DSL and Cable Internet News Archives

Monster® and Comcast recently announced that Monster's recruitment services will now be available through Comcast's portal, Comcast.net, as part of a two-year deal.

Monster will be the exclusive provider of career tools and services on Comcast.net through a co-branded recruitment channel, which will offer career content and advanced search and match capabilities for hundreds of thousands job openings nationwide. In addition, employers will have the ability to post jobs, and gain access to the world's largest resume database via the co-branded channel.

"This relationship marks yet another major step forward in Monster's commitment to advance our business through the creation of new points of distribution for our services," said Doug Klinger, president, Monster North America. "Working with Comcast will allow us to capitalize upon two powerful brands to bring Monster's world-class products to key customers nationwide. We look forward to the opportunity to leverage our combined expertise."

"Comcast.net is one of the fastest-growing Internet portals in the country," said Charlie Herrin, SVP of Product Development and Portal Services for Comcast. "We are committed to delivering a great consumer experience on Comcast.net, and working with strong brands like Monster enables us to keep delivering excellent value to our customers."

Comcast.net is now a top 10 site with more than 2.5 billion page views, more than 80 million videos viewed and 15 million unique visitors per month.

If you are looking for a job, you can currently access the co-branded site at comcast.monster.com or by clicking on the 'Jobs' category on Comcast.net.

Good news, golf fans! AT&T; announced this week that you can now enjoy more of the 2007 Masters Tournament as the company launches its first major content initiative across the three screens central to customers' lives: the wireless device, the TV and the PC.

Under an agreement with the Masters, AT&T; will provide golf fans with access to Masters previews and daily highlights, live tournament and practice range coverage, player interviews, live updates, links to real-time scoreboards and more. Masters coverage will be available through AT&T; blue room, AT&T; U-verse^SM TV, AT&T; Homezone^SM service, AT&T; U-verse OnTheGo, AT&T; Broadband TV, and Cingular, now AT&T;, wireless service. Live video, including Masters Extra and Amen Corner Live, real-time scoring and additional information is also available on the Masters official Web site, masters.org.

The deal furthers the company's commitment to deliver compelling content across the three screens. AT&T; offers customers a wide variety of content through a portfolio of advanced video, broadband and wireless services, bringing customers more of the entertainment they enjoy and strengthening programmers' and advertisers' connections with new and loyal audiences.

"By extending the excitement of the 2007 Masters Tournament across the three screens, AT&T; is giving golf fans more ways to enjoy one of the greatest traditions in all of sports," said Dan York, head of content and programming, AT&T; Entertainment Services. "As audiences look to get content on the range of digital devices, three-screen entertainment is the future. The Masters recognizes that successful programming translates to all three screens, which AT&T; can deliver to consumers, programmers and advertisers."

For more information, check out the AT&T; press release.

Sales of consumer electronics are growing at a record pace this year as online sales revenue is expected to reach the trillion dollar threshold by 2012. Online retailers are seeing the largest percentage of growth as Internet shoppers are looking for ways to save money as well as time. More and more buyers are looking to Internet malls for their everyday shopping needs. Online merchants who provide a variety of products, reasonable prices as well as fast and reliable delivery options are best positioned to lead the way now and for years to come.

Leadpile.com says online commerce to pass $1 trillion potential and make up 25 percent of all sales in the United States by 2012. Leadpile.com predicts that new "Younger Super Internet Consumer" will lead the way.

"Consumer electronics products will contribute a large part to the overall growth estimates," says Daniel Arque, President of www.GoodBuy4you.com, "which is why we have added many new products to our Web Store like digital cameras, plasma and HDTV units, computers, home theater systems, car navigation and entertainment and much more."

Growth will not be limited to Internet retailers. The National Retail Federation is forecasting that holiday retail sales will rise 5 percent over last year. That means that registers will ring up more that $435 billion in transactions. Sales last year were up 6.7 percent from 2003 levels. If recent trends continue, it is very likely that shopping centers and stores will be looking a lot like Christmas long before Thanksgiving.

"Consumers won't have to wait until the last minute to get the best deals this year because retailers are expected to be aggressive in their pricing strategies throughout the entire holiday season," said Tracy Mullin, NRF president. "Stores are planning for holiday sales and promotions, so discounted prices won't have a negative effect on profits."

For more information on the trend, check out this press release.

AT&T recently announced that Frost & Sullivan selected AT&T Homezone(SM) service as the 2007 North American Consumer Communication Services Product of the Year.

The Frost & Sullivan Award for Product of the Year recognizes the company that has demonstrated excellence in new products and technologies within its industry. In selecting AT&T for this award, Frost & Sullivan noted, "AT&T has incorporated a coherent product strategy to retain its competitive position in the consumer services space and to provide customers with an integrated home-entertainment experience."

"AT&T's Homezone services builds on the company's reputation as a reliable network provider and a consumer services innovator," said Jeff Weber, vice president, AT&T Product and Strategy. "This award from Frost & Sullivan recognizes the original thinking and careful planning that went into bringing this service to market and that our mission to connect with customers via the three screens they value most—the TV, the PC and the wireless phone—is working."

With AT&T Homezone services, the company became the first national telecommunications provider to offer seamlessly integrated video content and TV entertainment to the "digital living room," through both broadband and traditional satellite networks via a single set-top device.

AT&T Homezone integrates AT&T Yahoo!?? High-Speed Internet, AT&T | DISH Network satellite television and AT&T Home Networking services. It features digital videorecording, movies on demand, photo and music sharing, storage for both, and remote Web-based access to the system. It will soon also include remote access to the system through wireless devices. The service is available across most of the company's traditional broadband footprint.

"With its Homezone service, AT&T has demonstrated a commitment to delivering consistent growth in the future as it has in the past," said Piyush Arora, Frost & Sullivan analyst. "This service builds on AT&T's existing infrastructure and video delivery strategy to combine satellite TV programming with new levels of integration and on-demand content via broadband. It's a real homerun for consumers and AT&T."

For more information, check out the AT&T press release.

Continuing in its commitment to provide consumers with a safe Internet experience, EarthLink has added "zero-day protection" in the fight against spyware, Trojans, keyloggers and other threats with its upgraded Protection Control Center with Attack Shield.

Traditional antivirus solutions take a reactive approach to detecting and eliminating new viruses: they wait for an attack to infect a computer before arming consumers with updates that protect them from the latest threats. However, EarthLink's "Attack Shield" technology is proactive: by utilizing Sana Security's award-winning multi-behavioral security engine, the application is able to monitor in real-time the consumer's PC to detect potential behaviors to determine if an installed program is malicious and remove it without requiring definition updates.

Why Upgrade to the Protection Control Center with Attack Shield?
Online security has typically required an Internet user to manage each protection application individually on a desktop or laptop computer - a time consuming and frustrating process. According to EarthLink, it's Protection Control Center and Sana's anti-malware behavior technology will give consumers a single, easy-to-use consumer interface that simplifies the task of securing a computer against online threats and nuisances that can compromise personal identity and data.

In addition to the Attack Shield upgrade, the Protection Control Center 2.0 also includes the following enhancements:

• Improved active defense technology that detects more spyware and viruses before they can get onto a consumer's PC
• Better system performance
• Enhanced user interface
• Firewall lockdown that allows consumers to shut down all Internet traffic with one click if they think their computer is under attack
• Enhanced Firewall
• LAN Detection that allows consumers to set up trusted networks to which they connect to most

More on Viruses & Malware
According to the Anti-Spyware Coalition, a computer virus is code that recursively replicates a possibly evolved copy of itself. Viruses infect a host file or system area, or they simply modify a reference to such objects to take control and then multiply again to form new generations. Definitions for spyware, Trojans and other forms of malware can be found at http://www.antispywarecoalition.org/documents/glossary.htm. For more information on the Protection Control Center with Attack Shield or to sign up, visit http://www.earthlink.net/software/pcc/. For EarthLink's Podcast about the Protection Control Center with Attack Shield, please go to: http://www.earthlink.net/about/.

Verizon announced at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that FiOS Internet customers in five states will be experiencing online connection speeds of up to 50 Mbps (megabits per second) downstream and 5 Mbps upstream, as the company continues to raise the speed of its super-high-speed, all-fiber Internet service.

Massachusetts and Rhode Island recently joined New York, Connecticut and New Jersey as states where Verizon has increased the maximum connection speed of both its mid-tier and top-tier FiOS Internet services.

The mid-tier maximum connection speed in those markets was increased from 15 Mbps downstream and 2 Mbps upstream to 20/5 Mbps, and the top-tier service was increased from 30/5 Mbps to 50/5 Mbps. The company plans similar FiOS Internet speed increases this year in some of the 11 other states where the service is available. Verizon says that specifics will be announced at a later date.

"Today's digital family relies on an increasing number of consumer electronics for their communication, their entertainment and their overall productivity," said Brian Whitton, executive director of access network design and integration for Verizon Telecom. "Digital cameras, high-def TV, remote-monitored home security, wireless networks, online multiplayer gaming systems, telecommuting connections, MP3 players, multiple PCs and more are increasingly commonplace at home. Broadband is the powerful thread that optimizes these devices and ties them all together."

Verizon is currently the only major U.S. telecommunications company building an advanced, all-digital, fiber-optic network on a mass scale all the way to customers' homes. Verizon is the first and only major telecommunications company to be certified by the independent Fiber to the Home Council as providing customers with 100 percent fiber-optic service, the ultimate communications and entertainment technology.

