Policy

Charter hires Bohigian as EVP, governmental affairs

June 17, 2013 12:14 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | Comments

Charter Communications has hired former Cablevision lobbyist and Federal Communications Commissions aide Catherine Bohigian as its new executive vice president, governmental affairs. Bohigian, who starts her new job on July 8, replaces Robert Quicksilver, who is leaving the company.

From the Cable Show: "Disruptors" not so disruptive

June 10, 2013 6:25 pm | by Brian Santo | News | Comments

Executives from Vox Media, Jawbone, Twitter, and Roku were all quite enthusiastic about being complements to the cable industry, but they all wished that cable would innovate a little faster. Tom Rutledge meanwhile essentially admonished programmers to give it up already.

Obama pushes plan for fast Internet in U.S. schools

June 7, 2013 1:44 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

The President is advocating for an initiative that calls on the FCC to use an existing program that funds Internet access in schools and libraries through a surcharge on telephone bills to meet the goal. He also directed the government to do a better job of using existing funds to get Internet connections and educational technology into classrooms, and into the hands of teachers who know how to use it.

Report: NSA demands Verizon hand over all U.S. call records

June 6, 2013 2:04 pm | by Ben Munson, Wireless Week | News | Comments

The Guardian has received and published the order which outlines that Verizon is to deliver to the NSA the numbers of both parties, location data, identifiers like IMSI and IMEI numbers, and time and duration of calls. The order has been in place since April and has demanded Verizon give over the requisite information for both international calls originating in the U.S. and calls made within the U.S.

Idaho mapping extent of broadband deserts

June 3, 2013 1:38 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Look at a map showing broadband Internet access in Idaho and you'll see broad swaths of online nothingness. About 85 percent of Idahoans have good access to some form of high-speed Internet, but that population is concentrated in the urban areas that make up a fraction of the state's land mass. Scattered across the vast spaces that remain, rural Idahoans are often hard-pressed to communicate and do business.

Cisco: M2M manifests; video still driving global traffic

May 29, 2013 1:51 pm | by Brian Santo | News | Comments

According to the company's latest global Internet traffic report, M2M Internet traffic has begun to have a measurable impact on global IP networks. The latest version of the annual Visual Networking Index also attested to the ongoing nature of other well-known trends: on a global basis, more people are getting connected, data consumption is increasing, and video represents a growing constituent element of global traffic.

FCC kicks off Phase II of Connect America Fund

May 23, 2013 1:32 pm | by Brian Santo | News | Comments

The FCC announced Phase II of the Connect America Fund, extending the program designed to encourage the extension of broadband networks to reach unserved and underserved Americans, mostly in rural areas. The announcement was hailed by phone companies, but was met with disappointment by the smaller cable operators who typically provide services in the areas targeted by the fund.

Cranky broadcasters could get their licenses yanked

May 15, 2013 2:08 pm | by Brian Santo | News | Comments

TV broadcasters who pull their signals off the air might risk forfeiting their spectrum licenses, Sen. Mark Warner this week warned. Fox CEO Chase Carey last month vowed to pull Fox off the air and distribute exclusively through pay TV services if Aereo were allowed to proceed with its current business model.

Another Senator weighs in on cable prices

May 15, 2013 1:57 pm | by Brian Santo | News | Comments

Sen. Rockefeller has asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study the impact of TV station shared services agreements (SSAs) on consumers. The request is a response to complaints that local broadcasters collude in order to keep retrans fees artificially high.

McCain bill takes aim at cable practices

May 10, 2013 1:02 pm | by Brian Santo | News | Comments

Senator 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.

Capital Currents: That notorious copyright decision

May 7, 2013 8:10 pm | by Jeffrey Krauss, President of Telecommunications and Technology Policy | Articles | Comments

You’ve certainly read about that notorious decision by the Librarian of Congress that made it illegal for a cell phone owner to “unlock” a cell phone so that it can be used with a different carrier. But that same decision, which came out last October, contains other elements, including some that apply more directly to our business.

Wheeler on tap to head FCC

May 1, 2013 1:58 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

A White House official says President Barack Obama plans to name a former cable and wireless industry lobbyist to head the Federal Communications Commission. Tom Wheeler is former head of both the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association and the National Cable Television Association.

TWC program promotes science ed through sports

April 22, 2013 1:38 pm | by Brian Santo | News | Comments

Time Warner Cable announced its STEM in Sports campaign to support science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. The campaign will offer parents, coaches and other adults the opportunity to get kids interested in STEM by highlighting the roles these subjects play in sports. NFL player Victor Cruz will appear in a PSA for the program.

NAMIC, WICT team up on diversity survey

April 16, 2013 12:26 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | Comments

Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) and the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) announced plans to conduct another joint workplace diversity survey for the next editions of the WICT PAR Initiative and the NAMIC AIM (Advancement Investment Measurement). The Walter Kaitz Foundation will fund the survey through a grant.

United Fiber goes with Entone for hybrid TV

April 11, 2013 1:43 pm | by Brian Santo | News | Comments

The subsidiary of the United Electric Cooperative is using Entone’s FusionTV to deliver both linear and over-the-top content on the fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network it is building in rural Missouri, using money from the Broadband Stimulus.