August 2006 Archives

California's state assembly has passed a bill to require makers of Internet access gear to warn consumers of the risks of using unsecured wireless connections, its backers said on Tuesday.

Legislators in both houses of the state legislature voted overwhelmingly in favor or the "Wi-Fi User Protection Bill" to inform users how to secure networks against "piggybacking," or unauthorized sharing of wireless access, said a spokesman for Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, who proposed the bill.

Every year millions more consumers in the United States and worldwide buy Wi-Fi routers in order to turn home broadband cable or telephone links into wireless links, providing Internet access to any computer in the nearby vicinity.

The California bill, which was introduced in April, calls for manufacturers to put warning labels on Wi-Fi network gear to advise consumers in one of four ways. These can include place stickers on the boxes, including them in the setup software, by taking some specific action when setting up the router or through another process that automatically secures the connection without consumer effort.

The bill now goes to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who must sign it before it goes into law.

Earlier this month, I posted about the FCC decision that required cable operators to distrubute CableCards, a technology that allows digital cable subscribers to receive cable without a cable set-top box. The device will be available for the majority of U.S. cable customers by July, 2007, according to the ruling.

Chris Kohler over at Wired News posted a good article this week that gives an overview of the CableCard technology and what it means for you. He answers some of the most common questions so you can decide if it's right for your home:

What advantages does using a CableCard offer me?
There's no giant, ugly box with associated wires taking up space in your entertainment center. Also, the costs to lease a tiny, inexpensive CableCard from your cable provider should be significantly less expensive than leasing the box -- usually around two bucks. They can also send it to you in the mail rather than having to arrange an installation appointment. Finally, electronics manufacturers can sell devices capable of tuning in to your full cable lineup directly, without kluges likes TiVo's IR blaster.

What are the disadvantages?
CableCard is a one-way system, so you won't get an interactive program guide—you'll just have to use the static, non-interactive onscreen listing. You also can't order pay-per-view or on-demand programming.

Check out the rest of article CableCard Swipes at Set-Top Boxes to learn more.

Comcast and MTV Networks announced this week the debut of MHD: Music High-Definition on Comcast's  HDTV lineup. The channel launching this month on many Comcast cable systems, giving viewers the opportunity to enjoy a non-stop lineup of HD music programs, as well as the first-ever simulcast of MTV's Video Music Awards in high definition. MHD will include musical programming from MTV, VH1 and CMT, such as MTV Unplugged, VH1 Storytellers and CMT Crossroads, as well as original concert series.

"With MHD on Comcast, fans will feel like they're in the concert hall with the artists they love," said Page Thompson, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Video Services for Comcast. "Music programming is a perfect fit for HDTV, and we're excited to expand our service with the addition of MHD, giving our customers even more of the high-definition programming they want to watch."

In addition to MHD's regular lineup of HD music programming, for the first time, MHD viewers will be able to watch an HD simulcast of the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), taking place August 31 at Radio City in New York City. Also, beginning later this fall, Comcast and MHD will make selected HD music programming available as part of Comcast's ON DEMAND video-on-demand service, bringing viewers the convenience of watching their favorite MHD programs any time they want.

"Live concerts and music programming are in the 'top three' when it comes to what people want from a high-definition channel, and MHD will deliver the biggest artists to Comcast subscribers," said Eric Sherman, Senior Vice President and General Manager for MHD, VH1 Classic and VH1 Digital Television. "We are very excited to launch in anticipation of the first-ever high-definition simulcast of the MTV Video Music Awards and look forward to showcasing all of MTV, VH1 and CMT's tent pole events in the future."

The debut of MHD complements the extensive music offerings currently available to Comcast Digital Cable customers, including dozens of commercial-free digital music channels; hundreds of music videos, concert performances and karaoke songs available on Comcast's signature ON DEMAND service; and popular music networks.

Vistula Communications Services, a VoIP supplier for major telecommunications carriers and Internet service providers, recently announced the selection of its V-Cube™ platform by DirecPath to run a pilot program for the delivery of DirecPath's consumer VoIP service offerings. DirecPath is a new partnership between The DIRECTV Group and Hicks Holdings LLC that was formed to provide bundled DIRECTV programming, broadband voice and data and security services to multiple dwelling unit (MDU) and gated-community owners across the United States.

Vistula will allow DirecPath to manage the communications needs of a diverse range of MDU and gated-community properties, and to add to its suite of bundled services the benefits of a secure, simplified, scalable and highly resilient VoIP infrastructure.

"We are committed to meeting the needs of owners and residents in MDU and gated communities nationwide and providing them with a unique and compelling value proposition," said Paul Savoldelli, chief executive officer of DirecPath. "Vistula's hosted VoIP service will be an important part of that value proposition, enhancing our ability to include VoIP as part of our seamless, cost-effective suite of bundled services."

Read more about this new venture in the CNET.com article DIRECTV test IP telephony.

After attracting negative attention from the FCC and fellow telcom BellSouth dropped a similar fee, Verizon Communications has announced it will drop the DSL surcharge it added to customers bills after the FCC cancelled the Universal Service Fund charge.

Verizon said that the withdrawal of the surcharge is effective immediately, and DSL subscribers who have already been billed for the surcharge will receive a credit.

"We have listened to our customers and are eliminating this charge in response to their concerns," Bob Ingalls, chief marketing officer of Verizon Telecom, said in a statement.

Read more in the CNET News.com article Verizon drops DSL surcharge.

According to The Wall Street Journal, an unprecedented amount of money is being spent on cable TV advertising in the run-up to November's U.S. mid-term elections.

Campaign spending on U.S. House, Senate and gubernatorial races rose above  $311 million for local TV-ad spending. That figure is up 45 percent from the same point in 2004 and more than three times as much as in 2002.

Cable TV executives credit George Bush's use of national cable ads in his 2004 re-election campaign for the interest of other candidates now. Candidates are banking on demographic data that shows Republicans tend to watch more cable programming, while Democrats tend to watch more broadcast television.

Earlier this month, AOL officially announced it was planning to offer some of it's services for free. Now The New York Times is reporting that a leading software watchdog group is warning users away from AOL's free client software.

A report by the group StopBadWare.org found that the software displayed characteristics consistent with badware. The term describes a variety of downloadable applications that try to install extra components on a computer without clearly informing users of what they are or what they will do.

The StopBadware organization was founded in part to assist consumers in spotting shady software. The group is jointly run by the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School and the Oxford Internet Institute of Oxford University.

After receiving tips and complaints about the AOL software from users at its Web site, StopBadWare decided to test it. While they found nothing malicious in the AOL installation, John G. Palfrey Jr., executive director of the Berkman Center, said that software did not have to be malicious to violate consumer trust.

"We currently recommend that users do not install the version of AOL software that we tested," the StopBadware.org Web site read yesterday, "unless the user is comfortable with the level of risk we identify or until the application is updated consistent with the recommendations in this report."

For more information, check out StopBadWare's open inquiry on AOL 9.0.

DISH Network's parent company suffered a setback this week in its battle with TiVo when a federal court judge delayed a countersuit it filed against the DVR pioneer.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Caroline M. Craven of Texarkana blocked EchoStar Communications Corp.'s patent-infringement lawsuit against TiVo and Humax USA Inc. while the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office reviews patents claimed by EchoStar. Craven, who issued the stay last month, made it final when EchoStar declined to appeal, TiVo spokesman Elliot Sloane said Monday.

TiVo sued EchoStar in 2004, and in April a jury in Marshall found that EchoStar had infringed on a TiVo patent in making its own set-top box with DVR capabilities. This month, the judge who presided over that trial ordered EchoStar to pay $89.6 million in damages, more than the jury had awarded.

The trial judge, David Folsom, also ordered EchoStar to disable more than 3 million of its DVRs that jurors found used elements of TiVo technology, but a federal appeals court this month delayed Folsom's order while the case is appealed.

EchoStar filed its own lawsuit against TiVo in 2005. TiVo issued a statement Monday saying it was pleased with Craven's decision to delay the countersuit while the government reviews EchoStar's patents. TiVo charges that patent officials failed to review older technology that would make EchoStar's patent claims invalid. The countersuit had been scheduled for trial early next year.

EchoStar spokeswoman Kathie Gonzalez said Monday the company is "anxious to get to trial because we believe TiVo's DVRs infringe on our technology," but acknowledged it will be a long process. In a regulatory filing, the company said the Patent Office review "could take many years."

Verizon Communications Inc. and Microsoft Corp. recently announced an expanded alliance in which Verizon will offer its consumer DSL and FiOS Internet customers a co-branded suite of Microsoft® Windows Live™ services to help them enjoy more personalized Internet experiences with enhanced online security.

"We're delighted to move forward with Microsoft in offering our broadband customers an enhanced, more-personalized Internet experience through a combination of Windows Live services and innovative features from Verizon," said John Wimsatt, Senior Vice President, Broadband Solutions Marketing for Verizon. "By expanding our relationship with Microsoft, a leader in Internet solutions, we continue our commitment to creating the best value in broadband, offering more and better choices than cable and creating a superior online experience."

As part of the new agreement, which is an expansion of the two companies' broadband relationship that began in April 2002, Verizon customers will have access to co-branded information and communications services, including a co-branded Live.com home page with easy access to Verizon and Windows Live services, a Windows Live Toolbar, a co-branded Windows Live Search page, Verizon e-mail powered by Windows Live Mail, a co-branded version of Windows Live Messenger and safety protection via Windows Live OneCare™ safety scanner.

"Verizon continues to be a highly valuable partner for us in delivering Windows Live services that unite consumers' interests, information and relationships in a way that's most meaningful to them," said Steve Berkowitz, Senior Vice President, Online Services Group at Microsoft. "This expanded alliance further solidifies the growth and success of the Windows Live platform."

Learn more in the Microsoft's press release Verizon and Microsoft Expand Alliance to Provide Windows Live Services for High-Speed Internet Subscribers. 

BellSouth is prepared for the arrival of Ernesto, as either a hurricane or tropical storm, on the Florida coast. Through its work with the Federal Communications Commission and government agencies, the company has addressed issues related to first responder status and access to impacted areas.

BellSouth is maintaining active dialogue with its partners and suppliers to ensure they meet the company's supply needs before, during and after the storm hits. Through these preparedness efforts, BellSouth will be able to maintain power, provide continuous connectivity and avoid widespread outages.

"BellSouth has a tremendous amount of hurricane experience; however, the unprecedented damage during last year's hurricane season taught us a great deal about our network and what we needed to do to make it even stronger," said Bill Smith, BellSouth's Chief Technology Officer. "We are confident in our readiness and ability to keep our customers connected or, at a minimum, reconnect them quickly."

Since last year, the company has done a number of things to prepare for the 2006 hurricane season. Those preparations included increasing its supply of emergency generators to provide power to its network in the event commercial power is lost. Currently, many of BellSouth's switching facilities include permanent generators, some of which are fueled by natural gas and do not require re-fueling. Several additional steps have been taken to prepare for this hurricane season.

"Just as important as our preparedness efforts, we want residents and businesses in Florida to be equally prepared," continued Smith. BellSouth offers customers several tips to stay safe, smart and connected before, during, and after a hurricane or other natural disaster.

I reported last week that DISH Network's parent company EchoStar recently lost a court ruling that would force them to stop providing local stations to some of their rural customers. However, EchoStar announced on Monday that it will pay $100 million to settle the nine-year long legal battle.

The company is settling with the ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox Affiliate Associations to allow it to continue broadcasting network channels including those that do not originate in a subscriber's home region. These are known as distant network channels. As part of the settlement, EchoStar agreed to requalify its distant network subscribers and terminate transmission of those channels later this year to the "small percentage" of customers who are not eligible to receive them today. EchoStar also agreed to expand its local network channel service to 175 markets, from 165, by the end of 2006.

The decision to settle follows EchoStar's failure last week to get an emergency stay from the U.S. Supreme Court to freeze a federal appeals court order barring it from rebroadcasting any of the networks' shows. The settlement did not include the 25 stations owned and operated by Fox Network, which late last week declined EchoStar's offer and pulled out of the discussions.

EchoStar cautioned in their statement that the settlement is contingent on confirmation by the U.S. District Court in Florida.

You will soon be able to download short video clips of five CBS prime-time shows onto your cell phones or PDA from billboards in New York City's Grand Central Station, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article.

Starting in September, anyone with Bluetooth-enabled device standing within 36 feet of the new billboards will be able to access video clips. The free video clips will be delivered over the wireless connection directly to the Bluetooth-enabled device without the need to use the mobile Internet, freeing customers from being charged by their carrier for data usage.

As more and more TV viewers begin to use DVRs to skip through advertising during their favorite shows, companies are forced to find new and creative ways to market their products. CBS has already announced plans to promote its new fall TV shows by stamping logos on eggs.

While billboards and neon lights have been a staple of outdoor advertising for years, with the introduction of Bluetooth technology, they can now be used as an extension of traditional mediums to provide a more multimedia experience. The technology is already being used all over Europe to allow people to download movie clips and pictures.

Read more about this advertising trend in the TIME article Getting On Board: An old advertising medium is being reinvented.

In an update of another story from last week, after the FCC said it would investigate a new fee Verizon and BellSouth planned on charging their high-speed Internet customers, BellSouth announced that it would immediately drop the fee.

BellSouth had been following Verizon's lead by planning to impose the "regulatory cost recovery fee" at exactly the same amount as the old Universal Service Fund (USF) fee which the companies had recently won the right to stop paying into. However, the FCC was skeptical about the new fee and promptly sent "letter of inquiry" to both BellSouth and Verizon asking whether the new fees complied with the FCC's "Truth-In-Billing" requirements for clearly explained and understandable customer charges.