The company says that more than 6 million homes and businesses in parts of 16 states are now passed by Verizon's all-fiber network, and Verizon expects its new network to pass about 18 million premises by the end of 2010.

Verizon offers FiOS Internet service in more than 1,600 communities across parts of all 16 states where the company's new network is deployed: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia and Washington. The company currently offers FiOS TV service in parts of ten states: California, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia.

To see if Verizon FiOS Internet service is available in your home, visit the Verizon page and enter your address.

The Communications Workers of America recently released a new policy paper as part of its "Speed Matters" campaign, a multi-million-dollar, strategic effort that they say will help bring affordable, high-speed Internet to all Americans and to create 21st century, quality jobs.

The report spotlights the critical need for a comprehensive national high-speed broadband policy if the United States is to bring the benefits of the telecommunications revolution to all.

"High-speed networks are the infrastructure of the 21st century and the U.S. needs a national policy to get all of us there," said CWA President Larry Cohen. "This is a critical public good and where markets are slow to deliver, we need to find ways to create financial incentives to speed up private sector build out. In addition, we need to ensure that all regions of the country have access to service???including rural areas and urban communities. That's why we need a national public policy that will make sure that all Americans can benefit from high-speed Internet and other 21st century advances."

The report also points to ways that government can create financial incentives to speed up the build out of high-speed networks, including accelerated depreciation of investments and making low interest loans available to carriers in order to go forward with build out.

CWA's campaign involves working with policymakers in Congress and at the state and local levels and is building support among other public interest groups and organizations for ensuring universal access to high-speed broadband networks.

For more information, read the press release CWA's 'Speed Matters' Campaign to Press for High Speed Internet for All or visit www.speedmatters.org.

According to a new Nickelodeon research study titled "The Digital Family," families today rely on modern technology to function more than ever before, rendering former household staples such as road maps and dictionaries obsolete, as well as reducing the importance of spelling skills. Key findings of the study also indicated that kids and parents place a higher premium on "downtime," and that TV has become their medium of choice to relax. And, contrary to popular belief, parents are embracing technologies just as much as kids, and view cell phones as essential part of managing their lives, while also providing kids more freedom.

"The Digital Family" research incorporates findings from Nickelodeon's "Living in a Digital World" research project (2006), which explores technologies including: the Internet, television, cell phones, mp3 players and more. "The Digital Family" offers insights from kids 8-14 and parents of kids 0-14, and references several findings from Nickelodeon commissioned studies (Multicultural Kids Study 2006 and Nickelodeon Wireless Study 2006).

"In today's modern family, parents and kids identify technology as a homework helper, virtual babysitter, time-keeper and a center piece of a lot of family time," said Cyma Zarghami, President of Nickelodeon and the MTVN Kids and Family Group. "We found that technology has brought the need for new skills while seemingly lessening the need for others. What is very apparent is the critical role technology is playing in helping modern families functions."

The survey found that tech devices like computers and the Internet have become essential tools in daily living, making kids and parents much more productive and self sufficient. In some instances, the Internet has almost become part of the family. More than half of parents (59 percent) strongly agree that it helps them get things done and 68 percent surveyed believe it makes them more efficient and self sufficient.  As one parent from the study said, "I just didn't realize how much the internet was part of my family."

The majority of kids said the Internet helps them do better in school (85 percent) and helped them learn things (93 percent). Kids also said they believed it helps them to be more creative and makes them feel like they've accomplished something.

For more information on the results of this study, check out the press release Day Planners, Maps and Dictionaries Becoming Obsolete as Technology Permeates the Modern Family, According to a New Nickelodeon Research Study 'The Digital Family'.

CNN.com announced this week that it claimed the greatest average monthly share of online news among all Current Events and Global News sites in 2006.

CNN.com, with 15 percent of online news usage, garnered a higher average monthly share of online news than both second-ranked Yahoo! News, which had a 13 percent share, and third-ranked MSNBC.com, which had a 10 percent share.

"During 2006, CNN.com reasserted its dominance as a leading online news source, providing users with incomparable access to the best news and information and the most compelling on-demand video," said David Payne, senior vice president and general manager of CNN.com. "Coming off such a strong year, we face the challenge to take the online news experience to a whole new level. As we move into 2007, our online consumers will find CNN.com more than capable to meet the challenge."

"The phenomenal reach of our digital assets and the quality content that CNN.com provides as the number one online news source has led to unprecedented growth for our digital advertising business," said Greg D'Alba COO of CNN Ad Sales and Marketing. "Combining our impressive digital portfolio with CNN's powerful on-air networks, our ad sales team is able to develop fully-integrated packages for our clients that deliver all the advantages of CNN's brand across multiple platforms."

As the first Internet site dedicated to 24-hour news coverage, CNN.com attracts an average of 23 million unique users each month. Launched in 1995, CNN.com draws from the resources of CNN Worldwide to provide relevant, up-to-the minute news and information. CNN.com features the latest multimedia technologies, from video streaming and user-generated content to audio packages and searchable archives of news features and background information.

For more information, check out the press release CNN.com Tops News Sites in 2006 for Online News Usage.

MySpace.com recently announced that it filed suit against Scott Richter, for violations of state and federal laws including the CAN-SPAM Act and California's anti-spam statute. The suit, filed in United States District Court in Los Angeles on last week, seeks a permanent injunction barring Richter and his affiliated companies from the MySpace site in addition to unspecified monetary damages.

MySpace alleges in the suit that between July and Dec. 2006, Richter and his associates arranged for millions of spam "bulletins" to be sent from MySpace users' accounts without their knowledge. According to the lawsuit, Richter either phished MySpace accounts himself or acquired a list of phished accounts to launch spam campaigns. The campaigns promote Web sites offering products and services such as ringtones and polo shirts, according to MySpace???s filing.

"We're committed to protecting our community from phishing and spam," said Hemanshu Nigam, Chief Security Officer for MySpace. "If it takes filing a federal suit to stop someone who violates the law and damages our members??? experience, then that's what we'll do.???

Richter previously has been sued by Microsoft and then-New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. According to Microsoft, Richter agreed in a post-judgment settlement to pay $7 million and to make ???fundamental changes??? in his e-mail practices. According to Spitzer???s office, Richter settled that case for both monetary damages and specific changes in his e-mail campaigns.

MySpace says the suit against Richter is the latest in a series of aggressive steps it has taken over the last two years to combat spam, phishing and other abusive misuse of the MySpace site.

For more information, check out the MySpace press release.

Last week, CBS Research revealed new data showing that as the public at large becomes more connected to digital media, the more engaged they become in primetime television programming. Additionally, as more TV viewers become aware of the 2009 deadline for broadcasters to switch to full digital transmissions, the likelihood of them investing in new digital TV sets increases by 40 percent.

Those are just two of the major findings revealed today by a comprehensive study CBS Research has conducted examining consumers' attitudes towards digital media, and the role television will play in the near future. The project was led by David F. Poltrack, Chief Research Officer, CBS Corporation, President of CBS Vision.

Researchers found that 56 percent of those surveyed were aware that you could watch network television programs by streaming them over the Internet. Of those aware of this streaming option, 46 percent have already streamed at least one program. Of those not aware of this streaming option, when told which programs were available for streaming, 62 percent selected at least one of the 33 available programs that they probably would watch via streaming over the in the future. Analysts say it is clear that the potential for network program distribution over the Internet is just beginning to be tapped.

In addition, the research shows that people are gradually moving up to higher levels of connectivity. The segment of the population with both a broadband and a digital television connection at home has grown from 22 percent in the fall of 2005 to more than 30 percent in the fall of 2006. The same segment is most likely to watch the top broadcast network programs. In addition, this segment visits network television web sites and is increasingly likely to stream clips and full episodes of network television programs on the  Internet. Members of this upscale, better-educated "fully connected" segment are today the most engaged with the popular network programs.

"This data clearly show a correlation between connectivity and primetime television viewing," said Poltrack. "Consumers who embrace the new media are the heaviest viewers of the top network primetime programs, and this sector of the audience is growing. By offering them new ways to connect to their favorite shows???whether it's Web sites, podcasts, ringtones or other mobile features???we've been able to deepen the bond these fully connected viewers have with our programming. The research also illustrates that as viewers learn about the 2009 deadline for digital transmissions their attitudes towards investing in technology, like advanced home entertainment centers, to watch their favorite shows, changes radically. These findings really demonstrate the potential the broadcast networks have to further engage the public with our content as new technology expands our distribution options."

To read more about this new research, check out the CBS press release.

I never pass up an opportunity to talk about my home state of Michigan and sports, so I thought I would share this latest news. AT&T Inc. announced last week that it has signed a new contract to provide managed service s to the Detroit Tigers major league baseball team.

Under the terms of the three-year contract, AT&T delivered a robust Managed Internet Service (MIS) solution via a burstable DS3 connection in just one week after the contract was signed and just in time for the ALCS and World Series games.

The solution provides increased bandwidth across the Tigers converged Internet Protocol (IP)-based network. The MIS solution is intended to support advanced video and data communications, such as media connectivity, file transfers, Web-browsing and other business-critical corporate operations, for Comerica Park. The flexibility of the MIS allows the service to expand when the additional bandwidth is needed to accommodate high-volume traffic as media and corporate users take advantage of the Tigers network to stream live video and send and receive large media files, especially during the post-season when media attendance is at its highest.

As the Tigers moved into the post-season in 2006, an immediate need for a flexible network solution surfaced. To avoid network downtime, the Tigers enlisted the help of AT&T to provide a network capable of supporting the additional volume. In addition to expanded bandwidth, the network provides added redundancy and increased reliability for greater network efficiency and availability.

