• Shentel completes Rapid acquisition
By Traci Patterson
Shenandoah Telecommunications Co. (Shentel) has completed the acquisition of cable assets and subscribers in Virginia and West Virginia from Rapid Communications. The nearly 18,000 customers affected are located in 50 franchise areas and are mostly clustered around Covington, Va., and Summersville and Weston, W.Va.
The deal was announced in August (story here) . In 2009, Shentel said that it will begin construction to provide additional services – including HDTV, VOD, high-speed Internet and voice services – to its new subscribers as part of a two-year upgrade program.
Shentel provides telecommunications services through its operating subsidiaries, which offer local and long-distance telephony, Internet and data services, cable TV, wireless voice and data services, alarm monitoring, telecommunications equipment and other solutions in the Mid-Atlantic and southeastern regions of the U.S.
• Verizon awarded video franchises in 2 additional N.Y. towns
By Traci Patterson
The City of Lackawanna in Erie County and the Village of Atlantic Beach in Nassau County, both in New York State, will soon have access to Verizon’s FiOS TV service, thanks to newly approved agreements authorizing the telco to offer its video service in the communities.
The latest approvals make 143 the total number of New York municipalities that have authorized Verizon to provide FiOS TV service. And as with all local franchise approvals in New York, the agreements between Verizon and the two communities are subject to review by the New York State Public Service Commission.
Verizon’s FiOS TV service debuted in New York City earlier this year (story here).
• Study: U.K. 1st European nation to significantly adopt DVRs
By Traci Patterson
The United Kingdom has become the first European nation to adopt digital video recorders (DVRs) in significant numbers, with more than one-third of U.K. broadband households owning a DVR, according to a new Parks Associates study.
“Entertainment 2.0 in Europe” found that British households were more likely to record TV programming and skip commercials than other European DVR households. But even young U.K. consumers with a DVR continue to watch broadcast TV more than recorded programs – which is part of the overall trend in Europe, where households are less receptive than Americans to TV services. In the U.S., more than 40 percent of broadband households own a DVR.
"If Americans are wedded to their TVs, Europeans are just dating," said John Barrett, director of research for Parks Associates. "Europeans have traditionally been less enthusiastic about in-home entertainment than Americans. Pay-TV, DVRs and VOD have been harder sells as a result. These findings show how, at least in the case of the United Kingdom, we're seeing some traction."
More Broadband Direct:
• Rogers founder Ted Rogers passes
• TWC's CFO expects RGUs to decline in 2009
• Research: Cox achieves 227% ROI with BlackLine software
• FCC to consider free wireless broadband
• Coalition calls for broadband policy
• Sling betas Slingbox access thru Web portal
• RCN ramps up all-digital with BigBand Networks' BMR
• SMC Networks shows DOCSIS 3.0 modem with 320 Mbps downstream speed
• ATSC approves mobile, handheld candidate standard
• Westman Communications bolsters triple-play offering with Integra5
• TDG: Game consoles' video services rival those of cable ops
• Broadband Briefs for 12/02/08