While the FCC is generally lenient toward big telephone companies, the Commission felt this new fee went a bit too far. "The commission takes its obligation to protect consumers very seriously," said FCC spokesman David Fiske. "Consumers must be provided with clear and non-misleading information so they may accurately access the services for which they are being charged and the costs associated with those services."

After receiving the letter and reviewing the FCC's concerns, BellSouth promptly backed down and stated that it would cancel the fee. They also plan to credit any customer charged, with the credit taking anywhere from one to six weeks to appear on customer bills. Verizon, on the other hand, said it plans to publicly respond to the FCC inquiry, noting that it had provided reasons for its own fare hike on its Web site.

Read more about this issue in the ConsumerAffairs.com article FCC Nudges BellSouth Into Giving Up New DSL Fees.

Comcast SportsNet has signed a two-year deal with ISP Sports, holder of multimedia rights for Virginia Tech athletics, days after scoring a three-year deal with the University of Maryland. The Bethesda-based regional sports television network will air a weekly program from August to March that will feature Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer, a two-time Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year, and basketball coach Seth Greenberg. Also as part of the agreement, Comcast SportsNet will show a rebroadcast of each week's Virginia Tech football game.

"The Virginia Tech athletics department is one of the most successful collegiate programs in the region and this partnership is a tremendous asset for our network and Comcast SportsNet's loyal viewers," says Sam Schroeder, Comcast SportsNet's executive vice president and general manager for the mid-Atlantic region. The network will air Hokies men's and women's basketball games through a separate, five-year deal with the Atlantic Coast Conference. Comcast SportsNet will air up to 42 men's and up to 26 women's ACC games.

Comcast SportsNet consists of the regional network serving the Washington and Baltimore markets, and other regional networks servicing the Philadelphia, Chicago and Central and Northern California markets. Together, the five networks reach more than 22 million households.

Time Warner's AOL recently announced partnerships with 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group that will offer consumers downloadable movies through the AOL Video portal. These new partnerships complement the more than 17 video content partnerships and more than 45 on-demand channels that AOL Video announced in July. Available to anyone on the Web at AOLvideo.com, the AOL Video portal is a one-stop, high-quality entertainment destination to find, watch and share millions of free streaming and pay-to-download video content from across the Web, broadcast and cable television, and movies.

Through AOL Video, popular movie titles—including recent DVD releases and a large selection of movies representing all genres—from 20th Century Fox, NBC Universal, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group will be available for purchase and download with prices ranging from $9.99 to $19.99 per movie. Once downloaded, movies can be viewed offline as well as on other PCs and compatible portable devices.

Read more about AOL Video in the CNET News.com article AOL to sell digital movie downloads.

California regulators voted last week to relax restrictions on how much the state's landline telephone companies, including AT&T and Verizon Communications, may charge customers.

The California Public Utilities Commission's vote stems from the state's first major review of telephone regulation in 18 years and the new policy is meant to allow phone companies to compete better in the voice-service market against unregulated wireless, broadband, cable and Internet companies.

"Regulation needs to recognize there is a competitive voice communications marketplace," said Michael Peevey, the commission's president. "The changes we order today will enhance competition by allowing new services to be provided sooner and eliminating unnecessary government regulation."

Tim McCallion, president for Verizon's west region, applauded the unanimous vote by the commission. "When the old regulations were introduced, the wireless industry was in its infancy and few people had heard of the Internet, let alone imagined the promise it held," McCallion said in a statement. "Much has changed in the past two decades, and these new rules reflect that reality."

The commission's decision eliminates required state approval of price changes for all other business and residential rates and services. While landline and competitive local exchange carriers will be required to provide 30-day notice to customers of proposed price increases, they may go into effect the day after notices are filed with the commission. Under the new policy, prices for basic residential telephone service will be in place until Jan. 1, 2009.

Last week, I wrote about Verizon's plan to keep charging customers a fee after the government dropped a mandatory DSL surcharge. According to a recent CNET News.com article, this plan caught the attention of the Federal Communications Commission and they are planning to question the new charge.

Verizon, along with BellSouth, who is also planning on charging a similar fee, will be sent "letters of inquiry" to see whether the new charge complies with Federal Communications Commission rules that require "truth in billing," the source said on the condition of anonymity.

The companies no longer have to pay a part of their high-speed Internet revenue into the Universal Service Fund (USF), which subsidizes communications services to schools, lower-income households and rural areas, as of Aug. 14. They had passed that USF cost onto their customers. An FCC decision a year ago phased out the USF fee for the telephone companies' high-speed Internet service.

However, Verizon said it would impose a new monthly surcharge of $1.20 or $2.70, beginning Aug. 26, which it said was to help subsidize connection costs. BellSouth said it has continued charging $2.97 a month, equivalent to the old USF fee.

AT&T was not expected to receive a letter from the FCC, said a CNET News.com source. Letters of inquiry are typically the first step in an agency investigation into whether enforcement action is warranted. A spokeswoman for the FCC and Verizon spokesman Brian Blevins declined to comment, while a BellSouth spokesman had no immediate comment.

In an era of fantasy sports leagues, where sports and athletes are measured as much by statistics as who won or lost, DIRECTV is satisfying stat-hungry NFL fans with a menu of new interactive features for its exclusive NFL SUNDAY TICKET™ service at no additional charge to customers. The new features provide more team statistics from NFL SUNDAY TICKET games, and most notably for stat-mongers and fantasy players, with the Holy Grail of interactive functionality—the ability to track player performances while viewing NFL regular season games on NFL SUNDAY TICKET.

The new NFL SUNDAY TICKET "Player Tracker" allows fans to select up to nine NFL players from around the league and track their performance throughout the day via real time on-screen alerts on every NFL SUNDAY TICKET game channel, Game Mix, and Red Zone Channel. The alerts appear when one of the selected players does anything of significance during a game. In addition, fans will be able to bring up a "My Players" statistical overlay at the touch of a button, listing up-to-the-minute cumulative statistics for their players. To access these new features, all that is required along with the NFL SUNDAY TICKET service is interactive DIRECTV system equipment.

"With our new interactive features for this year's NFL SUNDAY TICKET, fantasy players no longer have to face the dilemma of tracking their fantasy team players and their opponent's players on their computer while watching the games themselves on TV. 'Player Tracker' brings it all together," said David Hill, president, DIRECTV Entertainment. "It's always been our mission to make NFL SUNDAY TICKET the ultimate destination for die-hard NFL fans and fantasy players every Sunday, and as their needs evolve, we intend to evolve with them."

According to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association's 2005 national survey, more than 13 million adults play fantasy football. On average, these individuals participate in up to three separate leagues simultaneously.

Read more about the new NFL SUNDAY TICKET Player Tracker in the DIRECTV press release.

Last month, I posted about SIRIUS and XM stopping production of selected satellite radios due to questions over whether or not the devices complied with certain FCC rules. Stephanie posted about SIRIUS resuming production of their radios a few weeks ago and now it looks like XM will be doing the same.

The company has announced that the FCC issued new grants of authority for three XM radios with FM transmitters after determining that the radios are in compliance with FCC regulations. These XM plug-and-play radios—Audiovox Xpress, Delphi RoadyXT, and XM Sportscaster—are three of XM's primary products at retail. XM is notifying its manufacturers to resume production of these devices. These new products are expected to be available at retail for the holiday shopping season.

Read more about this issues in the article XM Satellite Soars Again.

AT&T recently announced the selection of HomePNA 3 technology for in-home distribution of AT&T U-verse^SM services including AT&T U-verse TV, AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet, U-verse Enabled and, in the future, consumer VoIP services.

HomePNA 3 technology will be integrated into IP set-top boxes supplied by Motorola Inc. and Scientific Atlanta and Residential Gateways supplied by 2Wire as key components of AT&T's U-verse deployment. AT&T chose the technology following extensive testing in AT&T Laboratories and other test environments.

"Based on our research, we believe HomePNA 3 technology is the best option for distributing IP-based video services inside customers' homes," said David Deas, vice president--networks & services, AT&T Laboratories Inc. "The ability to work over both coaxial cable and traditional phone lines is a key advantage and we look forward to working with the industry to enhance and standardize the technology."

"This represents an opportunity for HomePNA technology to be part of one of the largest deployments of true Internet-protocol television services in the world," said Rich Nesin, President of HomePNA alliance. "This selection is the culmination of a lot of work with AT&T and its strategic partners to develop and refine the technology for the delivery of IP-based services over the existing wiring in the home."

Check out the AT&T press release for more information.

Football season is almost here - and today, Sprint and Electronic Arts primed the pump for die-hard fans. The highly anticipated EA SPORTS™ Madden NFL 07 is now available for purchase and download to select* Sprint phones. Madden NFL 07 costs $3.49 per month or $6.99 for a lifetime license to Sprint customers.

Now, Sprint customers can enjoy hard-hitting, authentic Madden NFL 07 action anywhere at any time.  Long acknowledged as the definitive gridiron video game experience, Madden NFL 07 features over 50 plays from the real Madden playbook. Players will experience 11 on 11 play with NFL licensed players, rosters and all 32 NFL teams. And, on some Sprint mobile phones, John Madden and Al Michaels provide commentary along the way.

Sprint customers also enjoy exclusive access to the Game Lobby, which allows players to post and compare their scores via daily and all-time "leaderboards" with fellow Madden NFL 07 enthusiasts from around the United States. In addition, the Sprint Game Lobby also allows players to recommend Madden NFL 07 to friends and family members using Sprint phones.

Sprint customers who can't get enough Madden action will want to register for the Fifth Annual EA SPORTS Madden Challenge. The competition, sponsored by Sprint, begins Sept. 1; it is the only official EA tournament to crown the best player of Madden NFL 07. Winners will come from 31 regional competitions as well as an online qualifying spot.

More about Sprint and Madden NFL 07 can be found in this Sprint press release.

EchoStar Communications Corporation and its DISH Network(TM) satellite TV service recently announced an agreement with Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group to carry the studio's current and catalog titles on its Video On Demand platform, DISH On Demand, as well as Pay-Per-View services, including high definition.

DISH Network's DISH On Demand service gives customers the power to enjoy movies and other programs whenever they want and is currently available on the DISH Player-DVR 508, DISH Player-DVR 510, DISH Player-DVR 625 and ViP622 DVR receivers. Customers have immediate access to the newest VOD movies on DISH On Demand and can use the DVR features (Pause, Fast Forward, Rewind) to enhance their viewing experience.

DISH Network Pay-Per-View offers a variety of movies every day. Customers with HD-capable receivers can tune into Channel 9467 to see Pay-Per-View movies in HD. All Pay-Per-View movies can be ordered via remote control, by calling 1-800-333-DISH (3474) or online at www.dishnetwork.com/ppv.

Cox Communications, the nation's fourth-largest cable television company,  and TiVo Inc. have entered into an agreement to make TiVo's leading DVR and interactive advertising service available to select Cox subscribers.

Under the terms of the agreement, TiVo will customize its cable software for deployment on compatible Cox DVR set-top-boxes. TiVo's downloadable software will allow Cox to deliver the TiVo® service in Cox subscriber homes without replacing existing DVR boxes, and without an install appointment. In this way, current Cox DVR customers who wish to enjoy the award-winning TiVo service, can quickly and easily add the benefits of TiVo to their DVR subscription.

"We are excited to add TiVo to the portfolio of Cox entertainment services," said Steve Necessary, vice president of video product development, Cox Communications. "Cox is committed to offering our customers the best television experience possible. Our new joint service will allow us to build on the popularity of the TiVo brand while continuing to provide our customers with the simplicity of our products and the award winning customer service they have come to expect."

Cox Digital Cable customers with DVR service who choose to add TiVo to their Cox subscription will enjoy the renowned TiVo user interface as well as new innovations that link the capabilities enabled by Cox's broadband network like On DEMAND and High Definition service, with exclusive TiVo features like Season Pass™ recordings, WishList® searches and the recently announced TiVo KidZone. KidZone gives parents an easy way to safeguard their kids from video content while also helping them discover and choose great educational and age-appropriate shows. The service is expected to launch in select Cox markets in the first half of 2007.

The agreement also provides for Cox to distribute TiVo's interactive advertising platform which enables an industry proven advertising solution that is seamlessly integrated with the award-winning TiVo subscriber experience. The new advertising relationship extends Cox Media's leadership in the advanced advertising arena and further expands TiVo's national advertising footprint. Cox Media is the advertising sales arm of Cox Communications.

BellSouth and the Communications Workers of America (CWA) have partnered with Central Georgia Technical College (CGTC), based in Macon, Ga., to offer BellSouth employees across the Southeast Cisco® Certified Network Associate (CCNA®) training.

The Cisco Certified Network Associate training program provides participants with a basic understanding of networking. Upon completion of the training, CCNA certified professionals can install, configure and operate LAN, WAN and dial access services for small networks (100 nodes or fewer), including but not limited to use of these protocols: IP, IGRP, Serial, Frame Relay, IP RIP, VLANs, RIP, Ethernet, Access Lists.

"BellSouth is excited to offer CCNA training to employees across our nine states," said Dick Sibbernsen, vice president, human resources for BellSouth. "With the ever-changing architecture of our network, this training will provide BellSouth employees with the technical knowledge they need to effectively maintain and upgrade BellSouth's network."