"We had a fantastic season this year, and as a result, we knew our network would need additional bandwidth to support the influx of data traffic," said Scott Wruble, manager of IT for the Detroit Tigers. "Thanks to AT&T, we were able to accommodate the spike in traffic we received rather quickly and without worrying over network outages or slower Internet speeds. AT&T provided a solution capable of meeting all of our networking needs."

For more information on this partnership, check out the AT&T press release.

You may have noticed that some of the posts these last two weeks have mentioned the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). No, I didn't convince my bosses to send me to Las Vegas but I have been keeping up with all the great news coming out of the show.

If you aren't familiar with CES, here's a little background. It is the world's largest annual tradeshow for consumer technology and America's largest annual tradeshow of any kind. The first CES took place in New York City in June of 1967 with 200 exhibitors and 17,500 attendees. Since then, CES has grown tremendously. Nearly 2,700 exhibitors, filling 1.6 million net square feet of exhibit space, showcased their latest products and services to more than 140,000 attendees at the 2006 International CES.

Attendees and exhibitors come from the United States, Canada, Mexico and more than 130 other countries, including manufacturers, retailers, content providers and creators, broadband developers, wireless carriers, cable and satellite TV providers, installers, engineers, corporate buyers, government leaders, financial analysts and the media from around the world.

It's also the place where the most exciting consumer electronics get debuted every year. Some of the past product debuts include:

• Videocassette Recorder (VCR), 1970
• Compact Disc Player, 1981
• Digital Satellite System, 1994
• High Definition Television (HDTV), 1998
• Microsoft Xbox, 2001
• IP TV, 2005

As you can see, this show is pretty important when it comes to the technology we use daily. Trying to keep up with all the new products introduced this year has been a challenge but it's also very exciting. Who knows what will be the next big thing that will become something we all can't live without!

To read more about the show, check out the official site at cesweb.org. And don't forget to check back here for more CES news.

MySpace and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, presenters of the Emmy?? Awards, recently announced they have joined forces to honor premium broadband content on the Internet. MySpace will serve as the exclusive online partner of the Broadband Emmy Award submissions, empowering video producers and filmmakers to submit self-generated content for consideration through the official MySpace Emmy profile at myspace.com/MyEmmy.

???Amazing content is flourishing on the Web and enabling submissions through MySpace makes a world of sense. This unique collaboration gives users an accessible platform to recognize the best creative content out there,??? said Shawn Gold, SVP of Marketing and Content for MySpace. ???We???re inviting all creators of premium broadband content to use the Emmy profile to submit their work for consideration for this highly coveted honor.???

???MySpace will make the Emmy more accessible to aspiring professionals and video creators of all occupations and ages,??? said Peter Price, President/CEO, National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. ???The Emmy community on MySpace and our expansion of the categories eligible for the Broadband Emmy are our next steps in the National Television Academy???s taking a leadership role in encouraging and recognizing premium content on broadband.???

MySpace and the National Television Academy will encourage MySpace users  to enter their work in the Emmy competitions. Beginning Feb. 1, MySpace users will be able to upload their original videos to their personal MySpace profile and submit their video URL to the Emmy profile page for viewing by the MySpace community.

MySpace, with more than 50,000 filmmakers and countless creators of premium video content, and the National Academy are encouraging all artists to enter their videos for consideration through MySpace. MySpace and The National Television Academy will sponsor Emmy scholarships to cover the cost of the entry fees for selected MySpace users. Even those videos not chosen for a scholarship may be entered directly into the Emmy Award competitions at www.myemmy.tv. The National Academy will judge the Broadband Emmys, following its standard procedures of utilizing expert professionals from related areas of expertise.

The 2007 Broadband Emmy Awards will be presented in each of the existing National Television Academy???s Emmy Award ceremonies for program excellence, which include for Daytime Entertainment, News & Information, Sports, and Public & Community Service. The MySpace Emmy profile will first feature videos for the Entertainment Broadband Emmy Award, and subsequently throughout the year will feature News & Documentary, Business & Financial, Public & Community Service, and Sports.

For more information, check out MySpace and the National Academy of Television Partner on the Broadband Emmy Awards.

CNET News recently posted an interesting article about the future of bundled services. Most cable providers currently offer phone, high-speed Internet and cable service packages, commonly referred to as triple-play bundles. However, many companies are bringing wireless in as part of these packages as well.

"If 2006 was the year of the triple play," the article states, "2007 may very well be the year of the quadruple bundle as cable operators and phone companies start to integrate mobile wireless services into their service packages."

According to CNET, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox and Advance/Newhouse Communications will all be launching and expanding their integrated mobile phone services in 2007, a direct result of the their joint venture with Sprint Nextel.

The article also goes on to say that adding wireless to their bundles means more to cable providers than just providing customers with a one bill and savings on buying more than one service. These companies see mobility as a way to add more convenience and value to services their customers already have. However, CNET cautions that companies admit that they are still in the early stages of developing these services, so you may have to wait for the perfect quadruple bundle to be available in your area.

To read more, check out the full CNET article.

How much online shopping did you do this holiday season? According to new research, a lot more than you did last year. comScore Networks recently released its estimates of consumer online non-travel (retail) spending at U.S. sites for the 2006 holiday season through Tuesday, Dec. 26. During the first 56 days of the holiday season, total online retail spending reached $23.11 billion, a 26-percent increase from the same days in 2005. Sales during the week prior to Christmas (Dec. 18 ??? Dec. 22, 2006) rose 38 percent versus the same week in 2005. In addition, year-to-date non-travel e-commerce spending surpassed the $100 billion mark for the first time ever on Saturday, Dec. 23, 2006.

???Online sales continued to show strong growth during the last week before Christmas when procrastinators were clicking with confidence,??? said Gian Fulgoni, chairman of comScore Networks. ???Consumers making purchases in those final days expressed both their faith in retailers??? ability to pick and pack their orders in a timely fashion and shippers??? ability to drop them on recipients??? doorsteps in time for Christmas.???

???That online retail consumer spending for the year-to-date has surpassed the $100 billion mark is a testament to the continued growth and strength of the online marketplace,??? continued Mr. Fulgoni. ???Retail e-commerce now accounts for approximately 7 percent of consumers??? U.S. retail spending (excluding gas, autos and food), making it an important component of the total U.S. economy.???

Ranked by total retail sales for the holiday season through Dec. 26, Amazon.com topped the list of online retailers, followed by Dell.com, Yahoo.com and Walmart.com. An analysis of leading retailers by percentage increase in sales from 2005 to 2006 found that consumer electronics retailer Bestbuy.com achieved the greatest gains, followed by Walmart.com and Ticketmaster.com, with each of these three sites experiencing gains in excess of 50 percent.

For more information, check out the full comScore report.

Electronics retailer Best Buy has partnered with WhiteFence, the nation's number one site for movers looking to connect their utilities and home services online, to offer their Geek Squad and Magnolia services. Geek Squad offers PC and home network set up and connection services, while Magnolia is Best Buy's home theater set up solution. Making it easier for movers to get their home systems up and running is the aim of this strategic partnership.

The increasingly sophisticated and interconnected media options in our homes today dwarf the installations most of us grew up with. With big screen TV sales up 60 percent in 2006, most households are now connecting televisions, cable or satellite boxes, audio systems, gaming systems and TiVo digital recorders into home networks that connect to their PCs, LANs and even printers. Add to that the complexity of surround sound wiring and all-in-one remote controls that are programmed through a PC, very, very few of us can install a home entertainment and PC system by ourselves anymore.

Partly because of the services the offer, Best Buy's sales surged to record highs in 2006. The Best Buy services will be available on WhiteFence powered Web sites in early February.

In response to the merger of AT&T and BellSouth, Communications Workers of America released a statement saying that they believe the joining of the two companies will promote increased investment and build-out of high-speed networks that are critical to the region's economic growth and the nation's position in the global economy.

CWA President Larry Cohen said the merger agreement included real commitments by AT&T-BellSouth for an expanded build-out of both higher speed Internet services and DSL, an important step forward in bringing the full promise of the Internet to areas that have been passed by.

"Workers at BellSouth know that the future of communications and their own future is in the build-out of high-speed telecommunications services. This merger will help provide the resources to make this possible, and at the same time, should help create quality jobs," said Noah Savant, CWA's vice president for the Southeast and BellSouth territory. "Of course we remain concerned about the net effect on jobs within the region for frontline employees and the services we provide. We are pleased to see AT&T commitment to bringing thousands of support jobs back to the United States," Savant added.

CWA says that the United States has fallen to 16th in the world in terms of availability and access to high-speed Internet services. While most believe the availability and benefits of the Internet should be universal, residents in rural communities, low-income urban areas and other communities have less access to high-speed services. The union sees this as a growing disadvantage that needs to be addressed.

"High-tech innovation and job growth, advances in telemedicine and distance learning, and improving public safety and e-government all are possible and, in fact, are routine in much of the world. In the United States, however, current speed standards just aren't sufficient to support these kinds of services," Cohen said. "The build-out of true high-speed networks requires a huge investment of tens of billions of dollars and the AT&T-BellSouth merger will begin to provide the resources to do this," he added.

