Business

TWCBC checks in with new HD service for hotels

March 7, 2013 12:36 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | Comments

Time 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 | Comments

Once 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 | Comments

The 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 | Comments

In 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 | Comments

Innovid, 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 | Comments

Verizon 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 | Comments

After 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 | Comments

Ahead 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 | Comments

Comcast 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.

Charter hires TWC’s Dudley, promotes Dykhouse

March 6, 2013 12:09 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | Comments

Charter Communications has beefed up its senior leadership team at company headquarters in Stamford, Conn. Time Warner Cable executive Alex Dudley will join Charter Communications in the newly created position of senior vice president, communications while Richard Dykhouse was promoted to executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary.

Suddenlink promotes Nau

March 6, 2013 12:04 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | Comments

uddenlink Communications announced that Tyler Nau has been promoted to vice president of finance and general manager of carrier services for the company’s commercial and advertising operations (CAO) organization, headquartered in Dallas. He was previously vice president of finance and business development for CAO.

Memory Lane: When the sky was the limit

March 5, 2013 9:15 pm | by Stewart Schley Media & technology writer | Articles | Comments

On Dec. 13, 1975, RCA gave the cable industry a pre-Christmas gift to remember when the first of RCA’s Satcom series of geostationary satellites was launched by NASA from a Delta 3000 rocket. That satellite and its progeny have endured for decades as an essential conduit for cable programming.

DOCSIS theft and cloning

March 5, 2013 8:52 pm | by Owen Parsons, cable access ops engineer III at Cox Communications | Articles | Comments

As long as there are services, there will be service thieves. Preventing this theft may take some configuration changes in software, firmware upgrades and the removal of problematic cable modems, as well as adjustments to CMTS settings. Combating service theft has been a series of moves and countermoves, not unlike a game of chess.

Google Builds White-Space Spectrum Database

March 5, 2013 2:16 pm | by Ben Munsen, Wireless Week | News | Comments

Google has unveiled a searchable map of the available white-space spectrum in the U.S. The company said this new effort is in order to help promote dynamic spectrum sharing. The FCC is in the process of evaluating the map for accuracy.

Study: Core router market continues slide in 4Q

March 5, 2013 12:13 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | Comments

For the sixth straight quarter, the service provider core router market continued its decline in the fourth quarter of last year as market revenue fell to its lowest level since the third quarter of 2009. Dell’Oro Group’s latest research said market revenue core routers dropped because network operators cut back investments on their backbone networks.