFi test pilot in the city's Grove Hall might be completed by the end of the month. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/bostons-free-wifi-plan-delayed.html Tue, 13 Nov 2007 16:19:29 -0600 Having just agreed to pay $80 million to Sprint Nextel to settle a patent litigation, Vonage is being sued once again for patent infringement - this time by AT&T. AT&T filed its case in a Wisconsin federal court last week and according to media reports, the single patent in the case involved the use of a standard phone linked to the Internet. AT&T and Vonage said they have been in discussions for months in attempts to settle their patent differences. Discussions failed and AT&T went to court. Vonage Hammered by Lawsuits AT&T is the latest competitor chasing Vonage for patent infringement. Vonage has also been sued by Verizon Communications Inc. for patent infringement. While Vonage is seeking judicial review of this decision currently, Verizon was awarded a $58 million judgment plus damages against Vonage. Vonage also said it has settled another patent case with Klausner Technologies, which had been seeking $200 million. All together, the patent litigation against Vonage covers a wide range of properties from voice mail to interconnect links and includes compression and packet technologies. Future of Vonage and VOiP Many wonder whether the established telecommunications firms will file suit against patent infringement suits against other VoIP companies as well. In the past, Vonage hasn't fared well with juries, losing both the Verizon and Sprint cases in jury trials. Vonage is one of the largest independent VOIP providers in the U.S. with nearly 2.5 million customers. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/vonage-sued-by-att-for-patent-infringement.html Fri, 2 Nov 2007 15:54:58 -0500 They've been working on it for years and in less than two weeks, Google will announce their plans for the Google Phone, or gPhone. The search engine giant plans on rolling out the mobile phone software which will include the Google applications most everyone uses including YouTube, instant messaging, maps, and of course, search. The Google phone would not be an actual cell phone. It would be an operating system, possibly even free, and would run on a cell phone. The models and hardware are not yet known. Unusually, the gPhone system would be open to third-party developers and anyone could create applications for it. This means competition, which means lower prices. The gPhone is expected to be much less expensive than the iPhone, for instance. While most U.S. cellular carriers often restrict what customers can do on their cell phones and often disable the Wi-Fi networking capabilities as a way to force the use of their own expensive data plans to access the Internet, Google phone would have few, if any, such restrictions. The gPhone system will also offer GPS tracking, Wi-Fi, high-speed "3G" cellular networking and a still and video camera, depending on the cell phone model. Why Does a Search Engine Giant Need a Cell Phone too? If Google plans on staying the giant it is, and as mobile advertising will rise exponentially in coming years as people spend more time using the Internet via their cell phones, it's critical that Google replicate their PC-based online advertising success - this time using cell phones. Google's primary goal is to make their applications and services as easily accessible on mobile phones as PCs, so that the company can extend its advertising business to cell phones. Which Cell Phone Providers will Google Pick? Media reports say Google has been talking to Taiwan's HTC and South Korea's LG Electronics about making phones that will run the Google mobile OS. T-Mobile might also be the Google phone's wireless operator of choice. At one point it was rumored that Google might be involved in the actual manufacturing of phone hardware. The rumor's now been discredited as Google says is plans to focus on the software. The gPhone is rumored to hit the market in mid-2008. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/google-gphone-coming-soon.html Fri, 2 Nov 2007 15:54:37 -0500 Just last Wednesday, MySpace and Skype announced plans to jointly bring free Internet voice communications to the social networking site. The two companies collaborated and came up with MySpaceIM with Skype, a new product that integrates MySpace's instant messaging - which has 25 million registered users - with Skype's free telephone service. MySpace clients will be able to make free internet calls to MySpace or Skype users. Adding Skype voice services to MySpace's IM system will not require MySpace users to download additional Skype software. The voice chat service will let MySpace users call others in the social network as well as Skype users. MySpace IM with Skype will take advantage of the MySpace's personal privacy settings which limits calls to friend lists. Users can also choose to allow only those people they have added to their Skype personal contact list to call them. MySpaceIM with Skype will be released in November and will allow MySpace users to access Skype's fee-based products, including voice mail services and the ability to use landlines and cell phones. Currently MySpace is the world's largest social network with about 110 million monthly active users. Skype has about 220 million registered users. One can only imagine what the numbers will look like when the two get to harmonize. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/match-made-myspace-and-skype.html Tue, 23 Oct 2007 14:31:25 -0500 A decade after releasing hit OK Computer, the name might make more sense today, as UK band Radiohead has decided to release their newest album ‘In Rainbows' digitally, where the customer will choose the price for downloading the album. Starting this week, you can buy a deluxe record set (CD or vinyl) along with eight bonus songs and a hardcover book with lyrics, photos and a slipcase. That package costs 40 British pounds or about $82. The regular release for "In Rainbow" is scheduled to hit the store shelves in 2008. Or, you can simply pay for the download - the price is up to you. The website says: "It's up to you." Radiohead let the music business know that it would rather put its trust in its fans, rather than a record label by allowing their new album to be downloaded at a price to be determined by individual consumers on the Internet. The opening of the pre-sale crashed the website and while it's now back up and running, some say it will cost the band between $5,000 to $10,000 to accomodate the wite's increased bandwidth. The traffic can overload the server unless they work with a content distribution network or a fairly hefty server company. Just as the music industry seems to be getting more and more puritanical when it comes to downloading free music, Radiohead decided to break away from that machine. While the idea has been floating around for sometime now, this is the first time a band has released an album in such an unorthodox manner. Many say Radiohead is in the perfect position to do it. It's the seventh album, and first in four years, and with "In Rainbows," Radiohead is releasing it on its own terms. The band was expected to sign with an independent label to release a CD version of the album next year but in the meantime, it's handing over the album to fans, via computer. There's a possibility of loss in sales but the band regains control of its music and can monitor who is listening to it. This, no doubt, sets up a slew of marketing opportunities. One can only imagine the free PR that's coming their way. Radiohead has sold close to 9 million albums in the U.S., and three of its CDs have debuted in the top 10 on the Billboard album charts. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/radiohead-turns-to-internet-to-distribute-in-rainbow.html Fri, 12 Oct 2007 12:15:18 -0500 Verizon Communications Inc, the No. 2 U.S. phone company, is being sued for fraud by ad company Digital Art Services Inc, for allegedly overstating its subscriber numbers for its FiOS TV Service. Digital Art claims that Verizon included pending customers as actual published customers in the New York region to the network. As a result, the ad company paid over 5 million dollars for the Verizon ad space, which they claim is extremely inflated. Verizon argues that pending customers became active customers within 2 weeks, while Digital Art claims it took as long as 10 months. Verizon says the ad company simply wants to get out of their contract because their results weren't as good as they'd originally hoped for. Digital Art discovered the "pending" customers during a meeting with the company's sales agent, Viamedia Inc, which was called to discuss poor results in the first place. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Competing with cable and satellite operators, Verizon has been fervently rolling out its fiber-optic-network FiOS TV service. At the end of the second quarter, FiOS TV was available in more than 12 states with 515,000 total reported subscribers. Verizon FiOS Fiber Optic Service According to Verizon, FiOS stands for "fiber-optic service." FiOS service generally brings telephone, HDTV, and internet services to the subscriber's premises. Most recently, Verizon has attracted consumer and media attention in the area of broadband Internet access as the first major U.S. carrier to offer such a service as it boasts speeds faster than cable. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/verizon-sued-for-overstating-subscribers-to-ad-company.html Fri, 12 Oct 2007 12:15:17 -0500 Welcome technology, big brother and free international calls. One can now make free international calls via internet to landlines courtesy of Pudding Media. Well, of course nothing's technically free. All you have to do is watch some ads during your conversation and hope not to be distracted. If you can handle that, you're in a for a great service and a cheap conversation. Literally of course. A decade ago, free international calls made over the Internet were unheard of. Skype came along and offered free phone calls over the Internet – but they charged a fee if the calls were made to landlines. The calls were only free if they were made pc to pc. Now a start-up company is launching a new service called The Pudding and will offer free international phone calls even to landlines without any monetary fees. The catch: Voice-recognition software will listen to the user's conversation and will play ads related to things spoken about in the conversation. Similar to the way Google and Gmail place ads on your screen based on the content of your emails, some would say this is small price to pay for an otherwise costly service. Speaking of big brother, Pudding Media is so sure that their free phone service will be a hit, they say they hope to be chosen tosupply the infrastructure once the entire world shifts into an advertisement-based model for phone calls. At this point, the service will be available to English speakers only. Pudding plans to allow users who register for a beta program to test the service. Recently selling the broadband company, Passave Co., to PMC-Sierra for $300 million, Pudding Media Inc., was cofounded by Israeli entrepeneur Ariel Maislos. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/free_international_calls_in_exchange_for_viewing_ads.html Wed, 3 Oct 2007 12:27:25 -0500 A U.S. airline has finally stepped up to the plate when it comes to Internet and flying. Alaska Airlines recently announced that it will test a high-speed satellite wireless Internet service on its aircraft next year. If the test is a success, Alaska Airlines will be the first U.S. carrier to offer such a service and will implement it onto its entire, 114-aircraft fleet. The cabin will have Wi-Fi spots which customers will be able to access and will work over water and internationally. The price of the service is still unavailable. The service will be provided by Row 44 based in California. The concept of Internet in the skies is not a new one. Aircraft broadband services had serious difficulty taking off in the past. For instance, Boeing's Connexion was pulled off the market last year as airlines weren't taking to the service as expected. While many international airlines were ready to sign on, most US airlines were hesitant due to the terrorist attacks of 2001 and the industry downturn that resulted. American Airlines also plans to Test Broadband on Flights Alaska Airlines is not the only U.S. pioneer. American Airlines have also announced plans to test a broadband service but will use air-to-ground technology as opposed to satellites. American Airlines' broadband will also have a fee attached, but the exact cost is not yet known. AirCell, the provider, said it will build cellular towers throughout the US to beam the signal to aircrafts. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/in-flight-internet-coming-soon.html Fri, 28 Sep 2007 09:45:27 -0500 Last week Monday Comcast launched a new Web site - HiDefHigh.com - aimed at educating consumers about the company's high-definition offerings. The new site provides information to users about why Comcast HD offers a better high-def than any other provider. In major competition with other cable and satellite companies, and especially after the recent BigTenNetwork conflict, Comcast is slowly but fervently, creating Internet buzz on HD forums and Web sites about the launch and hype of the site. The name itself, HiDefHigh, is a reference to the euphoria one gets from switching from standard definition to high definition. Comcast claims the Web site marketing campaign allows for more interaction with consumers. The new site exhibits a Flash graphic of a talking parrot, along with other animals, to guide visitors through the site's options, features, TV show listings and pricing information. While the public's sentiment of the site differs, the use of viral marketing and the creation of a perky Web site as a means to lure in more customers is a sign that Comcast is most definitely in tune with the most fashionable marketing strategies. The HiDefHigh campaign doesn't make a direct comparison to any specific provider, but Comcast previously stated that a study had revealed that Comcast had better high def picture than DirecTV. Not long after that, DirecTV filed suit stating the claims were false. Comcast in turn filed a counter-suit. At this point, the disputes haven't yet settled. Comcast currently has 4.7 million HD customers - somewhere around 19.5 percent of its total subscribers. Comcast added 441,000 digital service subscribers, including both HD packages and DVRs last quarter. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/comcast-launches-viral-ad-campaign-for-hd-offerings.html Wed, 19 Sep 2007 16:07:09 -0500 This Friday, Google will submit a proposal asking that both government and technology companies come together and create a transnational privacy policy, as concerns grow over how personal data is shared and handled over the Internet. The proposal will take place in Strasbourg, France at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which will deal with the merge of human rights and ethics and technology. It will propose an overall increase of dialog amongst regulators, private companies and international organizations so as to create a more unified standard on the issue. According to Google, the proposed policy, if one should ever come to place, will be collaborative and one that self-regulates itself by companies. Google does not propose a prescriptive set or rules or laws. Google's not necessarily pioneering with the proposal, as having privacy standards in not new by any means. For example, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) created a nine-point Privacy Framework designed to aid countries without existing policies. The idea that all business and government unite on one set of standards is their goal. In the least, Google wants to spark a sustained and creative debate. Google argues that the focus on privacy by governments and individuals has resulted in localized legislation which in turn causes very fragmented privacy regulations. If everyone's following different rules, it can make it very difficult for e-commerce, especially since an increasing amount of data is crossing international borders through credit card transactions. It makes sense that Google's taking some form of action, regardless of its effectiveness or potential vagueness. Because Google's search power, software services and commerce continue to increase so quickly, everyone's scrutinizing its privacy policies. It didn't help when Google bought DoubleClickInc, an online ad company that uses high end trend trackers as a means for higher ad effectiveness. Although the same technology is used by many Internet ad companies, it seemed Google ranked highest in getting all the negative attention regarding privacy issues. Even the Bureau Europien des Unions de Consommateurs, a European consumer group, asked the European Commission and other authorities to investigate how the DoubleClick would affect consumers. This last June, Google said it would delete the data it stores about end users anonymous in its server logs after 18th months – perhaps one more way to keep from the finger pointing. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/google-proposes-international-web-privacy-standards.html Wed, 19 Sep 2007 16:07:09 -0500 The Carlyle Group has decided to keep the sale of Insight Communications on hold for the time being. With the changing financial climate, it appears that The Carlyle group is unable to find any takers with the 3 billion dollar price ticket that it has been seeking for the sale of the company. It is speculated that they fell approximately 200 million short of their asking price. A small but profitable cable operator, Insight Communications is expected to continue to grow with new products such as phone service and bundled product options. The Carlyle group is expected to put the company up for sale again when the market is more conducive for acquisitions. Insight sells cable products such as television, high speed Internet and digital phone services to customers in the Midwest states of Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio and they serve approximately 1.3 million homes. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/sale-of-insight-communications-on-hold.html Thu, 13 Sep 2007 14:38:02 -0500 Just this last monday, Yahoo closed its two-year public test for its new version of email, Yahoo Mail. The result embraces enhancements that will be key in boosting it's usage and advertising growth. While the new version has been available to all service users for almost a year in beta form, Yahoo announced some of the new improvements and removed the beta tag. In the next six weeks, all 254 million active users will have the new version. New Yahoo Email Features One of the most significant changes have to do with instant messenger, where users are now able to initiate an instant messaging session with Yahoo Messenger users from within Yahoo Mail, similar to that of Google's Gmail and chat. It also extends to include Microsoft's Windows Live Messenger users and will be available worldwide. Also, users in the U.S., India, Canada and the Philippines will get the ability to send text messages to mobile phones from within an email message window. In the U.S., the new Yahoo Mail has also gained a feature called Shortcuts that has been available in the classic version, letting the system to automatically recognize dates and addresses. This will allow users the option of adding the information to their Yahoo Calendar and Contacts list, displaying a map inside the Yahoo Mail interface and launching Web searches. The new Yahoo Mail offers a redesigned user interface that works similar to a typical desktop email application. For instance, users can drag and drop messages into folders, open multiple message windows, perform actions via keyboard shortcuts and preview messages' content in a pane. While the new version doesn't work with Apple's Safari Web browser, Mac users are urged to use Firefox instead. Meantime, Yahoo is still working on compatibility with Safari. Since Safari 3 is still in beta, Yahoo and Apple are working together to come up with a solution. The new Yahoo Mail will now become the service's primary version but users will be able to continue using the classic version. Yahoo Mail is one of the oldest and most popular - their new email make-over should certainly make current users happy, if not win over at least some of the competitors' users. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/yahoo-launches-new-yahoo-mail-and-removes-beta-tag.html Tue, 11 Sep 2007 10:33:32 -0500 The Big Ten Network - the highly anticipated television channel dedicated to Big Ten college athletics is set to air at least 38 football games, 105 men's basketball games and 55 women's basketball games in the next year - launches this week. The only problem is that it may be weeks or even months, before the network shows up in your living room, depending on which company provides your televsion service. As one of the premier conferences in the nation with a very strong and loyal fan base, the Big Ten Network wants to be part of basic cable and satellit service. If you subscribe to DirectTV or AT&T U-verse, you have the network as of today. But if you subscribe to Comcast or Charter, you'll have to wait until Big Ten Network makes a deal with them, which at this point, seems far from happening - especially with Comcast. Comcast Decides to Sit on the Sidelines Comcast is the biggest holdout because it provides cable television to 35 percent of the homes in the Big Ten Network's core Midwest target area. Comcast argues that the Big Ten Network should be placed on Comcast's sports tier, claiming that Big Ten Network will have a niche audience, so it should be placed on the same tier as the NFL Network and NBA TV. If Comcast got their way, customers would have to pay for that entire tier of service, which Big Ten Network argues, makes no sense. The Big Ten Network argues that they should be housed on the extended basic tier of service, which provides a much larger audience. Big Ten Network stated on their website, "If you already get 50 to 60 channels as part of your basic cable/satellite package, we feel that the Big Ten Network should be part of that lineup. It's hard to imagine finding more than 50 channels more important to a viewer within the Big Ten community than the Big Ten Network." Another deal breaker - Big Ten Network wants Comcast to pay $1.10 per customer per month to the network which Comcast says is too high. Negotiations between Big Ten Network and Charter Communications are also still ongoing and while Charter likes the concept of the channel, they are still awaiting the specifics before they can assess whether or not carriage of the network will be in the best interest of their customers. Cable companies assert that they don't think there is enough interest in Big Ten sports, men's and women's in general, to house the network in the less-expensive, more widely viewed basic cable mix. Insight to Provide Programming to Most of its Customers Companies such as DirecTV and Insight realized that if they didn't make a deal with Big Ten Network, they may have a lot of unsatisfied and potentially straying customers. Insight Communications has just announced that it will carry the The Big Ten Network on its Classic service in Columbus, OH and Evansville, IN. as well as its Digital 2.0 subscribers in the state of Kentucky. The Big Ten NEtwork will be available to approximately 640,000 Insight customers. Negotiations with Comcast and smaller cable companies are still taking place. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/big-ten-network-available-to-some-cable-and-satellite-viewers.html Fri, 31 Aug 2007 11:18:49 -0500 Google recently announced that it's getting out of the video-on-demand business and will stop selling television programming via the Web. The company will stop offering download-to-own and download-to-rent programs today according to an e-mail sent to customers last Friday. "After August 15, 2007, you will no longer be able to view your purchased or rented videos." the email stated. "To fully account for the video purchases you made before July 18, 2007, we are providing you with a Google Checkout bonus." Customers will be able to use the bonus on other websites that use Google Checkout. A cash refund will be given for purchases made after that date. Why Would Google Bow Out? It seems that the retail sector of the site had less success selling content than attracting advertising spending, which accounts for the majority of its revenue. Google's move might have also been sparked by the sale of Movielink - sold by 5 top motion-picture studios to Blockbuster for around $20 million just earlier last week. Online video on demand providers are also at a considerably large disadvantage compared to cable providers which offer many free video on demand programming as well as DVR service for a modest fee. Consumers can retieve and record a large selection of television shows, movies, concerts and various other content (some in high definitiion) via a digital cable subscription and can watch the videos through their regular televevision as opposed to a smaller computer monitor. Google will continue to offer free video streaming via the web site YouTube, which it acquired nine months ago for $1.65 billion. YouTube has grown to become the most visited video-sharing provider on the Web. Online VOD Quality Still Behind the Times Video-on-demand via the internet still has plenty of technology obstacles to overcome and is still a long way from replacing traditional television and movie rentals. Some say Movielink's failure to attract a large audience came as a result of the company's refusal to allow users to burn movies they purchased to disc. Concerns exist that the video quality is often inferior to that of digital cable and dvds - even in non-high definition format. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/google-exits-video-on-demand-business.html Wed, 15 Aug 2007 16:51:21 -0500 Albuquerque Residents Have a Broader Choice in Phone Service As the nation's leading provider of cable, communications products and services, Comcast announced that they've expanded their Digital Voice residential phone service into Albuquerque, New Mexico. Calls from the IP-enabled voice service originate and travel over Comcast's proprietary managed network. Unlike traditional Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services, it does not have calls run on the public Internet. The digital voice service offers customers digital-quality phone service with unlimited direct-dial local and domestic long-distance calling, including Canada, Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. The expansion of Comcast Digital Voice into the Albuquerque area has now made the digital phone service available in more than 60 markets nationwide including San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Denver, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Detroit, Portland and Indianapolis - reaching more than 32 million homes. Comcast Subscriber Growth Comcast has recently increased its subsciber base with the joint acquisition of Adelphia with Time Warner. Comcast now has 24.1 million cable television customers, 12.4 million high speed Internet customers and 3.5 million digital voice customers. While Comcast's core business lies with its digital cable and broadband service, they also have nearly 9 years of phone experience and their share of the digital phone service market has continued to increase at a time when competitors such as Vonage are showing signs of slowing down. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/comcast-digital-voice-service-now-available-in-albuquerque-new-mexico.html Thu, 9 Aug 2007 16:34:14 -0500 The University of Kansas recently received 14 pre-litigation settlement letters from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), to be forwarded to students for copyright infringement. University officials have refuses to distribute the settlement letters, claiming that doing so would breach student privacy. By forwarding the letters, the school would have to release the students' names to the RIAA. The school insists that they will not act as a legal agent. Instead of passing out the actual letters, the school will disable Internet access for the 14 offenders. The RIAA argues that the letters give the students a chance to settle copyright lawsuits outside of court at a discounted rate and that the University is doing the students a dis-service by not forwarding the letters. In the past, the University allowed students three warnings about their illegal activity before getting their Internet privileges revoked. Since the RIAA has sent the letters, the school has adopted a zero tolerance policy when dealing with copyright infringement, where students lose Internet access after a first offense. The music industry seems to be taking a new approach to caching offenders and explain that those who continue to illegally download music and ignore copyright laws will end up paying thousands in legal fees. The RIAA maintains that there are plenty of inexpensive ways to get music and that illegally downloading could end up being very costly in the long run. The RIAA has recently sent a total of 408 letters to 23 colleges. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/university-refuses-to-release-info-to-riaa.html Tue, 7 Aug 2007 12:24:37 -0500 As one of the many cities hoping to gain free citywide wireless Internet access for its residents courtesy of Google and Earthlink, San Francisco's negotiations came to a halt once again. Just as a final decision was to be made, two very important votes have been pushed back. The two remaining votes include one that might send the plan to undergo an environmental impact study, examining whether there are related hazards to residents. The other vote would either reject the proposal or deliver it to the full body for final approval. The San Francisco Neighborhood Antenna Free Union are requesting the environmental study, claiming that Wi-Fi access points on light poles present safety concerns. In the past, this organization has opposed the placement of cellular stations near schools, hospitals and other locations. The other vote deals with new amendments to the latest proposal. The president of San Francisco's Board of Supervisors Aaron Peskin has proposed Google increase its wireless internet download speeds from 300 kilobits to 500 kilobits. The original plan would grant EarthLink the option to charge $20 per month for a speed upgrade of 1 megabit but Peskin argues that the free service should be just as fast and widely available to anyone within the wireless network. Peksin also wants EarthLink to serve the entire city of San Francisco and to ensure protection of its users' privacy. Guaranteeing that the city is properly compensated for leasing its light poles to Earthlink is also a main concern of Peksin. Given the wide use of cameras already in place on street lights and light poles across the country, it is unlikely that an environmental study would impact the progress of developments, however there are still important considerations that need to be agreed upon before moving forward. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/san-franciscos-free-wi-fi-negotiations-halt-again.html Thu, 26 Jul 2007 08:59:27 -0500 SunRocket Goes Down SunRocket, one of the nation's largest internet-phone (VoIP) providers, closed its doors a couple of weeks ago without notifying over 200,000 subscribers, leaving them without service or reimbursement. The company initially recorded a message on their customer service line saying, "We are no longer taking customer service or sales calls. Goodbye." SunRocket lured in thousands of subscribers by offering unlimited calls for an upfront fee of $199 for the entire year. Those who took up the offer paid upfront and have since lost phone service although their pre-paid year hadn't yet expired. History of SunRocket Just a couple of weeks ago, SunRocket announced major plans to cut costs by $140 million, including $110 million in marketing expenses in order to become more competitive. There was no sign of imminent collapse. Founded in 2004, SunRocket was backed by several Silicon Valley venture capital firms including Doll Capital Management, the Mayfield Fund and Blue Run Ventures. It was founded by Joyce Dorris and Paul Erickson who left the company earlier this year. Companies like SunRocket who were offering calls over the Web were seen as huge rivals to established phone carriers when they started showing up a few years ago. While the phone carriers have been worrying, many VoIP companies were having a difficult time competing against their more financially stable rivals who offer alternative services as part of packages that may include broadband Internet, a landline, TV or cell phone services. Left in the Dark After several days without service or explanation, Packet8 has since been chosen as the preferred VoIP service provider by SunRocket. Meantime, SunRocket will begin communicating with its current subscribers via email and voicemail, urging them to transition their service to Packet8 immediately. The terms of the agreement state that Packet8 will waive all regular start up costs with its residential service plans and offer one free month of service. SunRocket subscribers will be able to choose from several plans, including one costing $199 for unlimited calls for one year. There was no mention of honoring any fees paid to SunRocket. The Appeal of Cable and Telephone Companies It seems that independent VoIP providers are facing escalating competition from cable television and telephone companies such as Verizon. The VoIP service providers, including Vonage, have been having a bad year as cable companies have begun rolling out their stand alone digital phone services along with bundled utility packages in the market. Vonage has been in a patent battle with Verizon and is struggling to retain customers who fear service disruptions due the battle. Vonage has also reported wide losses since it held its official public offering in May of 2006. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/sunrocket-leaves-thousands-without-phone-service.html Thu, 26 Jul 2007 08:57:47 -0500 The series finale of HBO's hit show The Sopranos closed last Sunday with a controversial ending which reportedly brought hundreds of thousands of cable and satellite viewers online to HBO's web site which reportedly crashed the site due to the volume of visits from many confused and upset viewers. After an arguably slow paced season, the final episode brought resolution to a heated New York vs. New Jersey organized crime rivalry, however the final minutes of the episode left cable and satellite subscribers with plenty to discuss on the online blogs, message boards and radio. The episode ends with Tony Soprano (played by actor James Gandolfini) awaiting his family's arrival at a diner to the soundtrack of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing." One by one, Tony's family enters the restaurant with Tony habitually watching the front door - eyeing entrances and movements of suspicious patrons for what could be his last supper. Sopranos Director David Chase managed to successfully take viewers through an emotional roller coaster ride to "Don't Stop Believing" in these final minutes instilling circular emotions of horror, tension, fear and relief. The show ends with daughter Meadow Soprano about to make her entrance into the diner after spending the last few moments struggling to parallel park her car, when Tony abruptly looks up - the screen goes to black for several moments, only to be followed by the final credits in silence. Video and Internet Usage This ending caused many confused and upset HBO subscribers to check the web site to verify if what they just saw on their television was actually the end of the show. The large surge of viewers who went to HBO's web site reportedly brought down the site temporarily due to the unexpected increase in web traffic from the ending of The Sopranos. Interaction between the entertainment medias of video and internet should come as no surprise in this day and age and is expected to increase with the accessibility of bundles services (video, internet and phone) as well and the growing popularity of special interest blogs where online subscribers can discuss and read about video programming. Many cable and satellite customers who subscribe to HBO can watch the final episode and see for themselves what all of the buzz is about via OnDemand services in case they missed it. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/sopranos-finale-sends-hbo-web-site-into-the-black.html Thu, 14 Jun 2007 12:16:08 -0500 While options in home phone service providers have expanded for consumers, there are new concerns about the future of one major technology, VoIP. Vonage, the leading independent provider of VoIP, or Voice-over Internet Protocol, is in a tight legal battle with another service provider, Verizon Communications. Claiming that Vonage has committed patent infringement, Verizon won a recent lawsuit with the VoIP provider. After a U.S. Court of Appeals turned down Vonage's request for a new trial against Verizon, many customers are left waiting to find out the fate of one of the most popular VoIP service providers. Although still in the appeal process, the case could have negative consequences for Vonage's market. Vonage has been ordered to pay up to $58 million in damages to Verizon, along with a 5.5% royalty fee for all sales moving forward. The Vonage patent case has the potential to dramatically affect the VoIP market in the near future. Consumers who looking for phone service may need to pay considerable attention to the longevity outlook of VoIP providers when making their selection to ensure reliability and avoid potential service disruptions. Meanwhile, customers are turning to similar alternative phone services that are not implicated in the patent infringement suit, including cable phone service providers such as Time Warner and Comcast Digital Voice. Comcast, the largest cable provider in the U.S., recently announced that it has added 571,000 new digital voice subscribers in the first quarter of 2007 and now has 2.4 million subscribers to its digital phone service. In comparison, Vonage has announced that it has added just 166,000 new subscribers - down 50% from last year at this time. Unlike Vonage, which uses public Internet lines to connect calls, Comcast and other Cable Internet phone service providers rely on secure networks - offering clients high-quality reception. As the Verizon and Vonage struggle continues, consumers will be keeping a close eye on offerings from top cable phone service providers. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/vonage-struggles-stir-up-interest-in-cable-phone-services.html Mon, 14 May 2007 15:30:14 -0500 Philadelphia-based Comcast Corporation and Insight Communications recently announced that Comcast has acquired Insight's 50% stake in its Midwest market to include rural Illinois customers in Rockford, Peoria, Springfield, Dixon, Quincy, Macomb, and Champaign-Urbana as well as Indiana customers in Bloomington, Anderson, Lafayette and Kokomo. Previously both Comcast and Insight were 50% stakeholders in these areas from the terms of the previous AT&T acquisition of 2002. These systems serve approximately 296,000 digital cable television subscribers, 684 basic cable subscribers and 300,000 high speed cable Internet subscribers in 1.2 million homes. Comcast expects the new cable systems to generate roughly $290 million in operating cashflow this year. Comcast is hoping to attract even more subscribers from these areas with its new digital voice product and its bundled triple play package. The New York-based Insight cable operator will own 100% of the cable systems serving customers in the cities of Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green and Covington, Kentucky as well as the cable market in Evansville, Indiana and Columbus, Ohio. These areas approximately constitute 1.3 million homes and include approximately 640,000 basic cable customers, 325,000 digital cable customers, 310,000 high speed cable Internet customers. Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator and Insight Communications is the ninth largest cable operator. in the US. Both providers offer digital video, high-speed cable Internet and digital voice phone services to its customers. Closing of the transaction is expected to be completed by the end of 2007. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/comcast-expands-midwest-market-in-deal-with-insight.html Mon, 7 May 2007 14:26:39 -0500 After a delay in the initial release schedule, AT&T's U-Verse has been launched in the Milwaukee area, with plans for rapid expansion throughout the 22 states served. AT&T's U-Verse uses a fiber-rich network to offer a collection of services, including state of the art television programming and Internet connections. The U-Verse allows users to integrate many of their services, offering a higher quality experience. The new service from AT&T gives potential customers one more alternative to cable television, competing alongside digital and satellite services. However, with the ability to integrate television programming, a high-speed internet service, and telephone services, AT&T will be set to compete with other bundled service packages, such as Comcast's Triple Play. The basic AT&T U-Verse service will begin at $44 a month. More extensive packages include roughly 300 television channels, including digital music and premium music and sports programming. Also available is a DVR, or digital recording device, which AT&T high-speed Internet users can access and program remotely through their Internet accounts. Roughly 7,000 current subscribers have signed up for the new AT&T U-Verse television service. The company plans to continue expansion, setting their goals to include 19 million homes subscribing to the service by the end of 2008. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/att-launches-u-verse-in-wisconsin.html Mon, 5 Mar 2007 14:09:59 -0600 In an effort to compete with DSL service, Mediacom Communications announced earlier this month its plans to rev up the speed of its residential high speed Internet service. With this increase, download speeds will increase from 5Mbps to 8Mbps and upload speeds will double from 256Kbps to 512Kbps. The best part; Mediacom customers will automatically be upgraded at no additional cost within the next 60 days. Mediacom's mission, according to JR Walden, Mediacom's Group Vice President, IP Services, is to enhance its broadband customer's online experience. Mr. Walden went on to state in a press released issued earlier this month, "Over the past three years, we have increased the download speeds of our flagship product by more than five times. Our continuing enhancements to Mediacom Online have kept it the leader in our markets, making us a clear choice over DSL for value and service. Doing our part to bridge the 'digital divide,' we take great pride in making superior broadband services available to virtually every home in our markets, not only the major cities, but also the smaller rural communities we serve." Other Mediacom High Speed Internet Service Upgrades This High Speed Internet speed hike is just of several service upgrades Mediacom has delivered within the past several months. The maximum download speeds of the "vip" triple play and premier OnlineMax Internet services were increased to 10Mbps and 15 Mbps, respectively, and the maximum upload speed of the "vip" service nearly quadrupled from 256kbps to 1Mbps.In addition, The Mediacom's Internet portal was upgraded to include Rhapsody Internet radio and a new package of security tools, such as Spam, Pop-up and Spyware blockers and Anti-Virus and Firewall protectors, and much more, all free of charge. Both Mediacom Online and Mediacom OnlineMax subscriptions include many additional features, such as, home networking, six e-mail addresses, web space and storage. Mediacom also offers cable television and VoIP telephone service with discounts if you order all three services at once. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/mediacom-increases-its-speed.html Thu, 22 Feb 2007 11:29:06 -0600 Stuart Mershon, creator of an audio projection technology, is suing the creators of Slingbox for patent infringement. Mershon claims that Slingbox ripped off his idea for "place-shifting" technology, or the concept that users can stream content to a remote listening device. Mershon patented his technology several years ago, after creating a wireless telephone network that transmits audio signals from the audio source to a remote speaker. Slingbox, created by Sling Media, plugs a device into a user's television, and feeds programs to a remote box via an internet connection. The Slingbox allows users to view and control their favorite television programming wherever they have access to an internet connection. Using the Slingbox, users can view their favorite television episodes in real time, and can also record and access shows on their TiVo or DVR device, as well as On Demand programming. Seeking unspecified damages from a Texas court, Mershon has stated that Sling Media has sold at least half a million devices. Sling Media's Jason Krikorian, vice president of business development, has denied the claims of the lawsuit. http://www.broadbandinfo.com/news/slingbox-struck-with-patent-infringement.html Wed, 21 Feb 2007 13:47:33 -0600 Users Can Download TV Shows and Movies at Home <br /> The buzz around the intern