| This week's sponsor is Overture. |  | eBook: Finding New Gold in Copper This eBook from FierceTelecom will explore the ever-changing dynamics of service providers' copper networks and how they are using these new technologies to deliver a wider set of services to consumers and businesses. Download for free today. |
Today's Top Stories
1. Cablevision forms wireless technology group; Andrew Ip named VP
2. Comcast tailors triple play for Hispanic subscribers
3. NAB: Retransmission-consent fees help fund local news programming
4. FCC: Net neutrality rules will protect Internet video services
5. Bell Canada wants to fight U.S. OTT invasion with 'made in Canada' service Also Noted: Akamai
Spotlight On... TDG: iPads drive increased TV viewing
Cheesbrough named CTO at News Corp.; Henson launches Pajanimals app and much more...  Follow @FierceCable on Twitter!
News From the Fierce Network:
1. YouView CEO: Don't count us out yet
2. Frontier to serve up higher broadband speeds in West Va.
3. Apple's iPhone 5 could be boon to carriers, U.S. GDP
| Webinar: Telco-OTT: the Good, the Fast and the Nimble
Thursday, September 27, 11am ET / 8am PT
Service providers have been in a perennial battle with "over-the-top" internet vendors who leverage bandwidth but often do not play by the same regulatory or financial rules. Does it need to be a battle of us vs. them? Register Today! |
| Sponsor: SCTE Cable-Tec FierceLive! Webinars > Implementing Connected Solutions: M2M and the Connected Life - Wednesday, September 19, 11am ET / 8am PT
> The 1000x challenge; More Spectrum - How, how much and from where? - Tuesday, September 18th, 12pm ET / 9am PT
> Telco-OTT: the Good, the Fast and the Nimble - Thursday, September 27, 11am ET / 8am PT
Events > Fierce Innovation Awards 2012 - An Operator- Reviewed Awards Program From the Publishers of FierceWireless, FierceTelecom, FierceCable
> Walter Kaitz Foundation's 29th Annual Fundraising Dinner - September 12 - New York Hilton
> Video World Conference & Expo 2012 - October 3-5 - Austin, TX
> CTAM Summit & CTAM Insights Conferences - October 14-16 - Orlando, FL
> Content and Communications World (CCW) - November 14-15 - New York, NY
Marketplace > Research: LTE: a real disruptive technology and business opportunity?
> Whitepaper: Online Video Publishing Buying Tips
> Whitepaper: How to Master the Art of Content Marketing
> Whitepaper: Leveraging Website Marketing: Top 10 Website Solution Capabilities
> EBook: Unified Communications, Where it is, Where it's Going
> Whitepaper: Improving Content Publishing Workflow Efficiency for Multi-Device Delivery
> Whitepaper: Case Study: 4G Operator Maximizes Revenue with Flexibile, and Discovery-driven Audit Capabilities
> Whitepaper: Rethink IP/Optical Core Management
> EBook: The New Data Center
> EBook: Finding New Gold in Copper
* Post a classified ad: Click here.
* General ad info: Click here | Today's Top News 1. Cablevision forms wireless technology group; Andrew Ip named VP
Cablevision (NYSE: CVC) said Tuesday that it has formed a wireless technology group that will be led by former consultant Andrew Ip, who was named VP of wireless technology and operations. The MSO said Ip would be responsible for its wireless technology products, including its Optimum WiFi network. Cablevision didn't say what role Ip may play in the development of new products that rely on its MVDDS (Multichannel Video Distribution and Data Services) spectrum such as its OMGFAST wireless broadband service in Florida. Ip notes in his LinkedIn profile that he joined Cablevision in March, and that he is responsible for the MSO's "various wireless networks." Cablevision, which has trademarked the brand Optimum Mobile, has said that it is studying how it may be able to use its WiFi network to offer subscribers a mobile phone product that would rely on both WiFi and cellular networks. Ip, who reports to Cablevision EVP of network management and field operations Jerry Genova, was a partner at Meridian Advisory Group before joining Cablevision. He worked earlier as a consultant for Mars & Co. and Interactive Broadband Consulting Group. Cablevision said he began his career at Sprint (NYSE: S) as a radio frequency engineer. "Cablevision has built the nation's largest and most advanced WiFi network and Andrew's extensive background in wireless operations, planning, execution and product development will help drive the continued expansion of the Optimum WiFi network, providing even more value for consumers," Genova said in a statement. For more:
- see the release Related articles:
Cablevision develops technology for WiFi-based mobile phone service
Cablevision leasing Apple TV box for $5 monthly to OMGFAST subscribers
Cablevision launches 'OMGFAST' wireless broadband service
Cablevision uses animated dog to sell WiFi; rolls hotspot finder app
Genova returns to Cablevision as EVP of field operations Read more about: Cablevision
back to top |
| This week's sponsor is SCTE Cable-Tec. |  | SCTE Cable-Tec Expo®2012 - Oct. 17-19, Orlando, FL
The industry's engineering show of the year. Discover and learn first-hand about the latest in cable technology, products and services in one cost-effective setting.