"CWA recognizes the importance of keeping members trained on evolving technology," said Noah Savant, vice president, CWA, District 3. "This training will provide members an opportunity to learn skills that will help prepare them for future jobs."

CCNA Courses one through four of the program, equivalent to 320 hours of instruction, provide students with a basic foundation in networking. Students who successfully complete this portion of the program are eligible to earn Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification. CGTC offers this curriculum in three program options, including Networking Specialist AAS, Networking Specialist Diploma and Cisco CCNA Specialist. Employees unable to attend classes at Central Georgia Technical College are able to complete courses online anytime, anyplace within the class schedule.

To read more about the program, you can read this BellSouth press release.

According to a recent Washington Post article, hundreds of thousands of DISH Network subscribers could lose access to shows on traditional television networks after a Supreme Court justice's decision that ends several lawsuits that have been tied up in court for more than eight years.

The Court let stand a ruling in May by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit that ordered DISH Network's parent company EchoStar Communications to stop transmitting network programming to 800,000 subscribers living in mostly rural areas too far to receive local stations with regular antennas.

The decision stemmed from lawsuits filed by the Fox Network and stations affiliated with the four major networks. All the suits claimed that EchoStar illegally offers distant-network signals to customers who are capable of receiving television signals from nearby cities. Rural customers who live within the reach of a local television broadcast are not eligible to receive network programming from a satellite TV company, which usually offers transmissions from stations in large cities.

The ruling is a double victory for media mogul Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News Corp., which owns Fox and DirecTV Group Inc., the nation's largest satellite television company. "A decade ago, satellite TV was a boon to rural subscribers," said Craig E. Moffett, a senior analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. "Now that game has largely played out. The obvious beneficiary here is DirecTV."

The loss of 800,000 rural subscribers, about 6 percent of EchoStar's 12.5 million customers, could cost the company several million dollars in revenue.

Read more about the Court's decision in the Washington Post article EchoStar Loses Court Ruling On Some TV Transmissions.

AT&T Inc. recently announced a Letter of Intent with Vistana, Ltd. to build a fiber network to deliver the AT&T U-verse^SM suite of services, which includes Internet Protocol television, high-speed Internet access service and, eventually, voice services, to a new, mixed-use high-rise structure in historic downtown San Antonio.

To date, the AT&T Smart Moves program has signed more than 9,000 contracts with leased properties for AT&T communications and entertainment services, reaching 1.8 million units across the country for these types of bundled services. At The Vistana, AT&T will provide its first fiber deployment for U-verse to a multifamily and retail property.

AT&T will make Internet Protocol-based communications and entertainment services available to residents who will move in to The Vistana. Officials held unveiling ceremonies this week at nearby Milam Park in San Antonio. AT&T U-verse TV and high-speed Internet services are currently available in San Antonio, and the company plans to make U-verse services available in Houston and additional markets later this year.

"We know that the demand for the next generation of entertainment and communications services doesn't distinguish between suburban and urban living," said Brooks McCorcle, AT&T vice president and general manager for the San Antonio market area. "We look forward to working with The Vistana to serve the hundreds who will reside here, and we consider this new agreement a real turning point for our Smart Moves program. It's another strategic way that we are connecting customers with our next generation of services—while providing property owners with added value that helps differentiate their properties in a growing, fiercely competitive marketplace."

Construction on The Vistana will begin in late 2006 and will be complete in late spring 2008. The Vistana will be a 14-floor, 530,000-square-foot art deco building that will include a four-floor parking garage with more than 450 spaces and 246 market rate rental apartments above, including the top two floors of two-story penthouses. The sixth-floor amenity deck will include a theater, among other features. The building is expected to open in late spring 2008.

In addition to the millions of rental units served through the Smart Moves program, since 2005, the total number of single-family homes under AT&T Smart Moves contracts has increased from about 460,000 to more than 930,000—including those that are fiber-enabled and others that involve bundled services and other types of networking.

To learn more about this new development, check out the AT&T press release.

With EarthLink's New ProtectionPack featuring Anonymous E-mail Addresses, EarthLink subscribers can protect their identities and reduce the amount of spam they receive. EarthLink's Anonymous e-mail is the latest protection tool to be introduced by the company, which has been an innovator in creating and delivering security products for its customers over the past twelve years. EarthLink was the first ISP to offer spamBlocker, a permission-based e-mail solution that enables subscribers to better manage their inboxes, and ScamBlocker, which helps protect users from phishers.

"Most of us get about 200 e-mails a week, and some of it is still junk mail sneaking past our blocking tools," said Stephen Currie, EarthLink's director product management, communication products. "EarthLink's ProtectionPack featuring Anonymous E-mail adds another layer of protection that helps subscribers out-smart spammers and cut-down on the bogus e-mail messages that clog inboxes and can lead to fraud."

EarthLink subscribers can activate this service by visiting www.protectionpack.net and enter their EarthLink e-mail address and password. After verifying the security code and clicking "submit," five new Anonymous E-mail Addresses will immediately be provided and linked to the subscriber's account. A ProtectionPack folder will automatically be created in the subscriber's EarthLink Web Mail account, with a folder for each Anonymous E-mail Address. Subscribers will have immediate access to these separate addresses for Web site registrations, online shopping, or sending and receiving e-mail without exposing their identity.

I posted about Qwest calling for data retention laws yesterday, but the company is now saying that the comments were a mistake and it is actually skeptical of the mandates by Congress.

In an interview with CNET News.com, Jennifer Mardosz, Qwest's corporate counsel and chief privacy officer, said that she misspoke during a panel discussion organized by the Progress and Freedom Foundation in Aspen, Colo. "I just completely misspoke there," Mardosz said. During the panel discussion, she said Qwest "absolutely" supports House of Representatives legislation sponsored by Rep. Diana DeGette mandating data retention—a requirement that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said will aid in terrorism and child exploitation investigations. "I associated (DeGette's) name with the female Colorado legislator that introduced the state legislation," Mardosz said. "That was just a pure and honest mistake that I made."

Qwest's revised position is more in sync with other telecommunications companies, which say they are already required by law to cooperate with criminal investigations and have been generally skeptical of broad, new mandates.

For more information on Qwest's turnabout, read the CNET News.com article Qwest on data retention laws: Oops.

Recognizing the growing interest among American motorists who want the same DIRECTV entertainment experience in their cars that they have in their homes, DIRECTV is now delivering to car video screens live local news, weather, traffic, sports and other local entertainment programming. Local broadcast channels via DIRECTV are now available to mobile customers on the open road within the continental United States to vehicles that have been equipped with a TracVision A7 mobile satellite TV system, launched today by KVH Industries, Inc. DIRECTV will provide mobile customers their local broadcast channels within the designated market areas where it already offers them to home viewers. Local channels availability may vary by market. DIRECTV delivers local programming in 142 markets, representing 94 percent of U.S. television households.

DIRECTV's TOTAL CHOICE(R) Mobile with local channels package, created exclusively for mobile customers with a low-profile automotive TracVision system, is available for $44.99, and offers more than 185 channels. To receive local channels in their car, DIRECTV customers must purchase a new TracVision A7 satellite TV system, which includes an integrated GPS unit and new 12-volt receiver jointly developed by DIRECTV and KVH.

The mobile local channels offering is part of a larger strategy by DIRECTV to target the more than 20 million U.S. vehicles expected to have in-vehicle passenger video systems by 2011, according to the leading analyst firm Frost & Sullivan.

"We are delighted to be able to offer local broadcast programming on a DMA basis and to extend the connection that viewers have to their local broadcaster, to the mobile consumer. With consumers' growing demand to watch news and entertainment services whenever and wherever they want, the in-vehicle market has come to represent the next frontier in live digital multichannel entertainment," said Daren Benzi, vice president, Sales Development and Strategy, DIRECTV, Inc. "This new development symbolizes DIRECTV and KVH's continuing efforts to innovate and provide the best of the DIRECTV television experience to mobile consumers. With our new receiver technology and KVH's new TracVision A7 with GPS, DIRECTV is now able to offer its mobile customers the benefits of live local news, traffic, weather, sports and other important information."

To read more about DIRECTV for cars, you can read this DIRECTV press release.

XM Satellite Radio, the nation's leading satellite radio service with more than 7 million subscribers, will kick off its coverage of the 2006 college football season on August 28. Among the college games to air nationwide on XM during the first week of regular season play are Notre Dame vs. Georgia Tech; Stanford vs. Oregon; Boston College vs. Central Michigan, and Indiana State vs. Purdue.

This marks the first year that XM will carry all the football teams in the Big East Conference. XM is also the official satellite network of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big East Conference, Big Ten Conference and Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) and XM will carry the BCS bowl series on ESPN Radio.

A complete schedule of the ACC, Big East, Big Ten and Pac-10 college football games for the 2006 season broadcast on XM is available at collegesports.xmradio.com.

Listeners can also tune into the XM original "College Football Coast-to-Coast," which will air live, weekdays at [1 p.m. ET and Saturdays from 12-6 p.m. ET] on XM's new 24-hour sports channel XM Sports Nation (XMSN) on XM Channel 143 beginning August 28. Hosted by T.J. Rives, the hour-long program covers news from college football conferences across the country, game analysis, interviews and listener call-ins.

Embarq announced this week that they have completed the migration of the company's one millionth customer from a circuit network to a packet network. This technological evolution facilitates Embarq's development and delivery of innovative common sense products and services.

"The platform allows us to provide converged voice and data services," said Jim Hansen, senior vice president of Network Services for Embarq. "Products like an integrated voicemail platform serving both wireline and wireless devices, or Smart Connect where customers' phones switch seamlessly between a wireline and wireless network aren't as practical on a circuit-based network, and much more difficult to make available. The packet network makes it easier for us to make innovative products available to our customers much more quickly than in the past."

Also, packet technology handles voice and data messages more efficiently than the existing circuit network, allowing Embarq to reduce future expenditures on network upgrades.The company began its packet conversion with Nortel in May of 2003 serving customers in Gardner, Kansas. Since that time, Embarq has steadily progressed moving customers to the new network technology, outpacing others in the industry.

"Nortel's Carrier VoIP and multimedia solutions allow Embarq to more easily offer its customers next-generation communication services," said Alf Decardenas, general manager, Converged Multimedia Networks, Nortel. "We're thrilled to work with Embarq as they migrate towards an even more superior network that delivers integrated voice, video and data services. This is further proof they are truly dedicated to offering their customers common sense products and services."

Read more about this milestone in the news release Embarq Reaches Packet Network Milestone

Yahoo Inc. is testing a security service designed to prevent Web surfers from landing on sites that look like they are from Yahoo but actually fakes set up by criminals to carry out phishing scams. The service, currently supporting only U.S. Yahoo Web sites, lets users know if they have landed on a legitimate Yahoo sign-in Web page, preventing them from entering their Yahoo ID and password on a phishing site. A Yahoo spokeswoman said it is being tested and hasn't been officially announced.

A huge online security problem, phishing scams set up legitimate-looking Web sites from well-known companies, such as banks, online stores, and Web portals, and try to lure people to them via e-mail and other methods. The scammer's main goal is to convince people to enter sensitive information, such as passwords and credit card numbers, leaving them vulnerable to ID theft and fraud.

Each Yahoo sign-in seal will be associated with an individual computer, requiring to installation on every computer a person plans on using. Once installed, the seal will appear on Yahoo sign-in screens, letting the user know the site is genuine. To create a seal, users will need to either enter text terms or upload an image unique to them. This information is displayed in the seal that only appears on legitimate Yahoo sign-in screens.

Test this new Yahoo! service or read more about it in the PCWORLD article Yahoo Tests Antiphishing Service. 

In an effort to combat unauthorized data brokers obtaining and selling its customers' calling records, AT&T's services division filed a lawsuit in U.S district court in San Antonio, Texas, this week to block 25 unnamed defendants who have allegedly pretended to be customers to gain access to account information.

AT&T said that the so-called data brokers had fraudulently obtained records for some 2,500 customers. The company believes the lawsuit will help it identify the perpetrators through e-mail addresses and Internet Protocol addresses. Once it identifies the data brokers, the company plans to seek an injunction as well as a return of profits earned from selling customer information. In addition, AT&T customers affected by the data breach have been notified and access to their online accounts has been frozen.

Earlier this year, wireless phone companies Cingular, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless each filed lawsuits against companies that own Web sites that allegedly sell customer information. T-Mobile and Cingular have each won temporary restraining orders against perpetrators.

AT&T said it has taken additional steps to prevent this type of activity in the future. "Regrettably, there are always people looking for ways to circumvent the system," Priscilla Hill-Ardoin, chief privacy officer for AT&T, said in a statement. "But we intend to remain vigilant in order to keep our customers' information secure."

Read more about what the company is doing to protect its customers' privacy in the AT&T press release AT&T Services Inc. Files Suit to Bar Data Brokers from Unauthorized Access to Customer Data.

In the wake of AOL's release of user search data, broadband company Qwest Communications is the lone provider strongly endorsing federal legislation requiring Internet providers to keep records of their customers' behavior.

"We support legislation," Jennifer Mardosz, Qwest's corporate counsel and chief privacy officer, said this week. "We want to be at the table. We want to have these discussions. The main thing is what's reasonable and balancing the interests of privacy and law enforcement." According to Mardosz, Qwest already keeps logs for more than 99 percent of its services for one year.

The endorsement is an unusual stand for Qwest, which defended its customers' privacy rights when requiring the National Security Agency to obtain a court order to conduct electronic surveillance, according to a USA Today article in May. Their enthusiastic support of mandatory data retention could make it politically easier for members of Congress to enact new laws even if other companies remain staunchly opposed.

