« May 2006 | Main | July 2006 »
You will find out your deposit amount once your order has been accepted. When the order is accepted and there is a deposit, the provider will indicate this information in the deposit field of your "My Orders" page. Remember, a deposit is different from an initial charge. Although the initial charge may include the deposit amount, this is not always the case.
CenturyTel is a leading provider of consumer and business communications solutions in rural areas and small to mid-size cities in 25 states. The company delivers advanced communications with a personal touch. Currently, CenturyTel is available through WhiteFence in Missouri, Wisconsin, Alabama, Arkansas, Montana, Ohio, Texas and Washington.
Yes, you do. Most accidents occur when you least expect them or when you're not covered for them. And unless you buy moving insurance, your property is probably not covered for all that it is worth.
Your moving company automatically provides valuation, not insurance. Your moving company can provide three different types of valuation: declared value, lump sum value and full value protection. To find out about these different types of coverage, you can read the article Should You Purchase Moving Insurance?
Additionally, you should explore other insurance options. Check with your homeowners insurance, as they typically cover 10 percent of the value of your personal property while it is in transit. Also, you can look into transit insurance, which you can buy from your insurance agent or most moving companies.
EarthLink officially launched its first municipal Wi-Fi broadband network today in the City of Anaheim. At 11:00 a.m., Curt Pringle, the Mayor of Anaheim, will officially 'unwire' Anaheim at a wire cutting ceremony. This portable, wireless service will provide inexpensive, high-speed Internet access for the City's residents, businesses, visitors and municipal employees.
"EarthLink has always focused on providing the tools and services that allow our customers to personalize their Internet experiences. The launch of this municipal Wi-Fi network in Anaheim is the latest proof-point that we are delivering on that vision," said Garry Betty, president and chief executive officer of EarthLink.
To order services through WhiteFence, you will need an e-mail address. Fortunately, signing up for a free e-mail address is easy. Popular free e-mail account providers are Yahoo! Mail and MSN Hotmail. Several other e-mail providers are availble as well. Once you obtain an e-mail address that you can access, you can order the services that you need from WhiteFence.
Barbara Walters is coming to a radio near you, but only if you subscribe to Sirius Satellite Radio. Barbara Walters' interviews will be featured in an exclusive weekly Sirius show, entitled Barbara Walters' Best of the Very Best, presenting a selection of her compelling interviews over the past 30 years with great entertainers and world leaders. Walters will also host four times a year a new, live call-in show, entitled Ask Barbara Anything, exclusively on Sirius.
The weekly two-hour series, Barbara Walters' Best of the Very Best, will take the best from a vast archive of diverse interview subjects that have captivated millions. Barbara Walters' Best of the Very Best will debut early next year exclusively on Sirius Stars, channel 102. The show will include dynamic interviews with famous people ranging from Hillary Clinton to Muhammad Ali to Tom Hanks to Lance Armstrong, to name only a few.
The bankruptcy judge presiding over the Adelphia case approved the sale on Tuesday. According to the article Bankruptcy Court OKs Adelphia Deal, the judge is "poised to release an order that would detach the asset sale from the rest of Adelphia's bankruptcy process." This would allow the sale to occur without the approval of an overall restructuring plan. Adelphia is trying to hurry the process so that they will beat the July 31 deadline set by Time Warner Cable and Comcast.
DIRECTV is now offering local HD programming via satellite to customers in the Baltimore; Cleveland; Charlotte, North Carolina; Denver; Hartford, Connecticut; Miami; Orlando, Florida; Raleigh, North Carolina; and West Palm Beach, Florida.
With the addition of these nine markets, DIRECTV now offers local HD broadcast channels in 36 cities with plans to launch in an additional 13 cities later this year, offering access to DIRECTV-delivered local HD channels in more than 65 percent of U.S. television households.
Charter Communications is a broadband communications company providing digital cable, high-speed Internet and telephone service in 36 states. You can now get Charter Communications Digital Cable and High-Speed Internet in St. Louis, Missouri. Additionally, WhiteFence offers Charter Communications services in several other areas of the United States, including Alabama, Georgia, Michigan and more.
Definitely! You can order all the services you need for your home at the same time. However, you should only order service from one provider in each category as ordering from several providers in one category may cause delays. For example, if you request service from multiple electricity providers, it could cause a delay in your service being turned on while the electricity providers sort out which provider should service your address.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum has added to its archive the "baseball" episode from legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's critically acclaimed music show on XM Satellite Radio, "Theme Time Radio Hour." The one-hour episode contains Dylan singing an a cappella rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," along with classic baseball calls, such as Curt Gowdy's legendary call of Ted Williams' home run in his final at-bat with the Boston Red Sox, and baseball original compositions, such as Buddy Johnson's "Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball." The "Theme Time Radio Hour" airs weekly on XM and features an eclectic mix of music based around a theme.
Voted down 20-2, Sen. John McCain's a la carte bill failed today in the senate. Although this is the end for the bill, McCain and others warned that program choice for consumers may still come about without the bill. To find out more about the vote, you can read the article Senate Committee Rejects Cable 'a la Carte' Pricing.