CWA is America's largest communications and media union, represents over 700,000 men and women in both private and public sectors, including over half a million workers who are building the Information Highway. Its members are employed in telecommunications, broadcasting, cable TV, journalism, publishing, electronics and general manufacturing, as well as airline customer service, government service, health care, education and other fields. The union includes some 1,200 chartered local unions across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

Cohen stressed that CWA strongly supports an open Internet "where consumers can go where they want, when they want. Nothing should be done to degrade or block access to Web sites," he said. CWA also believes that reserving proprietary video bandwidth is essential in order to make such a build-out possible. The FCC recognized this in reserving the IPTV space as proprietary, much as cable controls the bandwidth on the set top box, Cohen noted.

For more on the CWA response to the merger, see the press release AT&T-BellSouth Merger Will Promote Critical Build-out of High-Speed Networks.

D-Link, a networking solutions provider, recently announced it is shipping its latest MediaLounge Wireless Media Player???DSM-510???a compact media player capable of delivering video, digital photos, music and more to televisions and home entertainment centers from computers and storage devices over a home network via a wired or 802.11g/b wireless connection. The new media player also aids in the streaming of high-definition (HD) video through a wired network connection.

Building on the new product availability, D-Link also announced that its DSM-510 received Intel?? Viiv??? technology verification, which tests the compatibility of networked media devices with Intel Viiv technology-based PCs. Using the Intel Viiv technology verified DSM-510, consumers will get maximum enjoyment out of their digital home entertainment network, including access to the Intel?? Viiv??? Zone, which offers a growing selection of on-demand, Internet-delivered premium content, including movies, music videos, TV shows, and information services.

While performance is optimized for users with Intel Viiv technology-based PCs, the DSM-510 is compatible with computers running Windows?? XP or 2000.

"The DSM-510 is an extremely powerful, full-featured media player with an intuitive user interface that bridges together computers, storage devices and the Internet with the home entertainment center for a heightened multimedia experience," said Brian Larsen, associate vice president of product development for D-Link Systems Inc. "Passing Intel Viiv technology verification underscores our commitment to bring next-generation connectivity solutions to market for consumers for enjoying seamless sharing and instant access to digital media and entertainment from anywhere inside their home."

"Intel Viiv technology, based on the new Core 2 Duo processor, is the superior technology for today's media PCs. When used with verified devices like the new D-Link MediaLounge player, consumers will enjoy new levels of digital home entertainment' said Gerald Holzhammer, Vice President, Digital Home Group and General Manager of Intel's Consumer PC Platform Group. 'We are pleased that D-Link has completed the verification process for the MediaLounge DSM-510 which will carry the 'Enjoy with Intel Viiv technology' logo."

For best results, Larsen added, the D-Link MediaLounge DSM-510 Media Player would be connected to an existing home network via wired Ethernet, or through an 802.11g wireless standard-compliant router such as the Intel Viiv technology verified D-Link RangeBooster G Wireless Router (WBR-2310) or AirPremier AG Dual-Band Wireless Router (DI-784). Another alternative for Ethernet-wired performance is the D-Link PowerLine Network Kit (DHP-301) that enables consumers to tap into their existing electrical wiring to extend their home network.

The retail price for D-Link MediaLounge DSM-510 is around $240. The device is now available from most computer retail outlets and at www.dlinkshop.com. For more information, check out the D-Link press release.

In this age of instant feedback online from consumers, smart companies are taking advantage of the situation by allowing their products to be reviewed by bloggers. While some companies have tried to outwit the public by creating fake personalities to tout the virtues of their products, the smarter ones are allowing bloggers to find their products at their own pace and to rate and review their offerings as they choose. One such provider is AT&T.

Alan Weinkrantz, a PR tech blogger, has taken it upon himself to chronicle his trial of the AT&T's new U-verse service. Because he lives in San Antonio, Alan was an early trial user of the AT&T U-verse service. Owner of his own PR firm and frequent blogger, he started documenting his experiences and observations on the service in May of this year. Things really heated up when he began to make daily posts at his blog, www.3screens.net, to document his experience of having AT&T's HD (High Definition) broadcast television service installed and deployed at his home.

Alan has not only writes about his experience as an AT&T trial user, but also makes suggestions and commentary about the company's strategy. He even spoke at the TelcoTV Conference in Dallas where he addressed his experiences and observations about being a U-verse customer.

"I can???t recommend blogging and social media to clients unless I???ve done it and have been successful," he said in an interview with MidwestBusiness.com. "This is a fortuitous set of events because I???m in San Antonio and became a trial U-verse." Alan went on to say that "there are enough analysts and technical experts in the world. I don???t think the world needs more ???experts???."

His commentary about the service is open and honest. No service is perfect and Alan isn't shy about noting drawbacks, including small things like no clock on the set-top box or overload of certain types of channels.

In addition, he makes it clear that he's only paying such close attention to one provider because he lives in the firm???s service area. ???If I lived in an area served by Verizon, I would be doing the same thing about them," he assured MidwestBusiness.com. "AT&T is really just my plumbing supplier.???

Read more about Alan's experience with AT&T U-verse service at www.3screens.net. You can also check out his press release and his interview with MidwestBusiness.com.

DSL???s subscriber base went up to more than 173 million while global broadband subscribers reached more than 263 million over the last year. Each week, 1.25 million people signed up to broadband according to the latest statistics prepared for the international DSL Forum by industry analyst Point Topic. An additional 65 million people subscribed to broadband in the period???with two-thirds of new subscribers choosing DSL that delivers broadband over telephone lines.

According to the Forum, DSL is by far the most popular broadband access technology in the world at 65.6 percent market share, rising to 82 percent in the European Union???the world???s largest broadband region.

Sixteen countries now have more than two million DSL subscribers, together representing just under half of all broadband customers using this technology. Globally, the largest broadband market in the world is the USA with more than 55.5 million subscribers, followed by China at 48.5 million. Japan in third place has almost 26 million. Together, they account for almost half of all broadband connections across the world.

"As the global reach of broadband into people???s lives continues to grow, the range of access technologies used to deliver its benefits is also expanding to capitalize on the various available infrastructures," said Michael Brusca, president of the international DSL Forum. "Even though DSL is the predominant delivery technology in the world, the DSL Forum is working to extend the benefits of our own specifications to be equally applicable for other network technologies and to address the service delivery needs of the ever-growing range of multimedia devices and applications that depend on broadband for their success.???

To read more about these findings, visit www.dslforum.org.

There's a new wrinkle in Internet shopping that's set to help protect shoppers but which may end in confusion and disaster for many small on-line vendors, according to The Wall Street Journal. In a move to counter "phishing" (when online crooks impersonate legitimate vendors to lure unsuspecting consumers into a scam) Microsoft's new Internet Explorer 7 Web browser will contain a feature that turns your Web address bar green when you've landed on a legitimate e-commerce site, as defined by Microsoft. Sounds like a great idea, right?

The problem is that the necessary certificates to get IE7's 'green light' are generally only available to larger companies. That's because the new certificates, which are called EV SSL's (short for extended validation secure-sockets-layer) will be offered only to corporations and limited liability companies. Sole proprietorships, general partnerships and individuals will be unable to purchase certification. And so your Aunt Edna will be suspect if she tries to sell her hand made holiday wreaths on her personal Web site.

There's no denying that phishing is a legitimate security issue, but considering that the Internet grew on the efforts of individuals and person-to-person connections, it seems a shame to deny legimate, honest individuals who sell valuable goods and services online the ability to stand in the green zone with larger companies. If only Microsoft could find a way to turn this process around and create "red zones" where truly dangerous and suspect sites could be identified and action taken; that would leave individual vendors free to do what they've always done and make the Internet the quirky, free-for-all it's always been.

Internet media and market research company Nielsen//NetRatings recently announced findings that showed 78 percent of active home Web users connected via broadband during the month of November, up 13 percentage points from 65 percent of active Web users a year ago.

According to their research, broadband consumers are heavy Internet users compared to their narrowband counterparts. In November, with an average of 34 hours and 50 minutes per person, they spent 33 percent more time online than narrowband users, who had an average of 26 hours and 13 minutes per person. Among all time spent online during the month, 82 percent could be attributed to those connecting via broadband. In addition, broadband users viewed over twice as many Web pages as narrowband users, with averages of 1,574 and 681 Web pages per person, respectively.

Analysts say the new data shows that social activities dominate broadband time online. Web sites for online gaming, instant messaging, e-mail and social networking all made the top 10 list when ranked by average time per person among broadband users at home. The Web has become an integral part of everyday social life, particularly among kids and teens. Online gaming site Pogo.com led the pack among broadband users, with an average of four hours and 23 minutes per person in November. Another online gaming destination, Electronic Arts, ranked second with an average of 3 hours and 43 minutes per person. MSN Games and RuneScape also made the top 10, with average times reaching nearly two hours.

AOL Instant Messenger ranked third according to time spent by home broadband users, with an average of three hours and 24 minutes per person. Yahoo! Mail and Google Gmail were also among the top 10, both with averages over one and half hours. Social networking favorite MySpace followed in fourth place, with a monthly average time spent of two hours and eight minutes per person.

???What most of these Web sites have in common is that they engage the consumer for an extended period of time by offering a way to connect with others,??? said Carolyn Creekmore, senior director of media analytics, Nielsen//NetRatings. ???Online games provide an outlet for camaraderie and playfulness, while instant messaging, e-mail and social networking allow for more direct, albeit often equally creative, communication.???

For more information, check out the Nielsen//NetRatings press release. If you are interested in broadband Internet access for your home, click here to enter your address for information on the providers and services available in your area.