|
2. Comcast tailors triple play for Hispanic subscribers
Billing it as the first triple play for Hispanic subscribers, Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA) began marketing an Xfinity Triple Play MultiLatino package Tuesday that offers access to Spanish-language programming and a phone service that can be used to make calls to Mexico or Latin America. Comcast said new and existing subscribers that purchase the package will get 300 international minutes for calling landlines in Mexico and Latin America. It will offer discounted rates for calling mobile phones in Mexico and Latin America, charging subscribers 10 cents per minute to call friends and family with mobile phones in Mexico. The MSO is charging $99 monthly for the MultiLatino package. Spanish-language networks in the package include Discovery Familia, Galavision, ESPN Deportes, Gol TV, Mun2, Cine Latino, Bandamax, TV Dominicana, WAPA America, TV Chile, TV Colombia, SUR Peru, TV Venezuela, Argentina's Telefe Internacional and Ecuador's Ecuavisa Internacional. For more:
- see the Comcast release Related articles:
Verizon adds MundoFox to FiOS TV lineup; NBCU CEO Burke to speak at BOFA conference
Synacor to offer multilingual TV Everywhere authentication
Time Warner Cable adds Spanish-language channels to iPad app; Liberty Global, Intel invest in Delivery Agent Read more about: Comcast
back to top |
3. NAB: Retransmission-consent fees help fund local news programming
With TV stations that face competition from cable networks and Web video no longer able to rely solely on ad revenue to sustain their businesses, broadcasters need to collect retransmission-consent fees from cable operators and satellite TV providers to help pay for local news programming, the National Association of Broadcasters told the FCC Monday. "Because today's viewers now use a combination of media platforms to obtain news, information, and entertainment, broadcasters must increasingly rely on non-advertising revenue sources to support their local news budgets," the NAB told the FCC in response to a notice of inquiry it issued for gathering information needed for its annual video competition report. "NAB anticipates that retransmission consent fees will continue to play a critical role in ensuring the ongoing vitality of local television services, including news, in the future," it added. NAB, which has said it supports a lawsuit that Fox, ABC, CBS and other NAB members have filed against Aereo, told the FCC that Internet video services should also be required to pay retransmission-consent fees to local TV stations. "It is important that Internet-based services not be permitted to expropriate broadcast signals at will. Broadcasters must continue to have the right to control the distribution of their signals via all platforms, including the Internet, and to negotiate for compensation from broadband video service providers (as well as traditional MVPDs) seeking to retransmit such signals," NAB said in the FCC filing. Related articles:
Genachowski: FCC watching marketplace to determine if retransmission reform is warranted
Republican lawmakers introduce bill to reform retransmission consent
Nexstar CEO: $2 monthly retransmission fees on horizon
Aereo wins against broadcasters, can continue selling access to antennas Read more about: FCC
back to top |
4. FCC: Net neutrality rules will protect Internet video services
Internet video distributors would be harmed if Verizon (NYSE: VZ) succeeds in its attempts to block the FCC from implementing network neutrality rules it adopted in 2010, the commission argued in a court filing Monday. "With Internet-based video services becoming an increasingly important aspect of competition between cable systems and satellite systems, blocking or degrading of Internet traffic threatens to eviscerate Congress's intent to protect competition," the FCC said in a brief filed at the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. While Verizon has argued that the network neutrality rules aren't necessary, the FCC cited several examples of cable operators and other high-speed Internet providers allegedly throttling or blocking access to Web content and competing Internet-based telephone services. The commission noted that Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA) and Cox Communications have previously blocked access to file-sharing services, and that RCN settled a class-action suit in 2010 in which it was accused of blocking access to file-sharing services. The FCC also cited the example of North Carolina-based telco Madison River Communication, which had blocked its customers from making telephone calls with VoIP provider Vonage, and how AT&T (NYSE: T) had previously restricted its customers from using Skype to make calls on mobile phones. "[T]he record showed that broadband providers had acted to block or discriminate against disfavored applications," the FCC told the court. For more:
- see the FCC brief Related articles:
Comcast to charge $10 for 50 GB to subscribers who bust data cap
Verizon sues FCC again over net neutrality rules
Verizon, Metro PCS fight FCC net neutrality rules
Comcast suspends 250 GB data cap; will create tiered plans
Netflix CEO: Comcast flouts 'net neutrality' principles Read more about: FCC
back to top |
5. Bell Canada wants to fight U.S. OTT invasion with 'made in Canada' service