Cebridge High-Speed Internet and Cable are now available in California, Washington and Idaho through WhiteFence. Cebridge Connections serves more than 1.3 million customers across hundred of communities in more than 15 states. Cebridge's full line of TV and high-speed Internet services, created especially for residential customers, offers tons of features that can turn your home into entertainment central. Cebridge is already available through WhiteFence in other areas of the nation. If you would like to get Cebridge services, you can enter your address on WhiteFence to see if it is available in your area.
Cox Communications has added hundreds of hours of new On DEMAND content to its library, bringing available hours to more than 1400, with over 400 hours of free content. Cox added content from Showtime, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and CNET. On DEMAND is available to digital cable customers in: Orange County and San Diego, California; Omaha, Nebraska; New Orleans; New England; Hampton Roads, Roanoke and Northern Virginia; Las Vegas and Oklahoma City.
XM Satellite Radio is dedicating the month of July to celebrating America's freedom to laugh. "Laugh Out Loud" July will highlight original specials and unique programming featuring some of the biggest names in comedy across the XM platform, including its four dedicated comedy channels.
As part of "Laugh Out Loud" July, every night at 10 p.m. ET throughout the month XM will air a different episode of "Stand Up, Sit Down," the original XM series where top comics discuss their careers and craft with XM Comedy on-air host Sonny Fox. Lewis Black, George Carlin, John Cleese, Dane Cook, Bill Cosby, Mitch Fatel, Jim Gaffigan, Gilbert Gottfried, Mitch Hedberg, Robert Klein, Larry the Cable Guy, Richard Lewis, Kathleen Madigan, Carlos Mencia, Paul Mooney, Brian Regan, Ron White and many others will be featured in "Stand Up, Sit Down" episodes during the month.
To find out more of what XM will be doing to make you laugh in July, you can check out their press release.
After two years of extreme hurricane activity, it is not surprising that the business community of Metropolitan Miami ranks No. 1 in the nation for business continuity planning. AT&T Inc. announced today that of its 10 markets surveyed for AT&T's national study on business continuity planning, Miami businesses ranked as the best prepared to recover from disasters.
Eighty percent of the city's IT decision-makers surveyed said that their business has a continuity plan in place, as compared with 73 percent nationally. Additionally, 54 percent of the respondents with a plan said their plans have been updated in the last six months and 36 percent said their plans have been tested in the last six months.
Wireless customers have grown increasingly dependent on their cell phones to stay connected on the go, but often they aren't aware that their conversations can disturb others. While most of us can attest to having witnessed rude wireless behavior first-hand, few will readily admit to having been a culprit. That's why, in recognition of National Cell Phone Courtesy Month in July, Sprint is releasing a wireless etiquette podcast at http://podcast.sprint.com and encouraging cell phone users to tune in and brush up on their manners.
According to the marketing research firm In-Stat, Wi-Fi/Cellular handsets will make a big splash. By 2010, shipments of cellular handsets containing Wi-Fi will exceed 132 million devices, the high-tech market research firm says. Carriers have been reluctant to offer Wi-Fi-capable handsets for several reasons, but Wi-Fi has spread so fast that carriers will not be able to resist much longer.
Recent research by In-Stat found the following:
Order processing time varies per provider. Some orders may be processed in as short as 24 hours, while others may take up to two weeks. You can always check the status of your order by logging back into WhiteFence with your user name and password and viewing the "My Orders" page. If you are worried that your order is taking too long to process, feel free to call WhiteFence customer service at 1-866-839-5838.
Verizon will be discontinuing their Airphone service by the end of the year, according to the article Verizon to End Airline Telephone Service. Verizon has opted to end the phone service on commercial airliners to focus instead on their faster growing broadband, cellular phone and FiOS TV service. Industry analysts have said that the phone service was rarely used. In addition, Verizon executives said they would have had to invest a great deal of money to have brought more compelling technology to the phone service.
Comcast Digital Voice is now available through WhiteFence in several areas. Comcast Digital Voice® gives you unlimited local and long-distance calling, 12 popular calling features you expect, plus cool new features you'll love, all this over our advanced broadband network. To find out if Comcast Digital Voice is available in your area, you can go to WhiteFence and enter you address.
According to the article Comcast, Time Warner Sign Adelphia Pact, Time Warner Cable and Comcast have signed an amended agreement to buy Adelphia. Adelphia said the deal is awaiting approval by bankruptcy court, which is scheduled for tomorrow. The revised agreement would allow the sale to go through without a reorganization plan or a creditor's vote, both of which could have delayed the sale.
More San Antonio consumers can now enjoy a new universe of communications and entertainment through the AT&T U-verse experience.
Today, AT&T Inc. announced the initial expansion of AT&T U-verse services — the company's next-generation television and high speed Internet offerings — in San Antonio. The services use AT&T's fiber-rich network, which extends optical connections deeper into customer neighborhoods.
During this initial expansion in San Antonio, AT&T U-verse TV will offer:
According to the article DSL strikes a chord with frugal shoppers, middle-income and price-sensitive households tend to favor DSL over cable Internet. This conclusion was made based on research completed by Leichtman Research Group. They found that about 21 percent of households earning an annual income of between $30,000 and $75,000 a year subscribe to DSL, while only about 18 percent of these households subscribe to cable. Households with income above $75,000 tended to gravitate more towards cable Internet, with 37 percent of those households subscribing to cable broadband and only 27 percent subscribe to DSL.
Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, supposes a reason for the divide in the article: "Middle-income families making the jump from dial-up to broadband are much more price-sensitive, and clearly the phone companies' messaging on low-priced DSL has gotten through loud and clear." Check out the article to find out how the phone companies have accomplished this.
Before you ever put your house on the market, you will need to make sure that your house is ready for sale. I have found a good checklist for you to look at as you are preparing your house to be sold. It lists tasks both inside and outside your home that you can do to improve its appearance - and hopefully its chance of being sold.
100 Black Men of America Inc.—a nonprofit organization committed to the intellectual development of youth and the economic empowerment of the African-American community—announced yesterday that it has received a $75,000 grant from the AT&T Foundation to support the organization's nationwide youth mentorship program.
100 Black Men of America will use AT&T Foundation grant funds to support training forums and national outreach of the organization's Mentoring the 100 Way program, which certifies volunteers to provide leadership-development training for low-income, African-American youth.
This summer, only Sprint customers hold the ultimate "tickets" and "backstage passes" to the music world's hottest new virtual "club." On Wednesday, Sprint and Interscope Records today announced the premiere of the Sprint Music Series – the first-of-its-kind, made-for-mobile studio sessions available exclusively on Sprint TV, Channel 33. The Sprint Music Series features a mix of established and up-and-coming artists including Busta Rhymes, Dashboard Confessional, Keane, Mobb Deep, Olivia, Robin Thicke and Wolfmother, with additional artists to be announced soon.
Each session from the Sprint Music Series will include exclusive audio and video of an artist or group in an up-close unfiltered performance of three to four songs and an intimate one-on-one interview.
With WhiteFence, you can order newspaper subscriptions without ever leaving the comfort of your home. WhiteFence offers both nationally syndicated newspapers like USA Today and The New York Times, as well local newspapers like The Chicago Tribune, Dallas Morning News and Los Angeles Times.
On Tuesday, Netflix said it is considering its options for allowing its users to download movies. According to an article from Reuters, "no decisions have been made regarding specific delivery options or timing, but a [Netflix] spokesman said on Monday that a proprietary set-top box was one of the options under consideration." To read more about Netflix's options, you can read this article.
Delivering the first comprehensive mobile phone service specifically developed to meet the needs of parents and their kids, The Walt Disney Company launched Disney Mobile in the United States last week. Disney Mobile has innovative features that allow parents to directly manage their family's wireless experience.
At the core of Disney Mobile's family plans are the Family Center features, which allow parents to:
Sirius Satellite Radio and Fangoria Entertainment announced today the launch of Fangoria Radio, the first national horror-themed entertainment radio show. Hosted by renowned Twisted Sister frontman and horror film producer/actor Dee Snider, Fangoria Radio will air Friday nights from 10:00 pm - 1:00 am ET on Sirius Stars channel 102. The show will debut on Friday, June 23, 2006.
Fangoria Radio will be a live, 3-hour weekly radio show from the creators of the world's most popular and longest running horror publication, Fangoria Magazine. Listeners will be able to interact and get close to the best and scariest in horror entertainment. The program will feature interviews with celebrities and stars in the horror world, listener call-ins, updates on horror movies, and even on- location visits to the biggest horror films in production. In addition, Fangoria Radio will highlight the latest horror gossip as well as reviews of movies, television shows and video games.
Wide Open West (WOW!) Bundled Packages are now available through WhiteFence. WOW! Internet, Cable and Phone is one of the nation's leading providers of high-speed Internet, cable television and telephone services. WOW! services are available Chicago area.
LodgeNet Entertainment Corporation, a world leader in interactive TV and broadband solutions to hotels, and Sharp Electronics Corporation announced their intention to integrate Sharp AQUOS LC-TV displays with LodgeNet's sigNETure TV-HD system for high-definition free-to-guest and video-on-demand (VOD) services.
As part of the integration effort, Sharp will also support Pro:Idiom premium content copy protection technology that will enable Sharp AQUOS LC-TVs to display HD premium satellite and VOD entertainment licensed by satellite programmers and movie studios that have accepted the Pro:Idiom security standard.
AT&T Inc. today announced an agreement with General Growth Properties to build a fiber-to-the-premises network to deliver the AT&T U-verse suite of services, which includes integrated digital TV, high-speed Internet and voice services, to a 20,000-home master-planned community near Houston.
The agreement, AT&T's largest such contract to date, underscores one of the company's key strategic initiatives for connecting customers to its Project Lightspeed fiber footprint. It will enable AT&T to make Internet Protocol-based communications and entertainment services available to the estimated 65,000 residents who will move into Bridgeland, a 10,000-acre residential development currently under construction.
The Bridgeland agreement, while unique in size, scope and approach, is one of hundreds of agreements AT&T has completed for fiber-based developments. These agreements represent more than 270,000 homes in newly planned communities across the country that have become part of the AT&T Smart Moves program.