Read more about Qwest's position and the propsed legislation in the CNETnews.com article Qwest calls for mandatory data retention laws.   

Home Warranty of America is a leading supplier of home warranties for houses, town homes and condominiums in 48 states. Home Warranty of America Provides services directly to homeowners, real estate agents, title companies, mortgage brokers and insurance professionals. They takes the worry out of owning a home by offering 12 months of full coverage without age restrictions; convenient access to service 24/7; repairs performed by qualified HWA approved technicians and a 30-day money-back guarantee.  WhiteFence offers customers the chance to order the basic home warranty service plan along with a $50 Premium Coverage option and additional items for each state.

Lifetime Television this week launched a new video-on-demand service to some 10 million Comcast digital cable subscribers.

Lifetime On Demand will include episodes of the flagship network's newer series, such as Lovespring International and Cheerleader Nation, as well as a selection of shows from Lifetime's library. The Comcast VOD service will also offer short-form programming not available on the linear network.

Lifetime said the decision to launch the VOD package on Comcast was spurred in part by recent research which suggests that women are increasingly interested in on-demand viewing. According to a CTAM study commissioned in late 2005, women on average watch about 28 hours of VOD fare per month.

Verizon Communications has decided to pocket most of the savings from the cancellation of a government surcharge on digital subscriber lines, despite calls from consumer groups to pass on the savings on to users.

Verizon used to charge DSL customers a monthly fee of $1.25 or $2.83, depending on connection speeds, for a government fund to help bring service to lower-income and rural areas.

The government stopped charging that fee from August 14, but Verizon will instead impose a new monthly surcharge of $1.20 or $2.70, beginning August 26, which it said was to help subsidize connection costs.

To learn more, see the Reuters article Verizon eyes new DSL fee after gov't fee scrapped.

While Time Warner Cable continues its fight with The NFL Network, football fanatics who are hungry for more programming can get it with DISH Network. Dedicated fans won't miss any of the action on the field with DISH Network's total football package including NFL Network, ESPN and local channels—adding up to seven nights a week of NFL football.

"The Monday night football game is ingrained into American culture, a ritual embraced by millions of sports fans across the country," said Jody Martin, senior vice president of marketing for DISH Network. "But now there's something else to look forward to - Thursday and Saturday night primetime games broadcast live on NFL Network beginning Thanksgiving night, along with DISH Network's extensive coverage of football—all for about half the price of digital cable."

Along with games broadcast on ESPN and local channels, customers can enjoy NFL Network's exciting lineup including eight regular season games airing on Thursday and Saturday nights, 52 preseason games, director's cut game replays, and NFL Films' Game of the Week. NFL Network is available to DISH Network customers on the America's Top 60 package.

In addition, high definition fans will feel like they're watching from the sidelines, as DISH Network offers the largest HD lineup in the U.S. with 30 channels including NFL Network and ESPN in HD. DISH Network is the only satellite TV provider to offer NFL Network HD.

To celebrate the start of the 2006 NFL season, DISH Network has teamed up with NFL Network to create a new multimedia ad campaign. New York Giants' premier running back and DISH Network fan Tiki Barber is featured throughout the brand's television, radio, print and online advertising, championing the rallying cry "I want football 24/7." Four other headlining NFL players will join Tiki to promote DISH Network's football lineup in select regions.

"Tiki Barber is an avid fan of DISH Network and we're obviously fans of his, as he is one of the most accomplished and recognized players in the National Football League," said Martin. "This is a great opportunity for us to join together to promote the new lineup to his fans and football fans everywhere who don't want to pay a hefty price to watch the games."

To support the new multimedia campaign, DISH Network has also launched a new Web site, www.Iwantfootball24-7.com, where visitors will have a chance to play games, win prizes and enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win a trip to the 2007 Pro Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii, February 10.

Sign up for DISH Network now or read more about the NFL package in the DISH Network press release. 

As the fall school semester approaches, the AT&T Foundation, the philanthropic arm of AT&T Inc., renewed its commitment to providing attainable higher education for college students and their families by awarding more than $5 million in college scholarships to more than 2,000 children of AT&T employees and retirees. Since the AT&T Foundation began its scholarship program in 1993, it has invested $45 million in student scholarships, providing financial assistance to more than 15,000 students. For the upcoming 2006 — 2007 school year, 630 students will receive AT&T Foundation scholarships for the first time, and 1,434 students will renew their scholarships.

"According to The College Board's 2005 'Trends in College Pricing' report, tuition and fees continue to rise at two- and four-year colleges and universities," said Jim Ciccone, chairman of the AT&T Foundation. "Our scholarship program is an extension of the AT&T Foundation's commitment to making higher education more attainable for all students."

AT&T Foundation scholarships are awarded to students pursuing undergraduate study at accredited four-year and two-year colleges and universities as well as military academies in the United States. Students who maintain specified academic guidelines can renew their scholarships annually. The competitive scholarship selection process is based on an individual's overall merit, including academics, leadership skills and work experience.

Students attending two-year colleges will each receive a $1,500 scholarship; those attending four-year colleges or universities will each receive a $2,500 scholarship; and those attending military academies will receive a one-time honorarium of $2,000 from the AT&T Foundation.

The cable industry suffered a blow on Friday when a federal appeals court upheld the Federal Communications Commission's mandate requiring cable operators to distribute a technology called CableCards, which will allow digital cable subscribers to get rid of their cable set-top boxes.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit unanimously supported the FCC's "integration ban," which requires cable operators to separate encryption functions from basic decoding capabilities in their set-top boxes.

Separating these functions allows cable customers to plug their cable line directly into a TV set without the need for a set-top box. The CableCard device is about the size of a thick credit card, and fits into a special slot built into digital TVs and a growing number of consumer electronic devices, such as TiVo's digital video recorder and most HDTV sets.

The court's decision should move cable operators a step closer to finally offering a service that allows consumers to simply plug a card into a device to get cable TV service. "Today's opinion sets the record straight: Consumers are entitled to a broad array of products that can connect to cable systems featuring innovative new features for competitive prices," Gary Shapiro, head of the Consumer Electronics Association, said in a statement. "In the wake of the court's decision, we are hopeful that cable will stop its foot-dragging and comply with the law for the benefit of consumers."

Read more about the ruling in the CNETnews.com article Cable companies lose round in CableCard battle

AT&T and Yahoo!® recently announced the launch of the new AT&T Yahoo! Photos, a Web-based service designed to make it easier for people to enjoy and share their growing photo collections with family and friends.

The new AT&T Yahoo! Photos offers desktop-like functionality in a Web-based service. It delivers new features like photo-tagging—or labeling—for easy viewing. It provides Smart Albums, or online "playlists" of photos that detect newly tagged photos and automatically recognize and add tagged photos to online albums. The service offers deeper integration with leading AT&T Yahoo! services, including e-mail and Instant Messenger (IM), among other options. Users can also order professional-quality prints online for pickup at local stores, place ship-to-home orders, or order personalized photo gifts via the new service.

The new AT&T Yahoo! Photos brings a Web 2.0 experience to AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet subscribers, featuring the next generation of Web-based services and social media that enable people to collaborate and share information online. It moves beyond static online album structure, to dynamic, flexible and smart photo organization, and it provides the ability to save photos to more than one album. The enhanced service brings tagging capabilities to the mass consumer audience, and it extends beyond the PC, to mobile devices (such as AT&T Yahoo! Go for Mobile).

"The new community-based photo features—like photo-tagging—foster user interaction in ways that weren't possible before for AT&T Yahoo! broadband customers," said Kieran Nolan, vice president, AT&T Broadband. "For example, as photo collections continue to grow, they can become more difficult to manage. With tagging, users can label photos — their own and those shared with them — making them easier to organize and find later. Features like these mean that customers can now exchange comments on shared pictures, add tags to help organize photos and rate them for simple searching."

Unlike other Web-based services, the new AT&T Yahoo! Photos functions much like a desktop application but offers the combination of remote access from any Web-connected computer, with no software download required.

To learn more about this new Web-based service, check out the AT&T press release. 

An audit of 11 outages at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station in 2005 showed that four were avoidable and that ratepayers should not shoulder the costs associated with the downtime. One outage remains under review.

The plant's operator, Arizona Public Service Co., has asked regulators to recover, through higher electric rates, $44.6 million in outage-related costs. But, based on the performance audit by GDS Associates Inc. of Marietta, Ga., the Arizona Corporation Commission recommended Thursday that $17.3 million of that be disallowed. The staff also recommended that minimum operating standards be established for the plant and that its operator be required to adhere to them.

APS spokesman Alan Bunnell said that the utility would file a response to the recommendation but that it hadn't fully digested the document and could not comment. No date has been set for the Corporation Commission to act on the recommendations.

Read more about the audt in the Arizona Republic article APS is handed setback on rates.

EarthLink has a new, easy-to-use solution for consumers to store and share their digital lives called WebLife. WebLife provides consumers with a secure, personal Web space to store, organize and share their most important digital photos, media and personal files. In addition, WebLife gives consumers access to a virtual file cabinet and photo album in one with the added benefit of accessing their important files anywhere and anytime, through a Web-based interface.

"A major part of our lives is digital - whether honeymoon photos, recordings of the pre-school music recital or the infamous holiday letter. WebLife allows consumers to store, share and print their important digital memories," said Erika Jolly Brookes, vice president, product marketing and product management, EarthLink. "As the newest addition to a range of EarthLink products and services that provide consumer experiences beyond Internet access, WebLife proves the power of the Internet as the ultimate communication medium."

WebLife includes three components:

• WebLife Photo for organizing, editing, sharing and printing digital photos at home or to national retail fulfillment providers
• WebLife Back-Up for securely backing up files
• WebLife Disk for easily accessing and sharing photos, media and data files from any computer connected to the Internet

Sprint and Rave Wireless have partnered to offer a first-of-its-kind, comprehensive suite of mobile solutions that deliver instant communications, enhance student safety and generate a greater sense of community at higher–education campuses across the country. Beginning in the fall semester of 2006, students at Allen University in South Carolina and University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), will have greater access to features such as group text messaging and polling, campus directories, university events calendar and class schedules thanks to customized handset data applications created by Rave Wireless. Sprint's state-of-the-art network and unique location-based services, combined with Rave Wireless' mobile applications and program management create a complete solution for higher education institutions. 

A big issue for many universities is the safety and security of students on campus. Allen University, located in Columbia, S.C., is working with Sprint and Rave Wireless to provide all full-time students with GPS-capable handsets, preloaded with data applications including the award-winning Rave Guardian application that provides a greater level of security by allowing the school's public safety officials to identify a student's location, if requested by the student, by integrating GPS- location into the school's public safety system. In addition, the mobile phones, referred to as an 'e-learning tool' by the school administration, will foster strong student-faculty relationships by facilitating real-time communication, course information and in-class assessments.

"Allen University is pleased to integrate leading technologies into the fabric of our university that will both enhance academics and create a safer environment for students to learn," said Anthony Spearman, vice president of operations and professor of physics, Allen University. "We are dedicated to providing an easy and cost-effective way to communicate with students, professors and campus safety officials. Sprint and Rave Wireless are delivering a solution that not only meets our needs but also gives our students instant access to critical content and peer groups that keep them connected to the university family."

Starting this fall, UMES will also offer the Sprint solution with Rave applications to all incoming students. Through a state-of-the-art dual-network Custom Network Solution (CNS) designed for this campus, Sprint has created a unified messaging platform for students and faculty to communicate, especially helpful during an emergency or national catastrophe.

"Mobile phones, the preferred way to communicate for today's youth, are now a part of the education curriculum at UMES," said Ron Forsythe, vice president of planning, assessment and technology at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. "Innovation-driven companies like Sprint and Rave Wireless provide us with the tools and solutions to keep our students informed, secure and always connected. We expect instant communication to be a big hit amongst our students."

Rave Wireless' applications, available on both the Nationwide Sprint PCS Network and the Nextel National Network, provide students with the flexibility to access campus-specific content and services through mobile phones from just about anywhere and at any time. The solution deployed at UMES also includes Rave Guardian, which provides students with a greater level of security and added peace-of-mind.

Have you decided you want to spread your wings and try out a new city, but aren't sure where to go? With kids in tow, you should make sure where you are moving is good for your children. To get some advice on which cities in the nation are kid-friendly, you can check out Population Connection's Web site on kid-friendly cities. The site offers report cards on how cities perform on various levels, a glossary of terms and several other resources.

Stephanie posted about DIRECTV's ranking in the new J.D. Power study the other day and Cox Communications, another WhiteFence service provider, also did well, receiving highest honors in the West Region.

This marks the fifth J.D. Power and Associates Award presented to Cox this year. Cox also received the Highest Honor in J.D. Power and Associates' 2006 Residential All-Distance Telephone Customer Satisfaction Study(SM) in the Northeast, Southwest and West Regions. Cox also received the highest honor in J.D. Power and Associates' 2006 Major Provider Business Telecommunications Services Study(SM) - Data, for highest customer satisfaction among small/mid-size business data service providers in the nation. Cox is the only bundled service provider to receive J.D. Power and Associates' highest honor for all three of its residential telephone, video and high-speed Internet services.

"Cox is thrilled to be recognized once again for high customer satisfaction with our services," said David Pugliese, Cox's vice president of product marketing and management. "The study findings simply demonstrate our ongoing commitment to being the best choice for entertainment and communications services in our markets."