Bell Canada (NYSE: BCE) has had enough of over-the-top (OTT) video competitors like Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) invading the Great White North and taking away customers. The telco's answer is a "made in Canada" service available "on demand on any device" that would showcase Canadian and international movies and leverage the assets of Astral Media, which Bell Canada hopes to buy. The service would be available "to all Canadians through the cable, satellite or IPTV provider of their choice," Bell Canada CEO George Cope told the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) during a hearing into the Astral acquisition, according to a story in The Telegram. Cope did not give details about when the service might launch, how much it would cost or what consumers will get to watch. He instead focused on BCE's desire to pay CAD 3.38 billion (USD 3.41 billion) to acquire Astral and bulk up to compete with intruders like Netflix, to which reportedly more than 10 percent of Canadians subscribe. "The Canadian system needs companies with the scale to compete against foreign content companies like Netflix, Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) and Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN)," he said. "With scale, Canadian companies can make the investments in Canadian content and technology required to go head-to-head with these well-financed global competitors." As a further incentive to let a Canadian company rule the Canadian market, Cope pointed out that Netflix doesn't pay taxes in Canada or contribute to Canadian programming. The pitch was met with some degree of cynicism by Commissioner Tom Pentefountas, who wondered if Cope was "pulling rabbits" out of a hat with the announcement. Tech analyst Mike Battista told the newspaper that BCE's proposed service would appeal to "cable cutters" but that it wasn't clear what it would bring to Astral's existing pay TV subscribers. "The direction that TV is going is the Netflix model, the Apple TV model," Battista told the newspaper, noting that BCE must offer something similar or "they're going to fall behind." The move also apparently didn't cool anti-acquisition Bell competitors like Telus Corp. (Toronto: T.TO), which claims BCE would control too much of the market--37.6 percent of the viewing audience--if the deal is allowed to go through. BCE claims that it will own 33.5 percent of the English language market, just under CRTC's 35 percent threshold. For more:
- see this Telegram story Related articles:
Telus protests Bell Canada's Astral Media acquisition
Bell Canada's Astral Media acquisition gets green light from shareholders Read more about: NetFlix, Bell Canada
back to top |
Also Noted | This week's sponsor is Akamai. |  | "Shifting Performance Strategies and Solutions for Mobile and Web Delivery" Discover ways to improve web and mobile performance with less cost and complexity in this new independent study commissioned by Forrester Consulting. Download Now.
|
SPOTLIGHT ON... TDG: iPads drive increased TV viewing Tablet computers such as Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPad are helping to drive increased TV viewing, rather than cannibalize ratings, according to a research report from The Diffusion Group. TDG said 39 percent of consumers with tablets it surveyed said that the devices have led to an increase in regular TV viewing, while 15 percent said they watch less TV. "At the moment, this is a win/win for TV networks that can monetize tablet viewing via advertising, pay-per-view, or subscription OTT [over-the-top video] revenue, while at the same time reaping the benefits of increased viewing of their regular TV programming," TDG senior analyst Bill Niemeyer said in a statement. Read more Cable industry news from across the web: > News Corp. named former News International and Telegraph Media Group executive Paul Cheesbrough CTO. News release > The Jim Henson Company and N-Fusion Interactive Entertainment built an iOS app based on popular preschool TV series Pajanimals. It's available for $4.99 in Apple's iTunes Store. News release > Comcast SVP of strategic operations Filemon Lopez visited the MSO's Houston system for an event marking the second year of its Internet Essential broadband service for low income homes. News release And finally … AT&T Louisiana said it donated $25,000 to the United Way for Greater New Orleans to assist people impacted by Hurricane Isaac. News release > Implementing Connected Solutions: M2M and the Connected Life - Wednesday, September 19, 11am ET / 8am PT Within the next decade, billions of new Connected Life and M2M devices will be connected to mobile networks, providing consumers and businesses with an expanding array of applications, services and experiences. This webinar will provide a practical, in-depth look at how businesses today are realizing the opportunity presented by M2M and the Connected Life. Register Today! > The 1000x challenge; More Spectrum - How, how much and from where? - Tuesday, September 18th, 12pm ET / 9am PT In our quest for solutions to the 1000x mobile data challenge, the next stop is to explore options for more spectrum. Join us to understand where you can get more of it, at which bands and what innovative methods are needed to unlock it. Register Today! > Telco-OTT: the Good, the Fast and the Nimble - Thursday, September 27, 11am ET / 8am PT Service providers have been in a perennial battle with "over-the-top" internet vendors who leverage bandwidth but often do not play by the same regulatory or financial rules. Does it need to be a battle of us vs. them? Register Today!