Cox Communications announced today that it will
offer a new parental control functionality that makes it easy to
monitor children's online activity with daily Web surfing reports.
These Web history logs show domains or Web sites that children have
visited or attempted access while in the household, and flags which Web
sites the parents have deemed inappropriate by the customizable filter
settings. This new feature will be available to all Cox High-Speed
Internet customers this summer. In addition to the daily e-mail, parents will be able to use the
Security Suite software to access Web history information in a number
of formats. For example, Web history can be viewed for all users or
individual users, for all recorded sessions or specific browser
sessions.
The Web history reports can be created for
multiple children and sent via a daily e-mail to one or both parents'
cox.net account. The Web history report lists the pages each child has
tried to access and which sites were allowed and/or blocked based on
the filtering levels. Cox has offered customizable filtering levels for
all children in the household since 2004.
Subscribers to Verizon's fiber-optic FiOS TV service will be able to enjoy the rich diversity of high-definition, educational and children's programming provided by PBS and the nation's local public television stations under a major agreement announced today by the Association of Public Television Stations (APTS), PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) and Verizon. The agreement ensures that Verizon will carry local public television stations' digital programming.
Under the multiyear agreement, every Verizon FiOS TV system will carry the full digital signal of up to three public television stations within the system's service area, as well as any additional noncommercial station that does not duplicate programming of another station in the market. The agreement also includes PBS and local public television stations' HDTV programming and local stations' digital multicasts.
Gearing up for the June 28 release of Warner Bros. Pictures' "Superman Returns," DIRECTV, Inc., the nation's leading digital television service provider, will preview its new luxury programming and service package, DIRECTV TITANIUM, as the title sponsor of the film's world premiere at the Mann Village Theater in Westwood on June 21.
DIRECTV TITANIUM provides select customers the most unlimited entertainment experience the industry has ever seen. An annual subscription fee of $7,500 affords distinct subscribers the ultimate fantasy package for those who enjoy using the newest, best, and most expensive gadgets and services. Included in the package are:
HughesNet HOME service plan provides you with everything the Internet has to offer. If you order HughesNet now, you can receive a $200 mail-in-rebate. This plan offers download speeds of 700Kbps and upload speeds of 128Kbps. Just sit down at your home computer, click on your Web browser and start surfing instantly. The rebate offer ends on July 31, 2006.
Hurricanes present several dangers, including storm surges, high winds, tornadoes and flooding. Because of all of these dangers, you need to be prepared. You should have a plan for any type of disaster that can occur during a hurricane. You should plan escape routes as well as consider where you would go should a hurricane occur and you need to evacuate.
When planning where you will go should you need to evacuate, you need to make provisions for your pets. The need for having an emergency plan for your pets was brought to light by the tragedies that occurred during Hurricane Katrina. Because hotels and shelters may not take pets, you will have to make sure other accommodations are available.
Additionally, everyone in a hurricane prone area should have disaster supply kit. It should include water, non-perishable food, batteries, flashlights, bedding and pillows, clothing, first aid kit, pet supplies, toiletries, radio, telephones and other essential items. If you have a kit prepared from a previous hurricane season, you should review the items and make sure you do not need to replace anything.
To reduce the damage to your house caused by the storm, you will need to secure your home. The most important precaution you can take to reduce damage to your home and property is to protect the areas where wind can enter. According to recent wind technology research, it is important to strengthen the exterior of your house so wind and debris do not tear large openings in it. You can do this by protecting and reinforcing five critical areas, namely the roof, straps, shutters, doors and garage doors of your home.
Finally, before hurricane season, you should make sure your home and property is properly insured. If you are renting, you should get a renters insurance policy, since your landlord's insurance policy only covers structural damage to the building.
John McHugh and Maggie Lee had a very special wedding reception that the whole world could listen to thanks to Sirius. To save some money, the Wisconsin couple decided not to hire a DJ or a band for their reception, instead, Lee e-mailed Sirius satellite radio and asked that a few special songs to be played for their reception. Sirius decided to do more than that and dedicated a whole broadcast to the couple. In addition to playing the couples requested music, deejay Lee Arnold also added personal dedications throughout the broadcast.
You can now get RCN Local Phone, Digital Cable and High-Speed Internet service in San Francisco through WhiteFence. Additionally, you can get all these services as well as bundles from RCN in Chicago, Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley. RCN services will be available though WhiteFence in other areas soon.
Are you a first-time renter? If you never rented before, you should check out the article 7 sins of first-time renters. The seven sins it lists are:
At worst, forgetting these items can have potentially disastrous results. Make sure to read the article before you begin your apartment search so you can avoid these pitfalls.
You can now choose to bundle your Embarq Local Phone, Long Distance and High-Speed Internet services in Florida, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee through WhiteFence. Bundles are a great way to save money as well as an added convenience, since you can pay for all your services on one bill.
Last week, the Congressional Hispanic
Caucus Institute (CHCI), the nation's premier Hispanic educational and youth
leadership development organization, announced that the Comcast Foundation will
sponsor three exceptional university students, chosen from a group of 34, through a
$50,000 grant, to participate in CHCI's highly competitive Congressional
Internship Program.