In the West region, Cox ranked significantly higher than others in both of these areas - overall, scoring 54 points higher than the West region's average. Specifically, the study shows that Cox customers reported high scores in convenience of having multiple telecommunications services on one bill; technical innovation; timely resolution of service needs; performance and reliability; ease of contacting customer service and knowledge of customer service representatives; as well as beliefs that Cox is honest, highly reputable and highly committed to its communities.

The study also reports that the cable industry's average cost is lower than that of satellite providers. Cable customers report spending $58 monthly—down $1 from 2005—while satellite subscribers report spending $61 per month for service—up $3 from a year ago.

Read more about the results in the Cox Communications press release.

A federal appeals court temporarily blocked a trial judge's order that EchoStar Communications Corp., owner of DISH Satellite TV, disable more than 3 million digital video recorders.

The appeals court blocked an injunction that was issued earlier this week by a federal district court judge in Texarkana. The injunction followed a jury decision in April that EchoStar infringed on TiVo's patent for "time-warp" technology, the ability to record a live television program while playing another.

EchoStar was pleased with the delay approved Friday by the federal appeals court in Washington. The company said it was altering its recorders to avoid future claims of patent infringement. A spokeswoman for EchoStar said more than 3 million of the 12 million DISH Network subscribers use an EchoStar recorder that would have been affected by Folsom's ruling.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Comcast have teamed up to bring the ultimate Steelers fan dream to Comcast ON DEMAND. "Steelers 24/7" provides the fanatical Steelers enthusiast with exclusive content to carry them through the upcoming football season. Who more appropriate to represent "Steelers 24/7" than numbers 24 and 7—Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and cornerback Ike Taylor.

With the click of the remote, Steelers fans are taken behind-the-scenes and given under-the-helmet insight on current and former players. "A Day in the Life" looks at players during the off-season with segments featuring Alan Faneca, Joey Porter, Hines Ward, Jeff Reed, Ike Taylor, Brett Keisel and Bryant McFadden.

"The Steelers are pleased to partner with Comcast to bring true Steelers fans On Demand coverage 24/7," said Art Rooney II, President of the Pittsburgh Steelers. "Comcast's extensive customer and distribution network will reach millions of Steelers fans in a wide region and will add even more excitement to football season".

"Word of mouth, combined with Pittsburgh's heavy Comcast On Demand usage is scoring a touchdown for the 'Steelers 24/7' video on demand destination," remarked Doug Sansom, Senior Vice President of Comcast's Three Rivers Region. "Comcast is your place to go for sports — from high school athletics to the pros. You know that you can score with Comcast."

Other programming available on "Steelers 24/7" ON DEMAND includes coverage in its entirety of the Super Bowl Ring Ceremony at Heinz Field, the team's visit to the White House and other Steelers events.

Comcast's digital cable subscribers can access "Steelers 24/7" at no additional cost just by selecting the "Sports and Fitness" folder from the ON DEMAND menu and selecting NFL Network. Programs will be available throughout the course of the 2006-2007 season.

Comcast offers more than 7,000 ON DEMAND programming choices to its customers, with the vast majority available at no additional cost.  Last year, ON DEMAND views reached 1.4 billion, with its usage increasing each month.

Time Warner Cable has upgraded its ability to keep its customers from losing access to their favorite channels. Volicon's award-winning Observer server platform has been selected by Time Warner to provide early and expedient detection of off-air channels. The Observer RPM will monitor over 500 channels at Time Warner Network operations and headend facilities. Serving as an advanced desktop video monitoring solution, Observer RPM systems will provide Time Warner Cable staff with intuitive interfaces and capabilities for comprehensive video and audio quality assurance.

"Time Warner Cable's hundreds of channels pass through more than 27 million U.S. homes, reaching 14.4 million customers in 33 states, so the effects of a channel going off-air can be quite dramatic," said Volicon CTO Gary Learner. "Compromised signals for the most popular channels will be brought to the operator's attention quickly, but it is critical to have a system in place to ensure that each and every channel is on air. Our Observer RPM system allows multichannel cable operators like Time Warner to improve customer satisfaction, and thereby maintain revenue streams, by ensuring the presence and quality of the company's complete broadcast offering."

Time Warner Cable will be using two Observer systems for a total of eight parallel scanners, which are equivalent to eight human operators constantly scanning channels. One of the RPM scanners will be reserved for manual scans, allowing the operator to tune to the suspicious channel and confirm the error report. The Observer uses Volicon's unique video processing technology to give users simultaneous access to multiple channels of live and archived content from their desktops using a Microsoft Internet Explorer®-compatible interface.

Read more about it in the Volicon press release Time Warner Cable to Implement Volicon Observer RPM for Multichannel Media Monitoring.

In an update to my post FCC Removes DSL Network-Sharing Rules, a panel of federal judges recently upheld the ruling that exempted regional telephone companies from sharing portions of their broadband networks with competitors.

The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit denied Earthlink's request for review of a 2003 Federal Communications Commission order that left Verizon, BellSouth, Qwest and the pre-merger SBC Communications free, with respect to fiber-based networks, from requirements in a 1996 federal telecommunications law that generally forced such companies to "unbundle" network elements for access by potential competitors.

During oral arguments in May, a lawyer for EarthLink argued that the FCC had behaved illegally in enacting the exemptions because it hadn't adequately assessed the state of competition in the broadband industry. The judges dismissed those arguments, saying federal law "imposes no particular mode of market analysis or level of geographic rigor."

Chris Putala, EarthLink's executive vice president for public policy, downplayed the impact of the court's decision. He said in an e-mail message to CNETnews.com that the company would "continue negotiating our commercial agreements with the RBOCs (regional Bell operating companies) to include fiber to the home when we have products and services to deliver."

The joint venture formed by Satellite TV giants DIRECTV and EchoStar Communications has pulled out of the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) advanced wireless services license auction. Expected to be one of the highest bidders, they put up more than $972 million for the auction. But earlier this week, they began scaling back on bids and eventually withdrew from the auction completely.

The satellite TV providers were seeking the license in a bid to build a wireless broadband network. Using a technology called WiMax, they could have provided a broadband service offering downloads between 2 Mbps and 4 Mbps. Satellite TV companies like EchoStar and DirecTV are fighting for survival as they face more competition from cable and, more recently, telephone companies. These companies have the ability to offer bundles of services that include high-speed Internet access, telephone and TV service. Satellite TV companies can currently only offer TV service. While EchoStar and DirecTV have separately partnered with phone companies Verizon Communications and AT&T, they are likely to lose these partnerships as more phone companies begin TV services as well.

Read more about the auction in the CNETnews.com article Satellite TV providers exit FCC auction.

According to a recent Philadelphia Inquirer article, the bundling of cable TV with phone and Internet services has helped Comcast pick up new voice customers and increase retention of its existing subscribers.

On average, Comcast's triple-play customers spend about $120 monthly with the company because many buy extra products and services such as digital video recorders and premium channels such as HBO.

Competitors like DirecTV and Verizon are having a difficult time keeping up. Satellite packages often start at about $30 a month, almost eliminating the advantage that existed when cable companies offered only video for $50 and up monthly. While phone companies are slowly starting to offer television, they are years away from making it available to most customers.

According to Merrill Lynch analyst Jessica Reif Cohen, telephone companies are blaming their slower growth on cable competition. She recently told clients that, "AT&T's chief financial officer acknowledged on the company's second-quarter earnings call that the introduction of the triple play by cable operators into AT&T markets was negatively impacting subscriber growth."

Triple play also helps Comcast boost customer loyalty. Comcast has been offering triple play to Boston customers longer than in any other market. The company gained about 1,000 subscribers in the second quarter, where last year it lost 16,000. For most customers, the competitive pricing of triple play and complicated process involved in switching back to their old phone-service provider keeps them with Comcast longer.

Read more about how Comcast is growing with triple play bundles in the Philadelphia Inquirer article Comcast's 'triple play' wins fans on Wall St.

Hughes Network Systems announced that the number of HughesNet™ small business and residential subscribers grew to 300,000 during the second quarter of 2006, representing a 19 percent increase over this time last year.

"Today's consumers want to download songs and movie clips and e-mail pictures to and from family and friends," said Jimmy Schaeffler, chairman and CEO of the Carmel Group. "Not surprisingly, larger percentages of consumers living in areas overlooked by terrestrial broadband providers are migrating to satellite for their broadband needs," said Schaeffler.

During the first half of 2006, the company averaged more than 10,000 new subscribers a month. Significant growth was seen in the high-performance professional and small business service plans that Hughes introduced last fall.

"The new range of high-performance service plans we launched in September 2005 are generating considerable demand and we have seen a significant increase in the uptake of these premium services," said Mike Cook, senior vice president of Hughes. "During the last few months, we have successfully launched HughesNet as our new service brand and introduced enhanced ISP services, thus solidifying our position as the ISP of choice to deliver broadband services to underserved consumers and small businesses across America."

Check out the WhiteFence satellite high-speed Internet service page to see if HughesNet is available in your area.

Comcast is bringing the world's largest professional wrestling library to a living room near you. WWE 24/7 On Demand offers 40 hours of wrestling-related programming each month, including classic matches, behind-the-scenes coverage, wrestler profiles and more.

Beginning this month, Comcast Digital Cable customers can subscribe to WWE 24/7 On Demand for $7.99 per month, giving them instant access to the world's largest wrestling library of more than seventy five thousand hours of programs.

"Comcast's ON DEMAND service has transformed the way people watch television, and WWE 24/7 will do the same for the millions of wrestling fans across the country," said Page Thompson, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Video Services for Comcast. "With anytime access to thousands of great matches and wrestling shows, viewers can relive the rich history of the WWE and enjoy their favorite moments whenever they want."

Read more about this new video-on-demand service in the Comcast Digital Cable press release.

Moving is stressful enough without having to worry about being taken advantage of by a disreputable moving company. The typical moving scam begins when you are offered a much lower estimate than what a legitimate moving company would quote for the same move. But when they arrive at your new home, scammers refuse to unload your belongings unless you pay them a much higher price than you were originally quoted, usually demanding to be paid in cash.

Here are a few of the dead giveaways the American Moving and Storage Association suggests you look for to avoid being scammed:

Beware of prices based on anything but the shipment's weight
Legal interstate moving estimates are based on the weight of your shipment, but scam movers often base charges on the cubic feet your goods take up in the truck, and then adjust them to their advantage. Under law, shipment weight must be determined on a scale certified by a state agency.

Never rely on a price estimate made over the phone or online
Federal rules require a legitimate interstate mover provide a written estimate. While some legitimate movers may offer a survey over the phone, it is a good idea to request that they send a trained, experienced estimator to your home for a more accurate estimate, if possible.

Watch out for required deposits
A legitimate mover generally doesn't require a deposit before moving you except in extraordinary circumstances; however, scam movers frequently require significant deposits even for the simplest moves. If a mover requires you pay a significant deposit before your move to "hold your dates" or to insure "prompt service," you may want to use another mover.

If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is
While honest movers are competitive and their prices differ, they will be within a reasonable range. If a mover comes in with an estimate way below all the others, that should send up a red flag that you should probably avoid them.

Check out Moving 101: How to Choose a Mover for tips on how to find the best professional mover. You can also read more about how to avoid moving scams in the American Moving and Storage Association article Smart Moving: How to Take the Stress Out of Moving.

With more than 6.7 million customers, Cox Communications is the third-largest provider in the nation. A full-service provider of telecommunications products, Cox offers an array of services, including Cox Digital Cable, Cox Digital Telephone and Cox High Speed Internet. In addition to getting all these products separately, consumers can now get three-product bundled packages in Oklahoma City through WhiteFence.

DIRECTV has been ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Satellite/Cable TV Subscribers" in the 13-state Eastern region of the United States, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Residential Cable/Satellite TV Customer Satisfaction Study(SM). DIRECTV has received this honor three previous times in J.D. Power national customer satisfaction studies, and earlier this year received the highest score for customer satisfaction among satellite and cable TV companies rated by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).

In a change in format for this year's study, J.D. Power and Associates is recognizing the highest-ranked companies in each of four regions in the United States - East, South, North/Central and West - rather than naming a single company as the #1 Cable/Satellite provider in the nation. The East region is comprised of 13 states, including the six New England states and New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia and Virginia.

To read more about the study, you can go to this DIRECTV press release.

Verizon has been in the news a lot lately. The company announced this week that it is planning a DVR that allows its customers to watch programs recorded on mutliple TVs in any room in the house. Made by Motorola, Verizon's Home Media DVR allows customers to record programs on up to three televisions at once.  It also lets users watch one program while recording another.

Similar to TiVo's broadband services, the DVR includes software that allows Verizon customers to access collections of pictures and music stored on networked computers. The company said that the system doesn't currently support copy-protected, but would in the future.

The DVRs will be available with Verizon's new fiber-optic TV service, called Fios, that reaches directly to the side of a customer's home, bringing customers nearly limitless bandwidth capacity. As I posted about yesterday, Verizon's Fios TV service was created to draw in new customers and help the company compete with cable operators, which have added telephone service to their bundle of TV and broadband services.

"We've deployed the best platform in the industry, from the core of our fiber-to-the-premises network right through the home to every device on the network. Now we're adding cool new features that capitalize on the speed and interactivity that the FiOS platform makes possible," said Marilyn O'Connell, Verizon's video vice president.

Verizon's FiOS service is now offered in parts of seven states, according to the company: California, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Virginia and Texas. Verizon says the service also benefits cable subscribers, as rates for cable service have been shown to drop when FiOS enters the market.