| > Fierce Innovation Awards 2012 - An Operator- Reviewed Awards Program From the Publishers of FierceWireless, FierceTelecom, FierceCable This program is designed to recognize the innovative companies and products that are defining the future of the broadband communications industry. Submissions will be judged based on effective application of and performance in networks, innovative approach, and contribution to revenue & profitability. Submit your application today! > Walter Kaitz Foundation's 29th Annual Fundraising Dinner - September 12 - New York Hilton Diversity is more than a word… it’s an action! Join cable industry leaders who are redefining the meaning of diversity Wednesday, September 12, 2012 at the Hilton New York. Show your support, become a sponsor or purchase tables or tickets at www.walterkaitz.com/dinner. > Video World Conference & Expo 2012 - October 3-5 - Austin, TX The first-of-its-kind event focuses on the identification of opportunities, creation of strategies and monetization of new & enhanced video products for business & consumers. We’ve assembled the best & brightest industry minds to provide attendees the knowledge to boost their video IQ. Register now. > CTAM Summit & CTAM Insights Conferences - October 14-16 - Orlando, FL Discover what consumers crave with speakers from Trendrr, Zoove & Hill Holliday. Additional Speakers: Deepak Chopra, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer and NBC’s David Gregory. Additional Topics: Second Screen TV apps, Mobile Marketing and Amazing Sensory Research Tools. Register for one conference and access both! Register Today and bring a colleague at $595 Guest Rate! > Content and Communications World (CCW) - November 14-15 - New York, NY Thousands of attendees and exhibitors alike participate in the ever-changing conversation surrounding content creation, management and distribution/delivery. Join them! Register today with VIP Code CCEY8 to receive your free pass!
| > Research: LTE: a real disruptive technology and business opportunity? WiTech's latest Report "LTE: a disruptive technology and business opportunity" presents an in-depth analysis about the promising technology LTE by taking into account not only technology aspects but also business aspects. It points out the key drivers that are continuously changing the Telecom Market. Download this report today! > Whitepaper: Online Video Publishing Buying Tips Technology in the online video publishing industry is changing quickly and figuring out which features you need and don't need can be challenging. Help your solution grow by reading this checklist of the top 10 things you must consider before buying an online video platform. Download now. > Whitepaper: How to Master the Art of Content Marketing "How to Master the Art of Content Marketing" discusses how to create a sustainable content marketing program with the flexibility to adjust to changing market dynamics. Gain the keys to excite audiences and drive business results. Download Now. > Whitepaper: Leveraging Website Marketing: Top 10 Website Solution Capabilities In this report you will learn how today's WCM platforms are fusing the best marketing automation practices with content management, allowing marketers to leverage content in new and innovative ways. Discover 10 of the top capabilities you should be considering for your website. Download Now. > EBook: Unified Communications, Where it is, Where it's Going This eBook from FierceEnterpriseCommunications will provide an update on the various facets of Unified Communications, look at how premise-based versus hosted solutions measure up, and include a look at what's expected to come down the road. Download for free today! > Whitepaper: Improving Content Publishing Workflow Efficiency for Multi-Device Delivery Discover how choosing a solution to provide multi-screen delivery of your content can have a major impact on the efficiency of your publishing workflow and bottom line. Download Now. > Whitepaper: Case Study: 4G Operator Maximizes Revenue with Flexibile, and Discovery-driven Audit Capabilities A US 4G operator was perfectly suited to handle the predicted annual doubling of global mobile data traffic. But as the company faced exponential subscriber and network usage growth, they realized they needed to better monitor that usage. Learn how this US 4G operator realized 13x ROI for its retail business in the first six months. Download Today! > Whitepaper: Rethink IP/Optical Core Management Are You Ready to Rethink Your Network With the Alcatel-Lucent 1830 Photonic Service Switch? It's time to integrate the IP and optical layers of your network infrastructure and ensure optimal efficiency. Learn more about how you can rethink IP/Optical core management by downloading our whitepaper. > EBook: The New Data Center In this FierceTelecom eBook we'll discuss the strategies service providers are taking to build a sustainable and profitable data center business. To read more click here to download. > EBook: Finding New Gold in Copper This eBook from FierceTelecom will explore the ever-changing dynamics of service providers' copper networks and how they are using these new technologies to deliver a wider set of services to consumers and businesses. Download for free today. | |
Editor: 
No comments:
Post a Comment
Keep a civil tongue.