In this its 20th program anniversary, CHCI is adding a
unique corporate component with Comcast's leadership and support, in which the interns will leverage Capitol Hill public policy experience with unmatched
corporate mentoring through Comcast executives and business operations.
CHCI-Comcast interns will be assigned to Congressional offices on Capitol
Hill for a period of eight weeks, from June to August, to learn first-hand
about the federal legislative process and major issues pending before the U.S.
House of Representatives.
Boxes on a Budget is now available on WhiteFence in the Packing Supplies category. Boxes on a Budget is a box supplier that sells corrugated moving boxes and various packing supplies.
According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the V-chip is a technology that lets parents block television programming they do not want their children to watch. Most television shows now include a rating, as established by the broadcasting industry. This rating is encoded into the programs, and the V-chip technology reads the encoded information and blocks shows accordingly.
Using your remote control, parents can program the V-chip to block certain shows based on their ratings. If you lose your remote or need help programming the V-chip, contact the manufacturer of your television for a replacement or operating instructions.
Not really sure why you would need renters insurance? Many renters are shocked to find out their apartment complex's insurance only covers structural damage to the building. That means if you don't have renters insurance, any damage to your personal belongings will not be covered. That's why all renters should get renters insurance. Policies vary, but many cover direct physical loss to personal property if damaged by:
MSN Money has a great article on the basics of renters insurance. You should take a look at it if you are a renter. You can find out the benefits of renters insurance as well as tips on how to keep your premium low.
DISH Network announced that it now offers BabyFirstTV, a 24-hour commercial-free channel dedicated to babies, toddlers and their parents. BabyFirstTV is supported by top child development experts and is designed to provide an opportunity for babies to learn, play and bond with their parents. DIRECTV also offers BabyFirstTV, as I wrote about in the post DIRECTV rolls out BabyFirstTV.
EchoStar Communications Corporation and NBC Universal Cable announced on Tuesday that they will be launching the Sleuth channel on DISH Network. Sleuth is a 24-hour channel dedicated to the crime, mystery and suspense genres featuring popular TV shows such as "Miami Vice," "Knight Rider," "The A-Team" and "Homicide: Life on the Streets," in addition to movies such as "Scarface," "Casino," "Daylight" and "The Jackal."
This may sound silly, but having lists - and being able to locate those lists - can help you keep yourself organized during your move. To help make sure you know where all your belongings are, you can print out a numbered table with enough space to write the contents of each box. Once you begin packing, number the boxes and write the contents on your list by the corresponding number. Also, make lists of supplies you need to keep in your former residence to clean so you can make sure you have what you need.
Basically, anything you can write down will be helpful since you will have to do so much during your move. Small things that you could normally remember will be lost in the shuffle of a big move.
Qwest Communications International Inc. announced in a recent press release that it has partnered with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children(R) to present the Qwest Connected Family Online Classroom to Colorado families and proactively help combat online exploitation of youth through increased parental and guardian education.
This critical issue continues to have a startling impact on the estimated 24 million child Internet users: according to a U.S. Department of Justice study, one in five children online is sexually solicited yet only one in four told a parent or guardian. The Online Classroom provides educational guidelines and learning resources for parents and guardians to help reduce the incidence of online victimization.
According to a Verizon press release, independent research shows that more American's are choosing DSL over cable Internet. The Leichtman Research Group reports that more than half of all new high-speed Internet customers chose DSL over cable modem service in 2005, and that Verizon netted the most broadband customer additions among all cable and DSL providers in the nation over the past six months ("1Q 2006 Quarterly Notes," Leichtman Research Group Inc.).
In another recent study ("The State of Internet Access," Forrester Research Inc., April 2006), Forrester Research found that DSL sales and market share continue to climb, outpacing cable growth. The industry research firm reported that in 2005, the nation's major DSL providers increased their customer base by 39 percent, nearly double the major cable providers' 21 percent increase in cable modem users. The study shows Verizon surpassing the industry average, with 43 percent year-over-year growth in DSL subscriber additions. Verizon currently serves nearly 6 million wireline broadband customers.
AT&T Inc. and its philanthropic arm, the AT&T Foundation, yesterday announced that they will launch a landmark three-year $100 million signature program called AT&T AccessAll — the nation's largest program designed to provide in-home Internet and technology access to benefit low-income families and underserved communities across the country. The inaugural and most significant AT&T AccessAll initiative is a three-year program that will provide technology packages, including Internet access, to 50,000 low-income families through a unique collaboration with One Economy Corporation, Habitat for Humanity affiliates and other low-income housing providers.
In response to an increase in reports about telephone equipment hacking throughout the industry, Verizon issued an advisory yesterday in an effort to prevent customers from becoming victims. Verizon cautioned residential customers to change their answering machine default passwords and urged its business customers who use internal switching equipment commonly known as PBXs to take steps to secure their systems against unauthorized remote use.
Frequently changing voice-mail passwords, never using a factory-set password on an answering machine, and monitoring remote access on business telephone equipment can help businesses and consumers protect themselves from persons who try to hack into their systems and run up large bills.
To read more of Verizon's suggestions, you can read this press release.
