• Verizon expands services in Mass., N.Y.
By Traci Patterson

Verizon has introduced its FiOS TV service to 8,500 additional consumers in Rochester and Walpole, Mass.

Rochester and Walpole are among 70 Massachusetts communities where the telco's video service is being offered. Verizon is currently negotiating with several other communities in the state to obtain additional video franchises.

Meanwhile, nearly one million consumers in parts of 50 New York cities, towns and communities now have access to Verizon’s high-speed Internet service, which more than doubles the download speed of the telco’s DSL service. Qualified customers are being offered a downstream connection speed of up to 7 Mbps for as low as $39.99 per month when ordered with an annual service plan.

• OpenTV ups net income, revenues in Q1
By Traci Patterson

OpenTV Corp. reported a net income of $6.3 million for its first quarter, ended March 31, compared with a net loss of $3.1 million in the first quarter of 2007. Total revenues for the first quarter were $33.8 million, an increase of 35 percent year-over-year.

The company’s Middleware Solutions segment reported a total revenue of $30.1 million, compared with $21.8 million in the year-ago quarter. And the Advertising Solutions segment brought in $3.7 million in revenue, up from $3.3 million in Q1 2007.

"Moving forward, we continue to pursue new middleware opportunities in emerging markets, as well as expand relationships with existing customers in more mature markets,” said OpenTV CEO Ben Bennett. “We have also made further progress with our advanced advertising business and remain on track for the general availability of our EclipsePlus product later this month."

• CommScope’s Gantt granted SCTE Excellence in Standards Award
By Traci Patterson

The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) has announced that Kevin M. Gantt, a product engineer for CommScope in the company’s Digital Broadband division, is the 2008 recipient of the SCTE Excellence in Standards Award. He will be honored as part of the Annual Awards Luncheon at the SCTE Cable-Tec Expo 2008, set for June 24-27 in Philadelphia.

Since 1992, Gantt has been an active participant in the SCTE Interface Practices and In-Home Cabling Subcommittee (IPS), whose charter is to develop standards for the cables, connectors and housings used in broadband telecommunications distribution plants, the SCTE said.

The annual SCTE Excellence in Standards Award honors an SCTE Standards Program participant who has contributed to both the technical standards program and the spirit of cooperation necessary for the success of voluntary standards.

• Icahn ups stake in Motorola
By Traci Patterson

Motorola investor Carl Icahn has increased his stake in the company from 6.4 percent to 7.6 percent, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The billionaire investor now owns about 172.2 million Motorola shares, which represents a 7.6 percent stake based on 2.26 billion shares outstanding as of March 14.

In response to investor pressure, Motorola announced in March that it would split its struggling handset unit from its home and networks business. In April, Motorola ended a proxy fight with Icahn and agreed to seat two of his nominees on its board.

• SNL Kagan rocks the CASBAA
By Brian Santo

SNL Kagan has joined the Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA), the media broadcasting industry advocacy group devoted to promoting multichannel television via cable, satellite, broadband and wireless video networks in the Asia-Pacific region.

"CASBAA sits at the center of Asia-Pacific's vibrant TV landscape, and we look forward to participating in the association's regionwide efforts to promote industry growth initiatives," said Ben Reneker, senior analyst for SNL Kagan.

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