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Daily news and top headlines for broadband communications engineering and design professionals
Chasing big business
March 8, 2013 6:17 pm | by Craig Kuhl, Contributing Editor | Articles | CommentsThe lucrative small- to mid-size business (SMB) services market is growing organically to include larger enterprises and is now in phase two as cable operators and related service providers accelerate the expansion of their business services model to include the enterprise market.
QuickPlay joining white-label multiscreen market
March 8, 2013 1:37 pm | by Brian Santo | News | CommentsQuickPlay Media is the latest company planning to offer multiscreen delivery as a cloud-based service. The company’s name for its cloud-based managed service solutions for the distribution of media to IP-connected devices is TVX. The service includes ingest, content management, play-out, and reporting.
Comcast ups Xfinity speeds in 3 more states
March 8, 2013 1:26 pm | by Brian Santo | News | CommentsComcast continued its gradual rollout of internet speed upgrades, doubling the downstream speeds of two of the more popular tiers of Xfinity service in Arkansas, Indiana, and Michigan, at no cost. The speed upgrades initially apply to the Blast! and Extreme 50 plans.
TWC to pay $2.2 million to overcharged NY subs
March 8, 2013 12:36 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsNew York attorney general Eric Schneiderman announced yesterday that Time Warner Cable has agreed to refund some of its New York subscribers $2.2 million for allegedly overcharging them. The settlement requires Time Warner Cable to refund overcharges collected since March 2007.
Google sheds 1,200 jobs, but cuts miss Home unit
March 8, 2013 12:31 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsGoogle said today it was trimming 1,200 jobs, or 10 percent, from Motorola Mobility’s workforce, but the cuts didn’t impact the cable-based Motorola Home unit that Arris is buying. Google cut 4,000 jobs in August, which included employees from the Home and mobile divisions.
Cache as cache can: cable cozies up to nDVR
March 7, 2013 2:46 pm | by Mike Robuck | Articles | CommentsNetwork-based DVR services have been waiting in the wings for years now, but their big debut seems to be only a matter of time now that content rights issues are thawing out and the network architectures are taking shape. nDVR will be, when paired with a content delivery network or cloud, one of the legs that TV Everywhere services stand on once it’s enabled.
TWCBC checks in with new HD service for hotels
March 7, 2013 12:36 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsTime Warner Cable Business Class is provisioning a new HD platform for hotels that was designed to mimic in-home HD services without the expense of on-site headend equipment and bulky set-top boxes. Time Warner Cable Business Class (TWCBC) is offering a new version of its HD Video for Hospitality service across the greater New York City area, New York State, New England and the Carolinas.
In perspective: Wait... what?
March 6, 2013 5:54 pm | by Brian Santo | Articles | CommentsOnce upon a time, Time Warner was a giant media company with both a programming arm and a distribution arm. Investors demanded Time Warner Cable be spun off. After buying the rest of NBC Universal, Comcast now looks pretty similar to 2008 Time Warner.
Capital Currents: FCC broadcast spectrum incentive auctions
March 6, 2013 5:42 pm | by Jeffrey Krauss, President of Telecommunications and Technology Policy | Articles | CommentsThe big picture on FCC incentive auctions of broadcast spectrum, includes two key elements: 1) The transfer of at least 120 MHz of spectrum for mobile broadband use; and 2) The generation of enough revenues to pay broadcaster relocation costs, the funding of a national broadband public safety network, as well as support for deficit reduction.
Ciciora's Corner: Technology needs rich people
March 6, 2013 5:31 pm | by Walt S. Ciciora, Expert on cable and consumer electronics issues | Articles | CommentsIn some quarters, wealth has received a bad name. A little thought reveals that our industry and our careers strongly depend on there being “rich people.” Start-up endeavors need investors, people with at least a little excess money they can put at risk in hopes of making a return.
Ad platform startup gains $11M in vencap
March 6, 2013 3:08 pm | by Brian Santo | News | CommentsInnovid, a startup that specializes in equipment used to create and distribute interactive advertising, has just nailed down another $11 million in venture funding. The company develops tools to create, deliver and measure video campaigns, in any format, on any screen, publisher or ad network. The suite of products includes the Innovid's own Ad Server.
In the Media: Verizon hiking DSL fees
March 6, 2013 3:01 pm | by Brian Santo | News | CommentsVerizon will be upping the price of its basic tier of DSL service by $5 a month. The price hikes are not universal. The price has not changed in some cities where they company has franchise obligations to not increase its rates. The company says the new rate will remain in effect for one year.
FreedomPop giving away home broadband
March 6, 2013 2:21 pm | by Ben Munsen, Wireless Week | News | CommentsAfter announcing its plans to enter home broadband service back in December, MVNO FreedomPop has today made its Burst wireless router available to the public. The device retails for $89 and gives users access to FreedomPop’s freemium service on Clearwire’s WiMax network.
Time Warner Cable accelerates IntelligentHome rollouts
March 6, 2013 12:19 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsAhead of a nationwide rollout by year’s end, Time Warner Cable has launched its home automation service, which is called IntelligentHome, in all of its Carolinas markets as well as in Kansas City and Maine this week. Time Warner Cable finished up last year with IntelligentHome available in six of its markets.
Comcast achieves goal of hiring 1,000 veterans
March 6, 2013 12:14 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsComcast announced today that it and NBCUniversal reached their three-year goal of hiring 1,000 veterans two years ahead of schedule. Comcast will double down on its pledge, which was made through U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s "Hiring Our Heroes,” by hiring an additional 1,000 armed services veterans by 2015.