Since the quality of LCD and Plasma TVs has been coming up a lot lately, I decided to feature an article on the subject - Flat Screen TV Comparison: Plasma vs LCD. The conclusion the author reaches is that Plasma is definitely a better choice for your money if you want a big screen TV. However, if you can afford it, an LCD TV does offer a sharper image. Although the article was posted on an LCD Web page, this is still sound advice.
Comcast is the nation's leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services, with 21.5 million cable customers, 9 million high-speed Internet customers and 1.5 million voice customers. Digital Cable and High-Speed Internet Bundles are now available in Oregon through WhiteFence.
Cox Mid America has now become Suddenlink. Currently, Suddenlink services customers in East Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas. Suddenlink offers digital cable and high-speed Internet through WhiteFence.
Jim Palumbo, president of the Plasma Display Coalition, said sales of plasma TVs should reach the three million mark this year, dominating the large screen television category. In fact, according to DisplaySearch, plasma holds 65 percent share of the 40 to 44-inch TV segment and worldwide plasma TV shipments increased 87 percent year to year. The Plasma Display Coalition said that consumers' desire for large flat panel HDTVs will fuel strong sales of plasma televisions in 2006. You can read the article Independent Evaluation Confirms Performance of Plasma to get more information.
A recent article published in BusinessWeek, Is Your VoIP Phone Vulnerable?, reexamines the issue of VoIP security. Author Sara Lacy warns "that attacks on Internet-based calling systems—though rare now—may be just around the corner." Dan Ingevaldson, director of technology strategy for ISS, gives a reason for this. "There's no regulator, no control, no one person to validate what's on your network, so there's the opportunity for abuse," he says in the article. To read about some of the potential abuses of VoIP, you can read the article.
Detecon, a telecommunications consultancy firm, released research on the cost of implementing IP video services, along with prospects for telco TV. According to the article What's the Cost of IPTV?, Detecon reported that depending on whether it's fiber to the home or fiber to the node, it is estimated the average cost per household connection to a network is $1,000. On top of that, it will cost about $500 per household for IPTV solutions, such as a set-top box. Additionally, RBOCs will have to pay about $20 to $28 a month per household.
Qwest Wireless customers won't need to scramble for a pen and paper any more when calling 411. Now, when Qwest Wireless customers call directory assistance, an operator will verbally give them the number requested and also will ask if they would like the number sent to their phone via text message. The text message appears within minutes on the customer's wireless handset. Standard text messaging and directory assistance rates apply to this service. You can find out more details in this Qwest press release.
HGTV HD, NFL Network HD, National
Geographic Channel HD and Starz HDTV are now available through DISH Network. EchoStar
Communications Corporation and its DISH Network
satellite TV service announced these new channels on Friday. This brings DISH Networks total of HD channels to 29 - the most national HD channels offered by any
pay-TV provider in the United States according to a DISH Network press release.
Customers who subscribe to DishHD Bronze or higher will now have
access to both HGTV HD and NFL Network HD. HGTV HD, which is
exclusively broadcast by DISH Network, offers in-depth home and
lifestyle programming, including shows on gardening, home remodeling
and interior design. NFL Network HD brings viewers a 24-hour simulcast
of NFL Network's programming, including 168 game telecasts a year,
news, press conferences, event coverage, and reality and historical
series from the sport of football.
DISH Network also introduces the National Geographic Channel HD, available to subscribers of DishHD Gold or higher. The channel will be available to all DishHD customers in a free preview on Ch. 9429 until July 7, 2006. DishHD customers who subscribe to the Starz Movie Pack or DishHD Platinum will now get Starz HDTV, featuring films from Hollywood studios such as Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Miramax Films, Sony Pictures Classics, Revolution Studios, Samuel Goldwyn Films, Dimension Films and Screen Gems among other leading distributors.
It appears there will be several of these updates as the debate wears on. A new proposal entered the U.S. House of Representatives this past week. According to the article New Net neutrality plan may ruffle feathers, Rep. Charles Gonzalez proposed an amendment to the telecommunications bill that no one should be allowed to participate in discriminatory practices, not broadband providers, commercial Web sites or search engines. However, in a strange turn of events, "Gonzalez doesn't even support the idea of mandated Net neutrality. Rather, his amendment appears to have been intended as a kind of poison pill that would force Internet companies to back away from their own requests." Check out the article to find out why.
Today, Verizon Wireless launched a chaperone service much like the Sprint Nextel service launched earlier this year. With Verizon's service, parents can easily check on their children's location. Parents can also limit their children's cell phone's services if they travel out of a predetermined geographic area. You can read more about the service in the article Verizon to launch mobile chaperone service.
I know that I have written about LCD TVs quite a few times in the last couple of weeks - mostly because they are the up-and-coming standard for televisions along with Plasma televisions. I found this Web site that can help out with deciding what LCD TV is right for you - www.lcdtv.com.
This site has hoards of information on what LCD technology is, how it compares to plasma and how to choose the right television for you. In the upcoming weeks, I will highlight some of the better articles in the site.
Now through WhiteFence, you can get cable and high-speed Internet from Insight Communications. They are the ninth largest cable operator in the United States with 1.3 million customers in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.