EMBARQ recently announced the opening of its first Technology and Innovation Center^SM in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Andre Agassi Boys & Girls Club. In addition to modernizing the existing lab with new computers and educational software, the Center is now equipped with new furniture and EMBARQ products and services, including high-speed Internet as well as local and long-distance phone service, a value of more than $40,000.

EMBARQ says that the Center is the latest initiative in the company's ongoing commitment to education and to the communities where it provides communications services.

"It is rewarding to see the EMBARQ Technology and Innovation Center come to life," said Angela Quinn, president, Boys & Girls Clubs of Las Vegas. "Thanks to EMBARQ's generous donation of advanced technology, our kids now have the world at their fingertips, which will help them improve their education and life skills."

As part of its efforts to further the success of the Technology Center and the local Boys & Girls Club, EMBARQ says employees will volunteer in a variety of capacities, including mentoring and after-school programs. Many of the volunteers have been involved with the Club for years and now have the opportunity to further their commitment to Las Vegas youth with the opening of the Technology Center.

"EMBARQ is honored to support the Andre Agassi Boys & Girls Club by offering financial, technological and volunteer resources," said Dan Hesse, EMBARQ Chairman and CEO and a member of the national board of governors for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. "We are pleased that the Center will provide Las Vegas youth with the technological resources necessary to further their education and explore the world around them."

EMBARQ has been a long time supporter of Boys & Girls Clubs and plans to open EMBARQ Technology and Innovation Centers at Boys & Girls Clubs in Franklin, Indiana; Ft. Myers, Florida; and Louisburg, North Carolina, in Jan. 2007, with several more at locations to be determined later in the year.

To learn more about the Boys & Girls Clubs of Las Vegas, visit www.bgclv.org. You can also check out the press release EMBARQ Launches Technology & Innovation Center at Boys & Girls Clubs of Las Vegas.

EarthLink has teamed with PlumChoice, Inc., the nation's leader in remote PC services, to make EarthLink's Cyber Check, a remote PC virus and spyware removal service, easier and more convenient for consumers. As a result of the relationship, Cyber Check service will now offer new customer benefits, including 24/7 support, easy online scheduling and the ability to select a favorite technician for service.

"Cyber Check was launched to help consumers solve their spyware and virus problems over the phone in the comfort of their home," said Craig Forman, executive vice president of EarthLink and president of the ISP's value added services business unit. "Working with PlumChoice, we've made EarthLink Cyber Check even better with added convenience, reliability and choice."

EarthLink Cyber Check offers convenient, remote removal of dangerous and frustrating spyware and viruses from customers' PCs. Customers must first call 1-87RESCUE42 (877-372-8342) and give a certified online technician permission to access their computer via the Internet. Then, the remote removal of unwanted spyware and viruses begins.

"EarthLink is renowned for its commitment to outstanding customer service and we're proud to have been selected as their remote services provider," said Ted Werth, CEO of PlumChoice, Inc. "We look forward to working with EarthLink to raise consumers' expectations of quality PC services to a whole new level."

EarthLink's Cyber Check is available 24/7, regardless of a consumer's Internet service provider for a one-time fee of $99. Within five days of working with a Cyber Check representative, customers can call back to report any related issues at no additional charge (this service is extended to 30 days if the customer is using the EarthLink Protection Control Center). In addition, Cyber Check is guaranteed: customers have the ability to end a remote session at any time; and if EarthLink Cyber Check representatives fail to remedy the customer's problem, EarthLink will grant a refund.

To find out more about Cyber Check, you can read this EarthLink press release.

Consumers who love holiday classics, like "Christmas with the Kranks" or "I'll Be Home for Christmas," can now enjoy unlimited access to those and other yuletide favorites without having to brave mobs at the mall or the clinking of the cash register. In response to the growing demand for access to online video content, AT&T Inc. today announced that the company will offer unlimited access to a library of more than 2,200 movie and video selections and 24-hour access to live TV at no charge for one or more months.

Effective today, new residential AT&T Yahoo!^?? High-Speed Internet customers can take advantage of a 30-day free trial of Vongo, the movie download service offering from Starz Entertainment, with more than 1,000 popular movies and 2,200 total video titles. Customers can also enjoy a 90-day free trial of AT&T Broadband TV, providing access to a wealth of live programming while at home, at work or on the go, using wired and wireless broadband technologies. Regular-service subscription charges apply at the end of the trial period. Current AT&T Yahoo! High-Speed Internet customers can also participate in the free trials by upgrading their existing service speed to Express (up to 1.5 Mbps), Pro (up to 3.0 Mbps) or Elite (up to 6.0 Mbps) service.

"From movies to live TV, AT&T understands that today's consumers want unlimited access to enhanced content at their convenience- with video leading the charge," said Rick Welday, chief marketing officer, AT&T Consumer.

"By trialing today's offer of free movie downloads and real-time access to live TV content, our customers can better experience the benefits, value and advantages unique to AT&T Yahoo! High-Speed Internet," said Welday.

The move to let consumers enjoy free trials of downloadable content for a period of time from Vongo and AT&T Broadband TV, in conjunction with MobiTV, comes on the heels of a series of related video announcements from AT&T. New AT&T Yahoo! High-Speed Internet customers can redeem offers for both Vongo movie downloads and AT&T Broadband TV, as outlined in the directions that are provided in the AT&T Yahoo! service kit. Current customers can upgrade their existing service speed online and will then receive information regarding the offers in subsequent customer notification.

AT&T Broadband TV delivers 20 channels of live and made-for-broadband television content spanning national news, sports, entertainment and full-length music videos from top artists. Among the channels included in the initial channel lineup are Bloomberg Television, The Oxygen Network, Comedy Time, Toonworld TV Classics, MAXX Sports and The Weather Channel.

Vongo subscribers have unlimited access to more than 2,200 movie and video selections as well as a live streaming Starz TV channel. Members may download movies and video selections onto three eligible devices of their choice for each account, allowing for multiple-viewing options and family enjoyment.

You can read more about the offer in this AT&T press release.

Formed in 1997, Millennium Digital Media is a privately held company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Millennium Digital Media is organized into three geographic regions: Mid-Atlantic (Maryland), Central (Michigan), and Northwest (Washington and Oregon). Now you can get their cable TV and Internet service in all these areas through WhiteFence.

Good news for those of you who are experiencing problems with your computer's performance! EarthLink recently released PC FineTune???, a new software tool that they say optimizes PC speed and functionality.

With a one-click interface, PC FineTune will scan your computer, fix problems and restore its speed and performance. Available to all Internet consumers???both EarthLink customers and non-EarthLink customers???PC FineTune works by de-fragmenting the computer's hard drive, eliminating unnecessary files and cookies, fixing registry errors, removing unused device drivers and disabling unneeded items that hog your PC's memory and result in slow computer performance.

"There are things in your life that absolutely need to work at their best???your car, your home heating, your air conditioner...and in today's world, your computer might be at the top of that list. That's why EarthLink has launched PC FineTune???to maximize your computer's performance," said Craig Forman, executive vice president of EarthLink and president of the ISP's value added services business unit. "It's as easy and painless as stopping for an oil change. After a quick scan of your computer, PC FineTune fixes problems and optimizes your PC for maximum efficiency and speed."

Developed in a partnership with Avanquest Software, EarthLink recommends that customers use PC FineTune for proper ongoing computer maintenance each time they remove spyware to assure that non-malicious, but corrupted and fragmented files are not left behind.

"EarthLink customers now have an affordable, one-stop solution for system maintenance and worry-free networked protection," said Scott Feldstein, Vice President, Avanquest Software Utility Products. "PC FineTune is the culmination of years of experience in helping PC users avoid system problems and maintain optimal performance. We're delighted to have collaborated with EarthLink to give all Internet consumers the highest level of PC protection at minimal expense."

For more information, check out the EarthLink press release.

Cox Communications recently announced a new addition to its online premium content, CleverIsland.com, which is now included in the company's Premium Access Pass Best of the Web Zone at no additional charge. CleverIsland.com, an award-winning interactive broadband learning games service, is based on the adventures on an appealing set of characters for children ages 3-8 and is available via subscription service only.

CleverIsland.com was designed by educators and child development experts to develop 27 key skills sets in four main categories: Reading, Mathematics, Art & Creativity and The World Around Us. CleverIsland.com has won the Teacher's Choice Award and Education World's A+ Seal of Approval.

"Cox has high standards for our premium content and Clever Island is a natural fit for our Best of the Web Zone," said Scott Hightower, Cox's vice president of data development and support. "The addition is perfect for the preschooler or young reader in the home. The CleverIsland.com content has built-in parental controls and is advertising-free, giving children access to a safe and fun environment designed to develop valuable skills."

Parents can sign up to get monthly progress reports on their child's path through more than 95 online learning games and activities, which are updated monthly and designed to improve basic skills such as reading, writing, spelling, math, science and logic.

Cox's Premium Access Pass was first introduced to customers in November 2005 and includes two zones. This new addition rounds out Cox's Best of the Web Zone, which now appeals to all age groups. The Best of the Web Zone provides content to the most popular family-friendly content sites on the net today, including AmericanGreetings.com, Encyclopaedia Britannica Online??, Shockwave?? UnlimitedT, The Weather Channel?? and FOX Sports.

For more information on the latest addition to Cox's online premium content, visit CleverIsland.com for a free tour.

Time Warner and Time Warner Cable recently announced they will host "Home to the Future," a three-week interactive home installation at Time Warner Center, Jan. 17 through Feb 6, 2007, curated by renown museum exhibit designer Edwin Schlossberg of ESI Design.