Bright House Networks has acquired naming rights to the University of Central Florida's new football stadium slated to open next year.

UCF has begun construction on "Bright House Stadium," which is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2007 home opener against the University of Texas. According to the agreement, UCF will receive $15 million over 15 years for naming rights to the Golden Knights' stadium.

"This generous support from our friends at Bright House Networks will help us build a first-class stadium on our campus that will attract the best student-athletes and provide an exciting college football experience for students, alumni and other fans," UCF President John Hitt said.

"We are excited about announcing this new partnership between Bright House Networks and UCF because it demonstrates our commitment to the community, as well as to this university, which has  played such a pivotal role in Central Florida's growth," said J. Christian Fenger, president of Bright House Networks Central Florida Division. "As an on-campus sports venue, we believe Bright House Networks Stadium will become an important facility in this community and a symbol of our support for UCF's leadership as one of the largest and most successful state universities in the country."

A new AdAge.com article is speculating that Comcast is gearing up to raise it's online profile. Writer Abbey Klaassen reports:

"The cable operator has bulked up its online-sales team and plans to open its Comcast.net portal to all its customers—increasing the potential audience from its 10 million high-speed-data subscribers to its 23 million video subscribers. And that's just for starters.

According to TV network executives familiar with Comcast's plans through content-carriage negotiations, the cable operator has Yahoo-size ambitions and sees the Internet as key to raising its profile, and share of ad budgets."

The article also includes interesting statistics on Comcast's current online presence. Comcast.com currently gets 1.5 billion page views per month and it's the number three in terms of repeat business, making it the most-used broadband portal in the United States. Of the company's broadband customers, about 70 percent use the Comcast.net portal and have Comcast.net e-mail address. In addition, the company's broadband player, The Fan, tracks at more than 60 million views a month from its viewer base of 10 million high-speed customers.

Read more about Comcast's future online in the full article Comcast's Online Goal? Become Another Yahoo. 

According to a new press release by Cox Communications, satellite customers are switching  from their current service to Cox triple-play bundles in record numbers. The company states that among new connections, the percentage of basic cable customers who are former satellite customers has nearly doubled in two years.

"In 2004, 6 percent of our basic connects were former satellite customers; in 2006, we've driven that number to 11 percent," said Esser. "The convenience and value of buying video, telephone and Internet services from one provider and our superior customer care experience are bringing more and more DBS customers to Cox."

Cox's success in attracting satellite customers helped the company gain approximately 84,000 basic cable customers since July 2005. Advanced video services such as cable-only On DEMAND, high-definition and DVR also contributed to new customer acquisitions and a reduction in churn, Esser commented.

"Former satellite customers are great cable customers; over 40 percent buy the full three-product bundle," Esser said. "We're retaining and winning back the best video customers in the marketplace with bundled services that are individually compelling and a good value. In markets where we've offered the three-product bundle the longest, more than 70% of our customers choose two or more services and approximately 40 percent take all three—video, Internet and telephone."

Cox is touts itself as America's leading bundler, noting the company's nearly 10 years of experience in offering video, telephone and Internet services and the fact that its bundled customers are 41 percent less likely to leave for another provider.  "Today, Cox is better at bundling than anyone else in the business," Esser said. "This is proven by the customers we're winning away from both DBS and telephone company competitors and by our customer satisfaction which continues to increase."

Over the last four years, Cox has topped nine national and regional J.D. Power and Associates' studies of customer satisfaction, including highest honors in residential telephone and high-speed Internet, and commercial data.

Cox also remains the nation's leading provider of cable telephony with more than 1.8 million residential subscribers. Cox has the highest telephony market penetration to basic subscribers of any cable company, at nearly 35 percent. "Cox's early entrance into the telephone business is key to the company's ongoing success," said Esser. "Today, 70 percent of our telephone customers subscribe to our triple play."

At the close of the second quarter, Cox had more than 3.2 million bundled customers, 5.4 million basic video subscribers, and 3.1 million high-speed Internet customers.

Alltel Wireless recently announced an agreement with XM Satellite Radio that will make Alltel customers the first in the United States to have access XM Satellite Radio programming via their wireless phones. The application was developed by MobiTV, the global leader in television and digital radio services for cellular, Wi-Fi and broadband enabled devices.

Alltel Wireless customers will receive audio streams of 20 popular commercial-free XM music channels and be able to select channels by genre. XM will deliver data to make it possible to view the song title, artist and album while listening on a variety of compatible handsets. Alltel Wireless customers can gain unlimited access to select XM radio channels on the XM Radio Mobile service for $7.99 a month.

"Consumers are increasingly eager to access great, commercial-free music on their mobile phones," said Adam Reyer, senior vice president of Business Development for XM Satellite Radio. "XM Satellite Radio will launch its new mobile service to Alltel customers, providing them with access to an assortment of XM's acclaimed music programming on their mobile phones virtually anywhere they go."

One of SIRIUS' radio manufacturers has resumed manufacturing and distribution of SIRIUS branded radios with FM transmitters. Radio manufacturer, Kiryung Electronics Co. Ltd. (KRI), received new grants of authority from the FCC for the Xact Visor, SIRIUS One and Sportster Replay radios. The grants were issued after the FCC's laboratory confirmed that the devices were compliant with applicable FCC rules. KRI also continues to manufacture the SIRIUS Sportster 4.

This announcement comes shortly after SIRIUS' halting of production of some FM radios, which you can read about in this earlier blog post.

BellSouth last week announced the launch of Virtual BellSouth® Metro Ethernet Service, the latest edition to what is the broadest Metro Ethernet portfolio available among U.S. service providers.

Metro Ethernet is the telecommunications industry designation for Ethernet transport services that moves data traffice between two or more customer Ethernet Local Area Networks (LANs). Virtual BellSouth Metro Ethernet Service provides four classes of service, committed information rate and service level agreements and can link locations using multipoint-to-multipoint, point-to- multipoint or point-to-point architecture.

"The latest enhancement to BellSouth® Metro Ethernet Service takes the product portfolio to the next level," said Martin Chandler, vice president, product management - Business Markets, BellSouth. "BellSouth now offers the diversity of speed and premium features to support the entire range of data, video and voice over IP applications over Ethernet."

Early adopters of the service may include companies from finance, health care, manufacturing, education and local government segments that require guaranteed throughput, comprehensive service level agreements and high-speed, cost effective Ethernet service to support multiple applications.

The New York Times technology writer Ken Belson recently wrote an interesting article about what Verizon is doing with its fiber-optic network in New York City. Part of an extensive project to replace Verizon's older copper network with the more durable fiber lines, the company will spend about $20 million by the end of 2010 to reach millions of homes from Florida to California. However, New York is their primary focus because residents there are the biggest buyers of video, Internet and phone services. Verizon plans to spend about $3 billion dollars to reach that market of customers.

Ken writes, "With such a high concentration of potential customers, competition is fierce—and Verizon has been losing ground. Time Warner Cable, Cablevision and others are stealing about 1,000 Verizon phone customers a day, and their discounted services are making it hard for Verizon to win them back—another reason to get the fiber network up quickly."

The article goes into detail about the hurdles Verizon faces during the project and what it could mean to New York City residents in the future.  You can read more about the project in the full article Verizon Is Rewiring New York, Block by Block, in a Race for Survival.

Verizon recently launched the beta version of PlayLinc, their free online service that will allow users to play games over a local area network. The service works with AOL's Open AIM Program, enabling players to message each other or voice chat. PlayLinc is available to download for free and will be supported by ad revenue, with games available for purchase planned sometime in the future.

Optimized for Verizon's fiber-optic broadband network, the service runs fastest for players who are Verizon subscribers. The company plans to promote it's fiber-optic network, mobile phones and regular phone service on the site. Originally created by a partnership between the software firm Super Computer International and AOL, the PlayLinc client became a Verizon project after the company acquired stake in Super Computer International this past May.

Check out the PlayLinc site for more information.

In a bid to take on download-giant iTunes, FOX plans to make its movie and television shows available for download. Coming in October, several releases will be available through FOX's Direct2Drive service, including "X-Men: The Last Stand" and "Thank You for Smoking," for around $20 a download. Direct2Drive will also make available FOX's "24" and "Prison Break," and FX's "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" for $1.99 an episode.

The service will use a platform that is currently used to sell video games and allow playback and transfer to devices running Microsoft's Windows Media Player technology. Copyright protection will limit playback to two Windows computers, each supporting one portable device. Over the next year, video sales will come to other Fox sites as well, including MySpace.com.

I posted last month about a Yankee Group research study that showed tremendous growth in voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calling. I recently found a new report by Light Reading's Cable Industry Insider that showed similar results. The report, Cable VoIP: Prospects for Sustainable Growth, found that in 2005 alone, North American cable operators signed up approximately 2.2 million VoIP customers, climbing from 500,000 subscribers at the end of 2004 to more than 2.7 million.

The report also speculates that cable operators, led by Cablevision, Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable in the United States, are increasingly taking control of the VoIP market as a result of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 that freed phone and cable companies to compete against each other for voice customers.

For more on this trend, check out Lightreading's Cable Industry Insider.

Time Warner Cable and the Los Angeles Dodgers announced a new channel for Southern California: Dodgers On Demand. Effective immediately and only available on Time Warner Cable's digital line-up, Dodgers On Demand will house a library of Los Angeles Dodger television content. The channel is the first new On Demand Channel launched by Time Warner Cable since the company became the largest cable provider in the Los Angeles market.

"This partnership with the Los Angeles Dodgers is an exciting opportunity for Time Warner Cable to show its commitment to serving the Los Angeles market," said Jeffrey Hirsch, president of Time Warner Cable. "With channels such as Dodgers On Demand, Time Warner Cable will become synonymous with quality entertainment."

To access the new channel, Dodger fans in the Los Angeles market can tune into Time Warner Cable Channel Number One and navigate to the specific Dodgers On Demand section.

The Chicago Tribune reported recently that AT&T was the first company in Indiana to file a statewide application with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission that would allow it to provide new television services to some of its customers. The application would allow AT&T to offer its U-Verse service, which provides many of the same benefits as digital cable or satellite television, and put the company in direct competition with satellite TV and cable companies.

AT&T Indiana President George Fleetwood and other proponents said the new options would spur competition and drive down the cost of cable services. The company cited a major telecommunication deregulation law enacted by the General Assembly earlier this year as a reason for investing $250 million over the next three years to bring new video and broadband services to Indiana. The law allows companies to provide cable-like TV services without seeking approval from individual cities and towns.

Read more about this new development in the Chicago Tribune article AT&T takes step toward offering video services.

Time Warner Cable recently announced the launch of PhotoShowTV free-of-charge to its digital cable and Road Runner high-speed Internet subscribers.

Developed by Simple Star, PhotoShowTV allows users to create and publicly share PhotoShows, made from personal photos and video clips, directly on cable TV. Time Warner subscribers can also post PhotoShows to video-on-demand service for public viewing. The new service is currently being beta tested in the company's Hawaii market.

"By converging our digital cable and high-speed online service, this new feature brings sharing the family photo album to a whole new level and gives users the opportunity to put their favorite photos and video clips on TV," said Bob Benya, Time Warner senior vice president of on-demand product management.

Learn more about this new service at SimpleStar's PhotoShowTV site.

Verizon Business recently announced it has signed a contract to help modernize and upgrade the telecommunications infrastructure on U.S. Army posts, camps and stations worldwide over the next decade.

"We are supporting Army communications from the installation level all the way up to the front lines," said Paul Bates, vice president for global professional services and enterprise solutions for Verizon Business. "This effort is intended to increase network capabilities and boost bandwidth around the world. As the Army moves to EoIP—or Everything over IP—Verizon Business will provide the latest technology to help the government increase networking capabilities while maintaining affordability.''

The Internet protocol (IP) services will provide network efficiencies while increasing the speed of the flow of information—including voice and data—from the front lines. In addition, the Army will have increased flexibility to turn up communications quickly.

As a leading communications provider to the U.S. Department of Defense, Verizon Business has a long history of providing secure and reliable mission-critical networks to the federal government. For more information about Verizon FNS, visit www.verizon.com/fns.

I guess all the gearing up I've been doing for the new NFL season has me focusing on sports, so I am also going update on the Time Warner/NFL Network dispute I posted about last week. According to several news reports, Time Warner Cable has threatened to go to court to overturn a decision forcing the cable company to reinstate the NFL Network on some of its systems.

"Given the extraordinary nature of the injunction and the immediate harm it will cause if not lifted immediately, Time Warner will have no choice but to obtain judicial relief to protect its interest and those of its customers, if the bureau or the commission has not acted by 10 a.m. eastern time on Monday," the company said in its Aug. 3 appeal to the FCC.

Time Warner argued that the FCC acted without giving it a chance to respond, the agency exceeded its authority by requiring the channel be restored and that the order "inflicts severe, immediate and irreparable harm" on Time Warner Cable and its customers.

The FCC's Media Bureau rejected Time Warner's requests to stay its decision, reconsider it and refer the matter to the five FCC commissioners for a ruling. "The Commission's obligation is first and foremost to the consumer—not to the private interests of Time Warner or NFL Network—and because of this we again find continued carriage to be in the public interest," said FCC spokeswoman Rebecca Fisher. The agency also noted that approximately 30,000 complaints had already been registered with the two companies.