BellSouth was presented the 21st Century Achievement Award by the prestigious IDG Computerworld Honors Program. The company received the award for its AMBER Alert Field Notification program that includes partnerships with state law enforcement agencies throughout the Southeast.
Through BellSouth's own field dispatch system and the state law agencies, AMBER alerts from the nine-state region are distributed to more than 13,000 technicians in the field. BellSouth, through its employee intranet and the public Internet, also distributes the alerts to its more than 60,000 employees, 100,000 Pioneers and millions of customers through its BellSouth Internet services home page.
A group of small telecom companies as well as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed protests with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) concerning the AT&T-BellSouth merger. W. David Gardner, author of the article Groups Protest Proposed AT&T-BellSouth Merger, wrote that "the ACLU on Tuesday urged the FCC to review the proposed merger with an eye to NSA spying complaints." The telecom companies, led by XO Communications, asked the FCC to deny the merger, citing "irreparable harms to competition and the public interest."
According to an article in Telco Media News, Sen. John Stevens is very positive about the revised telecom bill. Stevens' believes the bill will "create a level playing field, between cable and the Bells, encourage competition and the deployment of broadband, and in the process, create even more jobs as we go along."
Stevens detailed some of the steps that the bill has gone through to get it up and ready. According to the article, "local governments caught the attention of Stevens during the first hearing on his telecom legislation. After that panel, Stevens instructed committee staff to work with local government interests, USTelecom and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association to seek a compromise on franchise reform."
I will keep you updated as the bill continues its journey.
Yesterday, Senator John McCain formally introduced Consumers Having Options in Cable Entertainment (CHOICE) Act. This act is McCain's attempt to introduce cable a la carte to the pay-for-TV business. According to the article McCain Releases A La Carte Bill, McCain said, "There is only one option available: Buy a package of channels, whether you watch all the channels or not. The alternative is to not receive cable programming at all. Why have cable companies and cable programmers refused to give consumers the ability to buy and pay for only those channels consumers watch? Simply because they do not have to. They are the only game in town." McCain's bill aims to change that. You can read the article to find out more about the bill and some of the early responses to it.
According to a recent press release from Hughes Network Systems, Hughes has readied itself for the hurricane season. Due to the predictions of a busy hurricane season, Hughes has developed some emergency communications offerings for its HughesNet suite of services, for enterprises, government agencies and relief organizations:
Large and small businesses, government agencies, and rescue and relief organizations can access the HughesNet Web site to obtain detailed information.
According to an AT&T executive speaking at GlobalComm, AT&T is planning on launching their IPTV service in 15 to 20 cities by the end of this year. The executive, AT&T Senior Executive Vice President and CTO John Stankey, did not name the cities, but said the service will be coupled with broadband services. You can read the article AT&T Eyes 15-20 Cities for IPTV to find out more about AT&T's plans.
Comcast Digital Voice is now available through WhiteFence in several areas. The new Comcast telephone product includes Unlimited Local, direct-dialed Long Distance Calling and various calling features. If you are interested in Comcast Digital Voice, you can go to WhiteFence and enter your address to find out if it is available in your area.
Cox says it is their "triple-play" services that keep their subscribers happy with Cox. The Reuters article Cox says TV, Web, phone bundle helps keep subscribers stated that Cox "said on Tuesday said its combination package of video, voice and high-speed Internet services had helped it post record first-quarter subscriber growth and continued reduction in customer defections." Amazingly, Cox's President Patrick Esser said that their bundling strategy actually has reduced customer churn by 40 percent.
For the first time ever, more consumers this year will buy HDTV's than traditional TVs. But, according to the article Cable operators find it tough to swallow HDTV, this is not good news for cable operators. The operators are scrambling for the bandwidth for all the HD channels that will be coming. The article discusses two possible solutions to the problem, both of which aren't going to make consumers too happy. Check it out to see what may be in our future.
DIRECTV will be releasing new remote controls late this summer. Among those released will be a Big Button Remote that will be helpful to customers who have a difficult time seeing and/or using DIRECTV's current remote controls and need only basic remote functionality. No advanced interactive features will be available on this remote, even if the customer's receiver has interactive features. The Big Button Remote will be available on June 28 for $20. Customers will be able to buy the remote at retail or by contacting DIRECTV.
Now, DISH Network is giving its subscribers three-month previews of channels. Every three months, DISH Network will pick six channels to show for free. The Preview Showroom, as the six pre-selected channels are called, will be on channels 281-286 and will have a wide variety of programs. Channels available currently are NFL Network, Biography Channel, Discovery Kids, We, Cine Latino and Showtime. To get the Preview Showroom, DISH Network customers must have a minimum qualifying package. To find out more, you can read the article DISH Network Offers Free Preview Showroom.
From talking with one of my coworkers who recently moved, I have a helpful hint for all you movers out there. Several services offered through WhiteFence allow you to choose when to disconnect your service at your old address as well as connect your service at your new address. When you are selecting the dates, make sure to overlap the dates for as long as you think it will take you to move all your possessions and clean your old place. If you turn off your utilities too early, you may not have electricity or water when it comes time to clean up.
