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Daily news and top headlines for broadband communications engineering and design professionals
Rural Iowa telco goes FTTH with Adtran
May 13, 2013 1:16 pm | by Brian Santo | CommentsMarne Elk Horn Telephone has installed Adtran’s Total Access 5000 broadband platform as it upgrades its network in Southern Iowa from copper plant to fiber-to-the-home (FTTH). In addition to residential and business customers, the service provider is connecting local school districts.
Aereo re-tools pricing plan ahead of Boston launch
May 13, 2013 12:22 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsAhead of its launch in Boston on Wednesday, Internet TV startup Aereo announced today that it that it had restructured its pricing plan for new customers. Aereo said the new "streamlined" plan would be easier for customers to understand.
CableLabs names Lookabaugh as new EVP of R&D
May 13, 2013 12:16 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsCableLabs, the cable industry’s research consortium, announced this morning that it had hired Tom Lookabaugh as its news executive vice president of research and development. Lookabaugh’s 20-year telecommunications career includes stops at ViaSat Communications, Entropic Communications and PolyCiper.
Dish chair dares Softbank to raise bid for Sprint
May 10, 2013 1:20 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsThe chairman of satellite broadcaster Dish Network Corp., which is trying to buy Sprint Nextel Corp., is daring Sprint's other suitor to raise its bid. Dish's Charlie Ergen told investors and reporters Thursday that based on the benefits Japan's Softbank says it would get from buying Sprint, it should be paying a higher price.
YouTube's new pay channels go from campy to kids
May 10, 2013 1:17 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsAlthough the world's largest video site has rented and sold movies and TV shows from major studios since late 2008, YouTube is introducing all-you-can-watch channels that require a monthly fee. The least expensive of the channels will cost 99 cents a month but the average price is around $2.99.
McCain bill takes aim at cable practices
May 10, 2013 1:02 pm | by Brian Santo | CommentsSenator John McCain has introduced a bill that aims to fix a grab-bag of problems in the TV industry. His bill proposes to bar programmers from offering channels only in bundles; it aims to make retransmission consent arguments easier to adjudicate; and restricts sports blackouts, among other measures.
BeIN Sport kicks off streaming service with TWC, BHN
May 10, 2013 11:08 am | by Mike Robuck | CommentsAl-Jazeera Sport Media Network’s beIN Sport launched a new streaming service today with Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks’ authenticated subscribers. The new service, which is called beIN Sport Play, will feature video content streamed in HD that is available on any broadband-connected PC, mobile device, or smart player
Report: Comcast No. 1 for hosted business VoIP service
May 10, 2013 11:03 am | by Mike Robuck | CommentsComcast was the leader of the pack in a recent study of VoIP services. According to Infonetics Research’s scorecard, Comcast, 8x8, Verizon and West were the top hosted VoIP providers in North America while Verizon, XO, AT&T, and Windstream were the top IP connectivity providers in North America.
Time Warner Cable launches Korean channels in NY/NJ footprint
May 10, 2013 10:52 am | by Mike Robuck | CommentsTime Warner Cable is now offering Korean-based channels TVK and TVK2 in its New York and New Jersey service area. TVK is a 24-hour cable channel dedicated to serving the Korean-speaking community with a mix of news, dramas, movies, sports, business, health, game shows, entertainment and educational programming.
Dish's Q1 disappoints; lowest sub adds in years
May 9, 2013 2:11 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsDish Network fell short of Wall Street expectations. Earnings were down 41 percent, and the company added only 36,000 TV subscribers in its first quarter, the fewest since 2009 when the recession and a dismal housing market hammered consumers.
Starz extends app to Android devices
May 9, 2013 2:06 pm | by Brian Santo | CommentsStarz has made its TV everywhere app available on Android handsets and tablets, including Nook HD, Nook HD+, and the Nexus 4, Nexus 7, and Nexus 10. Also, 3G/4G cellular access has been added to the service feature, giving Play users an additional connectivity option in addition to Wi-Fi.
Cablevision swings to loss; spending up on CPE
May 9, 2013 1:52 pm | by Brian Santo | CommentsCablevision Systems swung to a first quarter loss, due in part to declining revenues in its cable TV unit. The company added a modest number of revenue generating units (RGUs), and increased average revenue per user (ARPU) by a little more than 1 percent, to $156.34.
Entropic files patent infringement lawsuit against ViXS
May 9, 2013 12:49 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsSemiconductor vendor Entropic has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against ViXS that relates to its use of MoCA technology. ViXS responded by saying that Entropic’s patent infringement claim was entirely without merit and that it planned to defend itself.
CFO Bornak departs from SeaChange
May 9, 2013 12:38 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsSeaChange International announced that Michael Bornak has resigned from his role as chief financial officer to take a job at another publicly traded company. Anthony Dias, SeaChange’s chief accounting officer, will be promoted to senior vice president and will serve as interim chief financial officer while SeaChange searches for a permanent CFO.
Comcast’s Pick joins ValueVision board
May 9, 2013 12:34 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsComcast’s Robert Pick, senior vice president of corporate development, joined ValueVision Media’s board of directors. ValueVision, which Comcast owns a stake in, is a multi-channel retailer that operates under the ShopNBC name.