Time Warner Cable has said the NFL Network wants a 350 percent increase over the rate Adelphia was paying, or approximately $100 million. A spokesman for the channel disputed that rate and said the fight was about whether it would be relegated to a sports package or available more broadly. "No other provider in the country carries us on a sports tier and we refuse to have Time Warner do so," said NFL Network spokesman Seth Palansky. "We have not had any subsequent conversations but would hope that we can soon."

About one-third of the subscribers Time Warner acquired had received the NFL Network, but the majority saw it by paying for a digital or sports package instead of through a basic cable package, according to the company.

In other sports-related news, XM Satellite Radio recently announced the launch of "XM Sports Nation," (XMSN) a dedicated 24-hour sports news and talk channel. The programming lineup for XMSN (XM channel 143) will incorporate existing XM-produced series, including shows hosted by Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Cal Ripken, Jr., Coach Mike Krzyzewski, James Carville and Luke Russert. To complement XM's original sports programming, XM Sports Nation will feature popular content from Sporting News Radio, including shows from Tim Brando, Tony Bruno and Troy Aikman, among others. The channel will debut on XM's programming lineup August 28.

Read more about this new channel in the XM Satellite Radio press release.

According to the Business Journal of Phoenix, Cox Business Services, a part of Cox Communications, recently announced they signed a deal to provide high-speed Internet, local and long distance digital phone service, and digital cable television at the new Arizona Cardinals stadium.

Scheduled for its first game Saturday, the stadium will have a 100-megabyte Internet connection throughout the entire facility with the capacity for Cox to increase bandwidth for events such as the Super Bowl, which will take place there in 2008. Nearly 1,000 phone lines also are available to the stadium's business offices and for public use. In addition, flat-screen television monitors in the stadium's luxury suites can be linked to digital cable or a closed-circuit option for viewing events commercial free.

If you are here on the blog, you've obviously heard about us, but there are still several people out there who have not found this resource. WhiteFence recently published a press release announcing the Home Services Guide. See below for an excerpt:

WhiteFence Launches the Home Services Guide to Educate Consumers on the World of Home Essential Services
Houston, TX (PRWEB) August 7, 2006 -- Today, WhiteFence, a leading one-stop comparison shopping marketplace for essential home services, officially launched its Home Services Guide, a consumer-centric blog (http://www.whitefence.typepad.com) that will focus on news and updates of essential home services available for sale through WhiteFence. Because the guide has multiple contributors that collectively have more than 50 years experience in the industry, the posts will contain useful insight into service providers across the nation.

To view the full press release, you can read go to the WhiteFence news center.

Buckeye CableSystem was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Toledo, Ohio. Consumers can now get BuckEye services through WhiteFence in BuckEye's northwest Ohio territory which consists of Toledo and Erie County. Buckeye CableSystem's new residential phone service features an expanded local calling area and various calling features.

According to a new Consumer Reports survey, consumers paid as much as $7.8 billion over the last two years to repair or replace computers infected with viruses and spyware. While the figure is down from a similar survey a year ago, the new survey shows that people are still paying a high price to deal with those problems.

The magazine found that spam e-mail is the biggest computer-security problem. However, viruses are the most expensive, with a price tag of $5.2 billion in 2004 and 2005 to repair or replace infected computers. Consumers also reported losing $630 million in 2004 and 2005 to phishing scams, the fake e-mails and Web pages that ask for private information such as account numbers and passwords.

Read more about the survey in the article Viruses, Spyware Cost Users $7.8 Billion or check your newsstand for the Consumer Reports issue in September.

RCN Local Phone, Digital Cable, and High Speed Internet are now available through WhiteFence in New York.  RCN, which was founded in 1997 and is based in Herndon, Virginia, has more than one million customer connections throughout its metropolitan markets. In addition to New York, consumers can get RCN services through WhiteFence in Chicago, Philadelphia, Lehigh Valley, Boston, Washington, D.C., Maryland and San Francisco.

The popularity of Verizon's groundbreaking, ultra-fast, all-fiber-optic FiOS Internet service continues to climb. Data just released for the second quarter of 2006 shows that FiOS Internet customers made up more than 25 percent of the 440,000 net new wireline broadband sales for Verizon. On average, Verizon has won 12 percent of potential FiOS Internet customers within just nine months of entering a new market with its fiber-optic network. Verizon reported that 375,000 customers now use its FiOS Internet service to connect to the Internet or other data networks at speeds of up to 50 Mbps, 10 times faster than typical cable offers. The second-quarter report notes that Verizon gained 111,000 FiOS Internet customers in the second quarter alone. The company's new fiber-optic network now extends to 4.5 million homes and small businesses in 16 states as the company continues an unequalled construction project to expand the service. More than 3 million homes are now "open for sale" for FiOS Internet.

WhiteFence, with its unique transaction engine and user-friendly design, is a leading resource for consumers during this Moving Season. See below for an excerpt of our press release about the benefits of WhiteFence.

  WhiteFence is Uniquely Positioned to Aid the More Than 20 Million Households Moving in the United States Annually
Houston, TX (PRWEB) August 2, 2006 -- Based on statistics from the U.S. Postal Service, more than 20 million households in the United States move annually. A majority of these people move during the summer months, often called the Moving Season, which makes a service like WhiteFence necessary to America's on-the-move population. With more than 14 percent of the U.S. population moving each year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, WhiteFence makes it easy for them to find the best deals and conveniently connect their home essential services in minutes.

To read the complete press release, you can go to WhiteFence news center.

CN8, The Comcast Network received 40 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award nominations in Philadelphia earlier this month, earning the most for any cable network and the second highest for any network in the Mid-Atlantic region. CN8 and its founder, Comcast Cable Eastern Division president Michael Doyle, and Jon Gorchow, vice president and general manager, were also recognized with a "Station Excellence" honor for excellence in overall station operations. The awards nominations come as CN8 prepares to celebrate its 10th anniversary with expansion to more than two million additional viewers, a new studio location in the nation's capital, and a new programming lineup set to launch in September.

CN8, owned and operated by Comcast Cable Communications Inc., is the nation's largest regional 24-hour cable network, producing live interactive issues-oriented, political, sports and entertainment programming. Over the past decade, CN8 has expanded to reach almost nine million homes throughout the Northeast, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Maine. By the end of 2006, CN8 will launch in Washington, D.C., and parts of North Carolina, West Virginia, Vermont, and Rhode Island.

According to USA Today, ESPN's bid to bring its pay-for-access model from cable TV to the Internet is turning out to be a hard sell to many ISPs.

The network's new ESPN360 website, which includes live sportscasts, on-demand video, ESPN TV shows and interactive games, is only available to the customers of Internet service providers that buy the right to offer ESPN360. Unlike other outlets that offer programming content at a charge or even free to prospective viewers, ESPN instead relies on partnerships with Verizon and other telecommunications providers.

But not all ISPs are ready to enter the game. David Grabert, a spokesman for Cox Communications, said the cable company does not plan to work with ESPN360. "There's a significant cost and expense that would be passed on to our customers," he said. AT&T also is not offering access to the website and declined to comment on whether they would offer it in the future.

The AT&T Foundation, the philanthropic arm of AT&T Inc., recently announced a $1 million grant to the Community Technology Centers' Network (CTCNet) to provide new technology resources for people with all types of disabilities, including learning disabilities. In collaboration with the Alliance for Technology Access (ATA), CTCNet will upgrade technology services and equipment to benefit people with disabilities at community technology centers nationwide.

As part of the three-year $100 million AT&T AccessAll initiative to provide technology access to underserved communities, the AT&T Foundation grant will fund training for community technology center staff on universal design and assistive technology to create stronger community learning environments that can accommodate multiple learning styles and abilities. Additionally, the grant will fund the purchase of assistive technology devices, which help users build skills and use technology to overcome challenges. CTCNet will make AT&T grant funds available to regional centers though a competitive application process.

The grant to CTCNet is part of the AT&T AccessAll signature philanthropic initiative, a landmark three-year $100 million program that connects families and communities with technology tools that can improve lives. The program builds on the AT&T Foundation's existing investment in technology for the underserved, which totals nearly $83 million.

Read more about this initiative in the AT&T press release.

New consumer research from Leichtman Research Group, Inc. (LRG) found that the number of Digital Video Recorder (DVR) and Video-on-Demand (VOD) users have significantly increased in recent years. Sixty percent of all digital cable subscribers have used VOD, which is up from 25 percent two years ago, and about 12 percent of households in the United States now have a DVR, which is up from 3 percent just two years ago.

However, the overall impact of DVRs and VOD on U.S. television viewing remains small. LRG estimates that less than 4 percent of all TV viewing in the U.S. today is of recorded DVR programs or on-Demand viewing – up from about 2 percent a year ago.

These findings are based on a survey of 1,350 households throughout the United States, and are part of LRG's study,  On-Demand TV 2006: A Nationwide Study on VOD and DVRs. This is LRG's fifth annual study of this topic.

According to The New York Times, cable and satellite television giants are planning to get into mobile phone and wireless data services. The newspaper reported that Time Warner, Comcast, Cox Communications, EchoStar Communications and DirecTV will be among the 168 bidders in the government's multibillion-dollar auction of radio spectrum. It appears that these companies are preparing to go head-to-head with AT&T, Verizon Communications and other companies that sell traditional phone lines, broadband connections and wireless services, and are now focusing on television as well.

An alliance that includes DirecTV and EchoStar put in the largest deposit for the bidding, more than $972 million. Another alliance, led by Comcast, Cox, Time Warner Cable and others, put down $638 million. T-Mobile, Cingular Wireless and Verizon Wireless have made separate deposits.

Cellphone companies are expected to counter the cable and satellite companies by adding to their stores of spectrum, particularly in cities where their networks get the most use. They may also bid up the price of some of the 1,122 licenses on sale to make it more expensive for their rivals to gain a foothold in an already intensely competitive market, said analysts who spoke to the newspaper.

Learn more about this issue in The New York Times article Cable and Satellite TV Set Their Sights on Airwaves.

The Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime, the first and only international treaty designed exclusively to combat computer crime, won approval last week from the U.S. Senate. The treaty was created to streamline computer crime laws globally, especially those in smaller or less developed nations that may not have updated their legal framework to reflect the complexities of the Internet. The treaty requires participating countries to target broad list of activities, including unauthorized intrusions into networks, fraud, the release of worms and viruses, child pornography and copyright infringement.

The Council consists of 45 member states, including all of the European Union, and five nonvoting members, of which the United States is one. Negotiations on the treaty began in 1997, and so far, 15 European nations, including Albania, Denmark, France, Norway and Ukraine, have fully ratified the final document.

Read more about the treaty in the article Senate ratifies controversial cybercrime treaty.

Hospitals across the country are providing patients with amenities they are  more used to experiencing in five-star hotels through interactive television,  high-speed Internet and other perks. LodgeNet Entertainment Corp., known for providing the services to major hotel chains, has installed interactive TV  systems in 10 hospitals across the country and plans to add the service to many  more in the future. Patients can use the systems to order movies, request extra  food or blankets, and even watch educational programming that is specific to a  their condition and treatment.

In addition to interactive TV, hospitals like Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano in Plano, Texas, plan to offer other hotel-like perks, including room service from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Baylor currently offers wireless Internet access for laptop users and a "business center" on each floor, equipped with personal computers so that visitors can have access to the Internet and e-mail.

Read more about this new trend here.

SIRIUS Satellite Radio announced last week that it expects to debut a new "personal live satellite radio product" later this month. Their current handheld product does not let users listen to satellite radio if the device is not connected to a computer. "Our personal live satellite radio product, Stiletto, is great," said Mel Karamazin, chief executive officer of SIRIUS. "We have been beta testing it for a few weeks and we will have it available to consumers by the end of the summer."

As an increasing number of consumers become interested in bundles, communication providers are striving to pride consumers what they want and need. Comcast provides a wide variety of bundles so you can get exactly what you want on your terms. Founded in 1963, Comcast is one of the world's leading communication companies. Currently, Comcast bundles are available through WhiteFence in Atlanta, Montgomery, Philadelphia/Central Pennsylvania and Seattle.

Sprint Nextel announced an expansion of its relationship with Time Warner Cable, the second-largest cable operator in the United States. They have been selected to help provision Time Warner Cable's digital phone service in an additional 14 service areas. Time Warner Cable will utilize Sprint Nextel's IP network to offer VoIP-based telephone service across most the 28 million homes it currently services.

Sprint Nextel currently serves cable companies with a total of more than 1.2 million VoIP subscribers across more than 1,100 rate centers. Over a one-year period, Sprint Nextel is expected to provide cable telephony wireline services to cable companies serving over 2.5 million subscribers. The new five year agreement marks Sprint Nextel's continued expansion into the cable market.

"Sprint Nextel has proven to be an excellent partner and we look forward to expanding our relationship with them," said Glenn Britt, president and chief executive officer of Time Warner Cable. "Time Warner Cable now serves 1.6 million Digital Phone customers, and telephone has become one of the fastest growing segments of our video, high-speed data and voice bundle."

As part of the agreement, Sprint Nextel will carry long-distance traffic for Time Warner Cable residential customers and provide 911 services, relay systems and operator services. Digital phone calls begin on the Time Warner Cable network and travel to its regional data centers. Calls are completed over the Sprint Nextel nationwide network. From the customer's perspective, their inbound and outbound calls will continue to be seamless.

Read more about this new agreement in Sprint Nextel's press release.

According to a new study released by iSuppli, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) is expected to attract 63 million subscribers by 2010—a more than 26-fold increase over last year. The largest jump in numbers is expected to come next year when subscriptions will hit 15 million, tripling 2006 totals.