The exhibit will include two rooms on both the first floor and second floors of the Time Warner Center, each featuring innovative digital technologies from across the Time Warner Cable portfolio including, digital phone, vdeo On demand, DVR (digital video recorder), high-definition programming and RoadRunner High-Speed Online.

"Home to the Future" will also present videos on new Time Warner Cable digital entertainment functions Quick Clips and StartOver, as well as a sampling of other digital initiatives from across the Time Warner family of businesses???from Warner Bros. and New Line to Time Inc., Home Box Office, AOL and Turner Broadcasting. The exhibit will include a series of themed ancillary events???in cooperation with Time Warner partners in film, television and music.

Fore more information about the Home to the Future and associated events, check out www.hometothefuture.com.

Holiday shoppers can now put broadband in their carts. The award-winning AT&T Yahoo!^?? High-Speed Internet service will be available at 570 Wal-Mart stores in 13 states in November 2006. The deal offers consumers another convenient way to learn about, shop for and eventually purchase AT&T Yahoo! High-Speed Internet services. With more than 150 million customers shopping in its stores each week, Wal-Mart provides AT&T with the opportunity to reach more consumers.

"By offering information about AT&T Yahoo! High-Speed Internet services in a number of Wal-Mart Connection Center locations, millions of consumers will have the opportunity to conveniently learn about AT&T broadband services while shopping for their everyday necessities. This will open up a whole new world of online experiences for AT&T and Wal-Mart customers, from easily sharing photos and stories with distant family and friends to streaming music and video from their favorite performers in the comfort of their living room," said Rick Welday, chief marketing officer, AT&T Consumer. "We offer the fastest Internet speeds in the market for the price, which fits perfectly with the Wal-Mart everyday-low-price model."

With 8.2 million high-speed Internet lines, AT&T is the largest broadband provider among U.S. telecommunications providers. AT&T Yahoo! High-Speed Internet service offers consumers unmatched levels of personalization, customization and interactivity. Subscribers receive a leading combination of broadband access, powerful safety and security tools, and service and content that delivers a unique high-speed Internet experience.

If you would like to find out more details about AT&T Yahoo! High-Speed Internet service and order this service online, you can go to the AT&T page on WhiteFence.

EarthLink has proposed to build, own and operate a municipal wireless network in the City of Alexandria, and the franchise agreement, in the form of a city ordinance, will be introduced at the City Council meeting scheduled today, November 28th.

The approximately 16-square-mile Wi-Fi mesh network will provide affordable, high-speed Internet access for the residents of and visitors to the City of Alexandria, Virginia.  After a period for public review and comment, the franchise is scheduled to be formally awarded to EarthLink at City Council???s meeting on Saturday, December 16th.

EarthLink has emerged as one of the leaders in municipal Wi-Fi development, having been awarded contracts in Philadelphia; Anaheim, California; Milpitas, California; and New Orleans.

"When the City launched ???Wireless Alexandria??? last year, it was beginning its journey into making government more efficient and improving residents quality of life, which are just a few of the benefits of a city-wide municipal wireless network,??? said Donald Berryman, executive vice president of EarthLink and president of the ISP???s municipal networks unit. ???Alexandria is now taking the next step by authorizing EarthLink to build an affordable and portable state-of-the-art network that will enable Internet access anywhere throughout the City.???

???This initiative has tremendous potential for Alexandria???s residents, businesses, and government,??? said Mayor William D. Euille. ???We believe this is a smart way for the City to encourage broadband development, without interfering with the private sector.???

EarthLink will also help promote ???digital inclusion??? by offering discounted Internet access at a price of $9.95 a month for certain qualifying, low-income residents and will also provide free public Internet access in approximately two dozen public, yet-to-be-determined locations, throughout the City of Alexandria.

As part of its commitment to open access, EarthLink will enable multiple, competing providers, such as PeoplePC, to offer their services to consumers and businesses over its network.

EarthLink will deploy Tropos Networks??? MetroMesh Wi-Fi routers on light poles throughout the city that will enable reliable wireless data connectivity between consumers and the Internet. The Tropos system forms a wireless mesh, intelligently routing data to produce the best possible user experience. The network will be operated and optimized using Tropos Control, an end-to-end configuration, monitoring and maintenance tool suite. In addition, EarthLink will deploy Motorola???s MOTOwi4??? portfolio of products, including its Canopy??? high-speed backhaul and Wi-Fi mesh network equipment.

TiVo recently announced that it has signed CBS Interactive to deliver original programming created for the Web directly to television through the TiVoCast service. Additionally, TiVo signed on a list of other partners to deliver broadband content to the television including Reuters, Forbes, dLife, Plum TV and Nano. Launched earlier this year, the TiVoCast service brings a whole new line-up of content to the television by offering broadband video previously found only on the Web and not widely available on TV.

CBS Interactive is the first network deal for TiVoCast. The content will consist of original programming from CBS's online destinations including CBS.com, CBS's broadband channel innertube, CBSNews.com and CBS SportsLine.

"This represents a great opportunity for CBS to showcase its growing online content on the television platform," said Quincy Smith, President, CBS Interactive. "TiVo's TiVoCast service allows for us to extend our reach, join other content innovators, and ultimately learn more about our audience with content such as Katie Couric's "Eye To Eye" from CBSNews.com, fantasy football shows from CBS SportsLine.com, or the wealth of original programming currently available on CBS.com."

"Web video has become an explosive pop culture phenomenon and TiVo is leading the way in bringing it from the PC to TV," said Tom Rogers, President and CEO of TiVo. "Television remains the number one platform on which consumers prefer to watch video so TiVoCast is a win-win both for consumers who enjoy the comfort and convenience of TV and for content providers who want to extend their reach."

TiVo also is announcing new content partnerships with Reuters, Forbes, dLife, Plum TV and Nano. These new channels join a stellar line-up of TiVoCast partners which includes leading video content providers: the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), The New York Times, Heavy, iVillage and CNET among others.

All the Web-based video content is included in the TiVo subscription fee and available to any broadband connected TiVo Series2??? TiVo box, with TiVoCast available on Series3??? TiVo boxes later this year.

For more, check out the TiVo press release.

According to a recent Mediaweek article, the Versus network will be launching a high-definition channel in early next year. The Comcast-owned cable network will offer Comcast Golf Channel programming on the new channel from noon to 7:00 p.m. and Versus programming from 7:00 p.m. to noon. The channel will be initially be carried on all Comcast systems, with DIRECTV also signing on to carry the channel.

Mediaweek says that the new channel will offer all high-definition National Hockey League games to be carried by Versus. The programming airing on the new HD channel will also air simultaneously on either the Golf Channel or Versus. The Golf Channel programming will include live golf tournament coverage, including the PGA, while programming from Versus offered in HD will focus on other sports in addition to hockey,  including boxing, professional bull riding, as well as hunting and fishing shows.

Rumor also has it that there are plans to air the Tour de France upconverted in high definition on the new channel, but negotiations are also taking place to try to get a pure high-definition feed of the event.

For more details, check out the Mediaweek article Versus to Offer High-Def Channel .

Three out of four (76 percent) holiday shoppers said they plan to shop for holiday gifts online, and a similar number, 75 percent, said they are likely to purchase gifts online from small businesses, according to a new survey commissioned by Yahoo! Small Business and conducted by Harris Interactive??. Survey respondents expressed strong support for e-commerce with small businesses that offer a secure payment system, easy customer checkout and free shipping.

Nearly a third of holiday shoppers (30 percent) said that they would do half or more of their holiday shopping online, and nearly two thirds (63 percent) said online specialty, 'niche,' or boutique retailers are one of the "best places" to shop for unusual or hard-to-find gifts.

"Many consumers rely on small businesses that are online during the holiday shopping season because they offer variety, value and unique gifts that aren't always available in stores," said Rich Riley, vice president and general manager of Yahoo! Small Business, the division of Yahoo! that powers more than 40,000 online stores. "The survey shows that shoppers have high expectations, but also high confidence in buying holiday gifts online with small businesses."

The nationwide survey of 2,766 U.S. online adults is being released in advance of the beginning of the peak holiday shopping season. The survey, conducted in late October, measured sentiment among the general online adult population about holiday shopping online.

For more information, check out the Yahoo! press release.

What would make your dad's Comcast high definition TV service look even better? That's right - a new high definition television set. Now that we are entering the holiday season, it is time to start making your gift list. From cell phones to televisions to computers - the hardware you have in your home can make a big difference in your home services. Check out the CNET Holiday Gift Guide to find the best buys on the market now. Who knows - you might find something for yourself.

In response to the California Broadband Executive Order signed last month by Gov. Schwarzenegger, Verizon released the following statement:

"We are encouraged by Gov. Schwarzenegger's executive order committing to increase broadband access and deployment of high-speed networks to benefit the residents and the economy of California.

"Verizon is already in the process of upgrading its network in California, investing hundreds of millions of dollars and creating thousands of jobs over the past two years to build an unparalleled fiber-optic network in our service territory.

"This all-fiber network already provides thousands of California households with new choices in television programming and data connections of up to 30 megabits per second. Networks like this will make possible the groundbreaking broadband appications of the future, such as the telemedicine technology that the governor showcased."

Last month, I posted about the AT&T-BellSouth merger being postponed. Officials were supposed to discuss the issue further, but the special meeting regarding the acquisition was never convened.  Now The Associated Press is reporting that the FCC vote has been delayed again, with no further discussion scheduled.