DIRECTV launched "What's Hot!" this week, the first-of-its-kind interactive application that allows viewers to instantly access a list of the top ten most popular programs on DIRECTV in real time, any time of day or night. "What's Hot!" is available, starting today, on DIRECTV News Mix (Channel 102) and DIRECTV Sports Mix (Channel 104).
The new service will allow DIRECTV customers a fun and entertaining way to access a list of the most popular programming in their area, whether it is sports, news, movies, local channels or national programming.
Tempted to try Skype services? Now's the time. In addition to being able to call any Skype user around the world for free, Skype is letting people call all phones in the United States and Canada for free through December. To find out more about this offer, you can go to Skype's Web site. If you are still unsure if Skype's for you, you can check out WhiteFence for great deals on other inexpensive phone providers.
Did you ever think you could win a car just because you didn't know the phone number to your local Walmart? Well, now you can do just that, if you dial 411 with your BellSouth service to find out the number.
BellSouth has launched a sweepstakes that gives customers who dial 411 for Directory Assistance the opportunity to win a grand prize of a Pontiac Solstice sports car. Five other lucky dialers will win 12-month subscriptions of BellSouth(R) FastAccess(R) DSL Ultra. BellSouth's 411 sweepstakes will run June 1 - Aug. 31, 2006, so start dialing if you want to win.
BellSouth services are now available offering bundles through WhiteFence. You can now order local phone service, long distance service and high speed Internet service from BellSouth all in one order form. In addition to their products, BellSouth offers a package that includes DIRECTV. BellSouth services Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Since hurricane season began last Thursday, it is good for you to know where you can go to get up-to-date information on hurricane activity. One good cite is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center Web site. This site gives you information on current storms, hurricane predictions and hurricane history. If you are in a hurricane prone area, you should check out this Web site.
You can now get cable and high speed Internet service from Insight Communications through WhiteFence. They are the ninth largest cable operator in the United States with 1.3 million customers in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.
Netflix and IFC will be releasing the independent movie Sherrybaby, according to an article in Variety. This is Netflix's biggest distribution deal to date. Netflix will handle video distribution, while IFC will handle the theatrical side. The movie stars Maggie Gyllenhaal. To read more about the movie and Netflix's commitment "to picking up distribution for a deeper slate of movies," you can read the article, Netflix takes movie to theaters.
On Thursday and Friday, posts on the Technorati blog from irate BellSouth customers claimed that they were unable to access MySpace and YouTube over their BellSouth Internet connection. Though several customers wrote that they believed BellSouth was blocking traffic to these sites, an official at BellSouth said that the claims were untrue. To find out more about this net neutrality related story, you can read BellSouth Says It's Not Blocking MySpace.
According to the article Comcast gives broadband users a speed boost, Comcast is giving its high speed Internet consumers a free speed boost through their new feature PowerBoost. The PowerBoost feature can double download speeds when there is extra capacity on the servers. Comcast confirmed that Comcast customers in New England are already using this feature. They said it will be deployed throughout Comcast's territory this year.
Nicor Advanced Energy (NAE) is the largest subsidiary of Nicor Gas, one of the largest natural gas distribution companies in the country. They service more than two million customers in 641 communities in northern Illinois and the Chicago suburbs. Customers in the Nicor Gas footprint can now order the Lock 12 Plan from NAE through WhiteFence. NAE will enroll the customer with Nicor Gas and then switch them over to the NAE fixed rate plan. Consumers can also enroll in the Gas Line Comfort Guard from Nicor Services.
On Wednesday, SupportSoft, a leading provider of Real-Time Service Management software, reported results of an independent survey among voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) users in the United States. They conducted their survey among VoIP subscribers representing both specialized VoIP providers and cable companies. They found that customers of cable companies were the happiest with their service, with 61 percent expressing satisfaction.
But the news wasn't all good. On the negative side, they found that 34 percent of cable VoIP users said that a technician had to visit their home within 90 days of the initial service installation due to a problem. A full 16 percent had a technician visit their home two or more times.
DIRECTV has launched HD local channels in Indianapolis and Seattle. Indianapolis customers now can get WRTV/ABC and WXIN/FOX in HD, while customers in Seattle can watch KING/NBC and KIRO/CBS. More HD local channels in these areas may be available in the near future.
Leichtman Research recently reported that 69 percent of U.S. households subscribe to Internet service. Of those, 60 percent have broadband. More people have cable high speed Internet than have DSL; however, DSL subscriber rates are growing. This Leichtman Research Group press release has more information on their study.
Due to inquiries from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), XM and Sirius may have to temporarily hault production of certain radios. Currently, the radios in question are the the FCC inquiries have been limited to the XM's SKYFi2 and Audiovox Xpress. The FCC says that the transmitter for these radios is not in compliance with the operating bandwidth of the FCC's rules. And these radios may not be the only ones that are not in compliance, according to the article Sirius, XM Could Halt Radio Production.
Packing a moving truck may seem like it is a straightforward process, but if you want to fit as much as you can without breaking any of your belongings, there are some simple rules you should follow:
If you follow these steps, you and your possessions should be in good shape once you get to your new residence. No matter how well you pack, however, there is always a chance of breakage. It is always a good idea to get moving insurance.