Expected to differ from traditional TV network programming on several fronts, IPTV can offer interactivity, integration across multiple platforms and enhanced services. Interactive functions could include e-commerce, communication and electronic voting. Proponents of the technology envision some of the enhanced services to include on-demand gaming, music and home networking management.

Read more about iSuppli's study here.

The Federal Communications Commission believes that if broadband over power lines (BPL) takes off, more Americans in rural and underserved areas will be able to take advantage of high-speed Internet access, in addition to forcing companies who currently dominate the cable and DSL market to lower their prices to compete for consumer business.

The FCC unanimously adopted an order designed to reaffirm and build on a set of rules issued for the technology in 2004, which had drawn a number of reservations from both inside and outside the industry. The original guidelines focused on preventing the nascent Internet service from causing harmful interference with radio signals that rely on nearby frequencies, such as those commonly used in aviation and in zones near U.S. Coast Guard and radio astronomy stations.

Though interest in Internet access over the electrical grid began years ago, only about 50 such systems currently exist in the United States, and the vast majority remain in the developmental or experimental phase. That's in part because of resistance from amateur radio operators, who complain that BPL could disrupt their systems and those of public safety organizations if deployed without limits.

The push for commercializing the technology appears to be growing, however, with two companies announcing late last year that they plan to offer BPL to 2 million homes and businesses in northern Texas in the near future, and California regulators this spring gave the go-ahead to test the service in that state.

To learn more about broadband over power lines, check out the CNET news article FCC pushes for broadband over power lines.

BellSouth has launched two Web sites to provide consumers with innovative ways to relate new technologies to their everyday lives. BellSouth Home of the Future Today (www.bellsouth.com/homeofthefuture) and BellSouth Gear(TM) Store (www.bellsouth.com/gearstore) will incorporate interactive features to engage visitors and educate them about new and upcoming products.

BellSouth Home of the Future Today allows visitors to virtually tour a home that is fully-equipped with high-speed Internet service, home networking, broadband and wireless applications, as well as digital satellite television service through DIRECTV. Visitors can tour various rooms of the house, including the living room, kitchen and home and remote offices, where the featured products and services are most used.

BellSouth Gear(TM) Store helps consumers match their lifestyles with an array of available products and services from BellSouth, like cordless telephones, consumer electronics, broadband service and home networking.

"Many consumers who shop online are looking for some help with their technology purchase decisions," said Randy Roberts, vice president of wireless and consumer devices for BellSouth. "BellSouth Home of the Future Today and BellSouth Gear(TM) Store offer unique ways for consumers to explore and weigh the benefits of various BellSouth products as well as apply the usefulness of those products to their individual lifestyles."

Comcast officials announced that it will be taking over Time Warner's role in the cable market in Houston, Texas, early next year. Time Warner Cable will switch to covering cable systems serving Kansas City, Southwest Texas and New Mexico. With the receipt of the Houston cable systems, Comcast will gain subscribers in one of the fastest-growing markets in the United States. The swap is a result of Adelphia Communications' recent sale to Time Warner Cable and Comcast.

According to a new report from market research firm IDC, Cox Communications is the best-positioned provider of the full triple-play of video, Internet and phone services with more than 50 percent of Cox customers choosing to bundle two or more services. Cox pioneered the three-product bundle in 1997 and remains the nation's leading bundler with more than 1.1 million three-product bundled customers today.

"In the last decade, Cox has successfully evolved from a single-service cable television company into a multi-service broadband communications provider," said David Pugliese, Cox's vice president of product marketing and management. "In doing so, we amassed 10 years of proven experience that is successfully differentiating us from others in the marketplace today. Our bundled customers count on Cox to deliver all of their communications solutions every day, backed by convenient billing and superior customer care."

The IDC study examines penetration rates, product and service breadth, technology choices, partnerships and scale of the top 10 U.S. service providers in the field of bundled service delivery. The study is part of an ongoing ranking program of U.S. communications service providers published on a quarterly basis.

"The attractive price and convenience of a triple-play bundle greatly influence consumers' decisions to bundle their video, Internet and phone services with one provider," said Matt Davis, director of IDC's Consumer Multiplay Services. "Cox has a long history of providing video, Internet and phone services and has proven to be well-received in the marketplace."

Google Inc. announced that it has reached an agreement with XM Satellite Radio, the nation's leading satellite radio service with more than seven million subscribers, to introduce and make available commercial advertising inventory on XM's non-music channels to Google's extensive advertising base through its dMarc media network. Google advertisers will be able to reach XM's millions of subscribers nationwide and XM will have access to Google's large and small advertisers to offer relevant, targeted messages to their subscribers.

"This partnership with XM Satellite Radio will provide a powerful marketing and distribution tool for Google advertisers," said Ryan Steelberg, Google's head of radio operations. "By providing access to XM's premier satellite audience, Google advertisers will have an easy way to target, schedule, deliver and measure satellite radio campaigns in a timely and efficient manner."

To learn more, check out the Google press release.

The Federal Communications Commission has ordered Time Warner Cable to reinstate the NFL Network on systems the company acquired from Adelphia Communications Inc.

The emergency order to reinstate the network on a temporary basis was issued after NFL Enterprises complained the network was booted without giving subscribers the required 30-day notice. The cable network is scheduled to show 54 NFL preseason games and eight NFL regular-season primetime games this season.

According to the FCC records, Time Warner picked up more than 3 million subscribers from Adelphia in western New York, Ohio, Texas, southern California, Maine, North Carolina and South Carolina. The cable company, which does not have a corporate deal with NFL Network, placed ads in newspapers in several of those Adelphia markets last week, alerting subscribers that NFL Network could be one of several networks either added or dropped with the ownership change.

In response, NFL network is preparing a multimillion-dollar ad campaign to run throughout the pro football season if necessary against Time Warner Cable, Cablevision Systems, Bright House Networks and other cable operators that are not carrying the 41 million-subscriber channel.

According to a new survey, a majority of consumers polled (57 percent) continue to be interested in bundling all telecommunications services under a single provider.

"The trend is clear. Consumers like the idea of one company delivering all of their entertainment, information and communications services—and they're seeing their cable companies as the source," said Char Beales, President and CEO of the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing. "They realize that by bundling video, phone and Internet products, they can eliminate the inconvenience of dealing with multiple providers and reduce costs."

Cable customers are considerably more interested in getting phone service from their cable company than from other, non-cable VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service providers. Nearly one-third of digital (29 percent) and premium cable customers (32 percent) are interested in leaving their current telephone service provider to receive phone service from their cable company. In addition, basic cable subscribers (23 pecent) are more interested in phone service from their cable company than from non-cable VoIP providers (11 percent).

The study also shows a growing interest in receiving additional services from local cable companies, such as high-speed Internet, and local, long distance and mobile phone services, when compared to 2004 data.

AT&T recenctly announced that the AT&T Blue Room will give fans unprecedented front-row access to the Lollapalooza festival through daily, live webcasts of big-name performances, a 24-hour streaming radio station featuring interviews and shows by past and present Lollapalooza artists and on-site promotional opportunities for concert attendees.

The AT&T Blue Room is AT&T's online portal featuring exclusive musical content—such as in-studio interviews, live performances and unedited commentary by chart-topping artists—and is one of the fastest-growing live webcast sites in the industry.

On Aug. 4 through 6, 2006, the AT&T Blue Room will feature exclusive performances from some of the more than 130 bands taking part in this year's Lollapalooza music festival. Webcasts will run from 12:30 to 10 p.m. CDT each day. Following the event, much of the content will be archived on the Blue Room allowing fans to relive the festival experience.

Check out the AT&T Blue room at http://blueroom.att.com.

Alltel Wireless, America's largest network, announced today that the innovative Fastap™ keypad, created by Digit Wireless, is now available exclusively for its customers on the LG AX490 phone. Available beginning Aug. 3, the LG AX490 is the only phone in the United States to feature this cutting-edge technology.

The Fastap keypad allows for dual levels of functionality by integrating the traditional 12-number keypad with raised buttons for each letter of the alphabet. The keyboard simplifies virtually every phone function and provides easier and faster access to mobile phone-based applications including text messaging, instant messaging, picture and Web browsing.

Fastap meets the growing needs of Alltel Wireless' customers by providing a groundbreaking technology that allows for quicker and easier data entry and retrieval, while keeping with the traditional phone design. For example, customers who download Alltel's Axcess Instant Messaging application to their LG AX490 now have an affordable, easy, seamless and always-on mobile messaging experience.

Read more about this new phone in Alltel's press release.

We posted about the AOL rumors last month, and now AOL has officially announced that its software and e-mail as well as various other products will be made available for free to broadband users.  The new strategy is aimed at increasing the audience for AOL's portal which can be turned into lucrative internet advertising and speeding the transition away from AOL's declining traditional dial-up business.

Among the AOL products that will be available for free to anyone with an Internet connection are: AOL's integrated software; communications features, including AOL e-mail, instant messaging, a local phone number with unlimited incoming calls; and safety and security features, such as parental controls. To encourage former members to return to using the AOL software, e-mail, instant messaging and other AOL products, they will be able to reactivate their screen names, if given up within the last two years.

Previously, AOL customers lost their aol.com email address when they switched to high-speed internet connections, meaning these customers were flocking to rivals Yahoo, MSN and Google who already offered free email services. AOL said it would also step up its search engine capabilities and add to social networking options available to customers.

To read more about this announcement, check out the AOL press release.

The U.S. Treasury Department announced that it will no longer collect a 3 percent federal excise tax on long-distance calls and would refund approximately $15 billion to taxpayers. Imposed in 1898 to help pay for the Spanish-American War, the tax applied to wealthy Americans during a time when phone service was considered a luxury.

The Treasury said it was conceding its efforts to uphold the tax after five appeals courts declared it illegal because of changes in the way long-distance calls are billed. Phone companies and cellular carriers must stop billing for the tax Aug. 1. Individuals and businesses can file for refunds next year on their 2006 tax returns for excise taxes paid on long-distance calls since March 1, 2003. Individuals who don't have phone bill records can seek a standard refund that has yet to be determined.

Elimination of the tax will cost the Treasury about $46 billion in refunds, lost revenue and administrative expenses in the next five years. Callers will still pay a 3 percent excise tax on local phone calls. But that tax will no longer be levied on services that don't distinguish local calls, such as cellular, all-distance landline plans and Internet-based offerings. Consumers with those services can seek refunds on their full excise-tax payments.

WildBlue Enterprise Solutions™ announced that it has added NomadISP as a Value Added Reseller (VAR) of its WildBlue Enterprise Solutions products and services. NomadISP is the largest wireless service provider for the camping and recreational industry, servicing hundreds of locations across the country. WildBlue provides high-speed Internet access via satellite to homes and small businesses in communities not currently served, or underserved, by other high-speed providers.

Under this agreement, public hotspot users at camp and recreational sites throughout the nation will be able to access the Internet using WildBlue high-speed Internet via satellite service and NomadISP's WiFi equipment. NomadISP will handle the sales, installation and service of NomadISP's proprietary public hotspot solution bundled with WildBlue Ka-band high-speed Internet access at the individual camp, recreational and other public sites. WildBlue Enterprise Solutions will provide per site wholesale bandwidth to Nomad ISP as their preferred satellite network provider.

Learn more about keeping connected on the road this summer in WildBlue's latest press release.

TiVo Inc., a creator of and leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), announced that it has been recognized by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences with a 2006 Emmy Award for outstanding achievement in enhanced television programming.

"TiVo is proud to receive an Emmy Award and recognition from the Academy and its peers for the innovative services that it provides in enhancing the viewing of television by bringing it to a whole new level," said Tom Rogers, President and CEO of TiVo.

This year's Interactive Television Emmy Awards recognize original interactive television programming content, applications and services that have been deployed in the United States between June 1, 2005 and May 31, 2006 and that have demonstrated creative excellence. Other finalists in this category include AOL Music on Demand, CNN Enhanced and DirecTV Interactive Sports. Awards will be presented at the Creative Arts Awards Ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, August 19.

Mitsubishi Motors North America and SIRIUS Satellite Radio announced that Mitsubishi will offer SIRIUS as a standard feature or factory option on four models this fall, and throughout the entire 2008 Mitsubishi model line, available in the United States next year.

This fall, SIRIUS will be standard equipment on the model year 2007 Galant RALLIART, Endeavor SE and all Raider LS and DuroCross double cab pickup trucks. On most other trim levels of the Galant, Endeavor and Raider and on the all-new Outlander, SIRIUS will be available as a factory option. All SIRIUS-equipped vehicles will include a six-month, pre-paid subscription.

For more information, read the SIRIUS press release.

As of Monday, the sale of Adelphia assets to Time Warner Cable and Comcast became official. The deal cost Time Warner Cable and Comcast about $12.5 billion in cash and a 16 percent of the equity of Time Warner's cable subsidiary. Adelphia's 4.8 million customers will be distributed between Comcast and Time Warner Cable. The sale comes after months of work to see the deal go through. Consumers in areas affected by the deal can go to WhiteFence to find out what cable services are available in their area. You can read more about the deal in the article It's Official: Adelphia Goes to Comcast, Time Warner Cable.

XM Satellite Radio, the nation's leading satellite radio company, announced that it now has more than 7 million subscribers. "XM has achieved yet another major milestone as the leader in satellite radio," said Hugh Panero, CEO, XM Satellite Radio. Broadcasting live daily from studios in Washington, D.C., New York City, the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Toronto and Montreal, XM's 2006 lineup includes more than 170 digital channels.