According to the AP, failure to attach conditions to the merger brought a sharp response from the two Democratic commissioners, Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein, who accused the Justice Department of failing to protect consumers. Their opposition meant that AT&T was facing a potential 2-2 tie vote, which would have required a fifth vote from Robert McDowell, a former lobbyist for a trade group that opposed the merger.

AT&T's did offer last minute concessions, including $10-per-month Internet access in its service area, free modems, promises to freeze prices temporarily for competitors that use the company's networks, and even a pledge to bring back some BellSouth jobs shipped overseas. However, consumer groups criticized the concessions as "short-term candy for a few instead of long-term lower prices and better choices for all consumers."

For more information, check out the article FCC Delays Vote on AT&T-BellSouth Deal.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an executive order near the end of October to make it easier for the state to build broadband networks. According to the official press release, the goal of the order is to ensure all government agencies are using the best technologies to serve the people and create a broadband task force that lets experts from government and business work together to identify and eliminate obstacles to making broadband Internet access available across the state.

"California is home to the greatest technology entrepreneurs. Let's show the world what we can do," said Gov. Schwarzenegger at the UC Davis Health System Pediatric Telehealth Colloquium in San Francisco, where a doctor examined an 11-year old leukemia patient by video about 100 miles away in Sacramento. "If we want to stay number one in technology, we need action. In countries like Japan and South Korea, the people have access to great technologies at lower costs than anywhere in America. We can do that. Michigan has one of the largest wireless broadband networks in the country. We can do that. That???s why I???m signing an executive order to help make California a leader in the telecommunications revolution."

After his speech to the colloquium, the Governor joined Silicon Valley CEOs and executives to discuss the economic development that increased broadband adoption would spur. "Broadband will help build California so we can grow our economy by competing in the global marketplace," said Gov. Schwarzenegger. "California must remain competitive so we continue to attract the best, brightest and most creative workforce in the world."

Research conducted on the California "One Gigabyte or Bust" Broadband Initiative estimated that enabling broadband access for 50 percent of Californians would have enormous economic impacts on the state, adding over $365 billion annually to the state's economy within seven years and helping create or retain two million sustainable jobs. Similarly, the California Communications Association estimates that every dollar invested in broadband networks generates $3 in economic activity, and that every $1 billion in telecom capital spending equates to 7,000 new telecom jobs???including jobs in network construction, engineering, operations and the creation of new equipment and products.

A U.S. Commerce Department study released this year found that the availability of broadband is directly tied to business growth???especially among new technology-intensive firms. The Governor's office believes that greater broadband access will directly support California???s world-leading technology industry???creating jobs both in the communications sector and for high-tech companies like Intel, Google, Yahoo!, and eBay, which rely on Internet usage to drive business. They also feel that increasing broadband deployment will also further support the California economy by making the state an attractive home for the nation???s???and the world???s???preeminent scientists and researchers.

To read the full text of the executive order, see the official press release Gov. Schwarzenegger Signs Executive Order to Help Make California the Leader in Telecommunications Revolution.

AT&T has launched a new home monitoring service that the company says will help customers stay more connected to their homes and families while they are away. Available nationwide, the new service enables customers to use both personal computers and Cingular wireless devices to access streaming digital video and other real-time data and information from their homes???at virtually any time and from anywhere.

AT&T considers this new service an example of the company's continuing commitment to innovation, and its strategy for delivering converged, IP-based services that enable customers to access content, critical applications and information virtually anytime, anywhere, and using any device.

The AT&T home monitor service combines live and recorded video (non-audio) capabilities with a range of environmental sensor options to provide customers with a toolkit to help them stay connected to the people and things they value most. For example, the service allows users to remotely control lighting in their homes, and it can provide a range of alerts and reports on home conditions, such as motion, door and window activity, water leakage, and temperature changes.

"Keeping track of home activities is increasingly challenging today, as we spend more time on the road and on the run," said Susan Johnson, senior vice president of Business Development at AT&T. "The new AT&T home monitoring service will provide an affordable, easy-to-use solution for a variety of challenges in managing a household. This service is ideal for a wide range of potential applications, from keeping an eye on children, elderly parents or pets to monitoring a second home or vacation home."

The service allows users to customize alerts and actions based on their specific needs. For example, a user can program the service to send a text message alert to a cell phone when motion is detected in an area of the home, while at the same time automatically turning on lighting and recording video of the same area.

The service is available via AT&T to customers of Cingular Wireless services, and can be accessed via virtually any Cingular wireless phone or PDA capable of supporting Internet access and Java, as well as nearly any broadband-enabled PC. The service is optimized for residential customers who subscribe to AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet as well as Cingular services.

The company says the new home monitoring service is an example of the new generation of converged, IP-based services that AT&T is working to deliver for residential and business customers. To maximize these extensive networks, AT&T and Cingular are developing and deploying advanced technology to enable seamless sharing of information between wireless and wireline networks and devices. Ultimately, AT&T will use this unified network to enable virtually seamless connectivity anywhere, anytime, and on almost any device, giving consumers what they want, when they want it, wherever they are. Increasingly, services will be accessible from any of the "three screens" that many consumers value most: the TV, PC and cell phone.

"Our home monitoring service is an early yet powerful example of the potential of converged services," Johnson said. "As AT&T works to blend the lines between communications applications, customers will no longer be tied to a specific device to access a specific service. Voice, data, and video services will be accessible from a range of devices, allowing customers to communicate and access information how they prefer, wherever they happen to be."

For more details, check out the AT&T press release.

BellSouth recently announced that it has entered into a non-exclusive agreement with Resident Interactive, Inc. to jointly market a community Web portal service in planned communities in BellSouth's service area.

Under this sales teaming agreement, BellSouth, together with Resident Interactive, will offer a community Web portal service, known as Digital Village Service, as part of BellSouth's comprehensive communications portfolio for planned communities that includes voice, video, high-speed data, security and Wi-Fi hotspot solutions.

Resident Interactive's Digital Village Service allows homeowners associations and property managers in single family home, apartment and condominium developments to create a more connected community. The Web portal service is a virtual representation of a neighborhood where residents can meet, form groups, make plans and link with local businesses.

"Developers are increasingly identifying community web portals as a differentiating amenity for their residents," said Phil Jacobs, president - Community Technologies, BellSouth. "The Digital Village Service is a logical complement to BellSouth's comprehensive technology portfolio and provides additional solutions to communities through a trusted source."

BellSouth and Resident Interactive will jointly market the Digital Village Service and coordinate deployment of services with community managers. Resident Interactive will provide ongoing customer service and technical user support.

"Our mission is to establish outstanding, long-term relationships with our customers and strategic partners, while delivering software with unmatched reliability and customer service that exceeds expectations in every respect," said Dennis Papalois, president and CEO of Resident Interactive, Inc. "The teaming agreement with BellSouth will greatly expand our capabilities to meet this objective in more communities across the Southeast. It is truly a winning proposition for developers and residents."

For more information, check out the press release BellSouth and Resident Interactive, Inc. Sign Teaming Agreement to Deploy Web Portal Service in Planned Communities.

This Halloween, Comcast, in partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment and Lionsgate, will unveil its new horror-movie network FearNet. The new offering will allow fans to watch movies through Comcast's video-on-demand service and on the Web at FearNet.com. Other elements include full-length trailers, a search engine/horror movie encyclopedia, news, a community site and a trivia game.

First announced at Comcast???s video-on-demand upfront in April, FearNet's on-demand platform will serve 200 horror titles a year, with about 70 hours of programming a month, including a number of Japanese- and Spanish-language productions and blood and guts in high-definition. Titles like "Bram Stoker's Dracula," "Night of the Living Dead" and "The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre" will be offered free to Comcast's 11 million digital cable subscribers.

Web surfers will be able to watch nine movies for free each month???for a total of 50 titles a year???as well as 100 shorts, which include original programming from directors such as Wes Craven.

According to Reuters, the FearNet launch plan was purposely designed to cater to the adults 18-34 demographic, who increasingly are watching and consuming media on demand while multitasking like never before. "This generation wants content when they want it, how they want it and where they want it," said Diane Robina, president of emerging networks for Comcast Programming Group. "To me, besides usage and revenue numbers, these channels in general will be successful if fans embrace them and like what we've created for them."

For more information, check out the Reuters UK article Comcast Corp. scares up horror broadband site or the official FearNet site.

EarthLink and Telkonet announced recently that they have agreed to test broadband over power line access and Internet voice service in nine apartment complexes located in the Washington, D.C. area using Telkonet's powerline backbone.

Under the terms of the agreement, Telkonet's iWire System??? will be the platform used to enable high-speed Internet and data access to EarthLink as part of a voice and broadband Internet and home networking package that includes features such as caller ID, voicemail and three-way calling bundled with high-speed Internet access. EarthLink will market its services to apartment residents in the D.C. metro area.

"This combination of high-speed Internet, voice and home networking service is a part of EarthLink's ongoing commitment to providing more access options for customers," said Kevin Brand, EarthLink's group vice president of access. "We want to make it easy for apartment residents to save money on their phone bills and get feature-rich, high-quality high-speed access."

"EarthLink's reputation for superb customer service combined with their enhanced services, competitive pricing and the Telkonet powerline backbone makes for a very compelling product offering," said Ronald W. Pickett, president and CEO of Telkonet.

EarthLink will use Telkonet's powerline technology to offer high-speed access, Internet voice and home networking service to apartment households in the D.C. area where the cost of retro-fitting the property with new wiring for broadband is not economically feasible. Telkonet's system uses each building's internal electrical wiring to deliver the service.

The nine properties are owned and managed by the Bozzuto Management Company, an award-winning operator of residential communities and commercial properties in the Washington/Baltimore and Philadelphia market. Bozzuto provides the very best value to their customers through an outstanding level of service to both the owners of the properties and the residents who live in them.

CNET recently announced the official launch of its video destination, CNET TV, as well as a partnership with Verizon to distribute CNET???s video through on-demand television. The latest partnership extends the reach of CNET content and its original videos to even more people interested in today???s latest tech and consumer electronics.

Launched earlier this year, CNET TV offers an environment where users can find all of CNET???s videos. In addition, CNET TV makes a selection of the site???s popular video content available for distribution on television. The partnership with Verizon follows on successful partnerships with Cox Communications and TiVo, Inc., which currently make CNET???s videos available to consumers through their on-demand services. Verizon, which currently offers Verizon, FiOS TV in seven states, will also make CNET???s video content available to its on-demand subscribers, including product reviews, help and how-to videos, and commentary on breaking news.

Online, CNET TV is also introducing downloadable content, making CNET???s videos available to consumers while they are on-the-go. Users can subscribe to a video podcast they???ve created based on their own play lists or with the existing channels on CNET TV. For example, a person looking to buy a new flat-screen TV could create a playlist with the latest product reviews and tips and tricks from CNET???s experts that they can take with them shopping.

???The latest VOD partnerships are further proof of CNET???s unique ability to create video programming that helps demystify technology and help people get the most out of their products,??? said Joe Gillespie, executive vice president of CNET. ???With the official launch of CNET TV and these additional partnerships, CNET videos are available everywhere our consumers want ??? online, offline, and on-the-go.???

According to CNET, CNET TV quickly became a popular destination as a result of its unique design and personalization features, which includes a virtual remote control, a ???draggable??? interface so users can move things around, full-screen playback, playlists, and customizable channels and backgrounds. With more than 30 original videos produced each week and a library of thousands of videos, CNET TV gives people a single destination to easily find the latest videos on their favorite technology products and topics. Since launch, streams have increased 152 percent thanks to popular video features like the Buzz Report, Car Tech, Insider Secrets, Prize Fight and First Look from the Lab that help consumers figure out what gadgets to buy and how to get the most out them.

For more information, check out the CNET press release.

Charter Communications announced last week that it is expanding availability of its converged data, voice and video (???triple-play???) services with a network based on the Cisco Systems?? Internet Protocol Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) architecture.

???The growth of high-speed data, voice, video-on-demand and Gigabit Ethernet multimedia services make the IP delivery network the most critical technology in Charter???s delivery of rich content to our customers,??? said Marwan Fawaz, Charter Communications Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer.

Charter says its goal is to enhance the customer experience while consolidating and simplifying its communication infrastructure to maximize efficiency and reduce costs, especially when enabling disparate infrastructure technologies to work together. Charter deployed the Cisco?? uBR10012 cable modem termination system (CMTS) to maintain the expansion of broadband speeds and to support the company???s growth of next-generation Charter Telephone services. Charter also utilizes the Cisco ONS 15454 multiservice transport platform (MSTP) with reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexing (ROADM).

???Charter Communications is at the forefront of providing advanced voice, video and data services for the home and businesses,??? said Surya Panditi, Cisco Vice President and General Manager, Access and Aggregation Business Unit. ???Cisco continues to offer compelling reasons to adopt our industry-leading CMTS and ROADM technologies.???

The companies say that Charter customers will get enhanced user experiences when viewing and sharing television content, surfing the web, downloading music and videos, and participating in online gaming.

For more information, check out the press release Charter Communications Enhances Business and Residential Service Delivery With Cisco IP NGN Architecture.

Atlantic Broadband this week launched Operation Mail Call, a new initiative that provides free high-speed Internet service to customers with an immediate family member serving in the military in the two war zones.

"This is the 21st Century version of the 'mail call' that brightened the wartime experience of U.S. servicemen and women in past decades," said Rich Shea, VP and Chief Information Officer, who conceived of the idea. "Atlantic Broadband's Operation Mail Call will make it possible for our customers???particularly those who otherwise could not afford high-speed Internet service???to exchange e-mail with their loved ones any time of the day or night," Shea said. "And, because of our broadband speed and capacity, they can share photos, video, and even their children's drawings, virtually instantaneously."

Believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, the Operation Mail Call free Internet initiative is available everywhere Atlantic Broadband provides Internet service, including central and western Pennsylvania and nearby areas in West Virginia, western Maryland and western New York State; the Maryland/Delaware peninsula; and several cities in South Florida, including Miami Beach. Atlantic Broadband's technology and communications tools put the company in a unique position to help ease the anxiety of separation that families endure in wartime. It will keep them connected???more often and more immediately.

The company saw the efforts of the U.S. military???as well as groups like We Support You, the Freedom Calls Foundation and the Military Family Association???to provide troops in the field with Internet connections, voice calling and messaging services. But it also recognized a gap here at home, with many families lacking the resources to make the connection from their own homes.

"Customer appreciation offers are nothing new, but this is a very special one for all of us at Atlantic Broadband," Shea noted. "We are privileged to be able to offer this service to the families who are making such a great sacrifice for all of us.

Atlantic Broadband's Operation Mail Call will provide free Internet service to all customer households with an immediate family member???husband, wife, son, daughter, father or mother???stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan. The household will receive Atlantic Broadband Preferred Service (at up to 3 megabits per second), a free cable modem, up to five separate e-mail accounts, free installation and maintenance. The complimentary service will last as long as the family member is posted in either of the war zones. One household per serviceperson will be eligible.

lcatel recently announced it has now surpassed 100 million DSL lines shipped, doubling its total shipments since October 2004.

Ten years after pioneering the broadband access market, Alcatel says it continues to set the pace for the industry with its ISAM product family, a purpose-built 100 percent triple play IP access solution, which 100 new customers have selected in the past two years. In addition, 16 of the top 20 DSL operators in the world are utilizing Alcatel's broadband access solutions. Moreover, 17 operators are also engaged with Alcatel in GPON projects in all regions.

"Alcatel, in surpassing the 100 million DSL line shipment milestone, has set a new benchmark for DSL access vendors, a feat which is especially impressive given the increasing competitive pressures in this market," said Erik M. Keith, Senior Analyst for Broadband Infrastructure at Current Analysis Moreover. "Alcatel's continuing ability to retain its global DSL market leadership, and set new quarterly and annual DSL port shipment records in the process, is a testament to Alcatel's corporate fortitude as well as its long-term commitment to the global broadband access market. This achievement also highlights Alcatel's success in the IP DSLAM sector, where the Company has garnered more than 100 ISAM customers to date."

Read more in the press release Alcatel Passes 100 Million DSL Lines Milestone and Sets the Pace for the Industry.

Market Watch is reporting that the AT&T-BellSouth merger delay will end soon. According to the business news site, the Federal Communications Commission has scheduled a vote for Oct. 12 at the behest of Chairman Kevin Martin, who has insisted on trying to meet the agency's informal 180-day deadline on reviewing proposed mergers.

However, the deal also has to win approval from the Justice Department's antitrust division. While the two agencies tend to consult each other through the review process and Justice typically issues its ruling several days or weeks before the FCC, there have been exceptions. The most notable occuring when the FCC was the first agency to block the DIRECTV-Dish Network merger a few years ago.

According to Market Watch, regulatory analysts have long predicted that the AT&T-BellSouth merger would pass regulatory muster with few conditions attached because the companies do not compete in many markets and they co-own Cingular Wireless, the nation's biggest mobile company. The merger has already won approval in all U.S. states in which the two companies have a large presences, as well as the foreign countries in which AT&T operates.

For more information, check out the article AT&T-BellSouth merger set for vote.

Headquartered in Little Rock, Ark., Windstream Communications offers phone, broadband and digital TV services. Windstream was formed through the spin-off of Alltel's landline business and merger with VALOR Telecom. Windstream has approximately 3.3 million access lines in 16 states. Currently, local phone, long distance, and broadband service categories are available through WhiteFence: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas. We are looking to launch bundled offers in the coming weeks.

Unveiling an online hub designed to host tailgaters, music fans, gaming junkies and even the celebrity-obsessed, AT&T Inc. announced today the joining of AT&T's exclusive music, sports and other entertainment content ??? including a new Internet gaming portal???through a single online gate, an updated AT&T blue room.

The new AT&T blue room builds on the success of several content-driven properties developed by AT&T over the past two years, including AT&T blue room music, AT&T Home Turf and AT&T Project D.U. These groundbreaking online portals feature exclusive content???such as live performances, candid interviews and celebrity athlete home tours, as well as unedited commentary on everything from music to politics to celebrities as part of a strategic initiative to link the AT&T brand to premier communications and entertainment experiences. Since January 2006, these sites have fueled the sale of key products and services, such as AT&T Yahoo!^?? High-Speed Internet and Cingular Wireless.

"As we've executed and expanded this strategy, we've been able to turn an interesting and innovative concept into an online phenomena, attracting enthusiasts of all stripes who are now regularly visiting these AT&T sites looking for content they can't get elsewhere," said Mikal Harn, vice president, AT&T Consumer. "Aggregating the properties instead of hosting them in silos will enable us to deliver a richer experience to current visitors while attracting new ones. For example, users with multiple interests can more easily toggle from one topic to the next, and music fans who have gaming friends can help build word-of-mouth buzz for blue room content."

Evidence gathered by EarthLink's fraud and abuse team has led to the arrest of individuals who allegedly sent over 25,000 e-mail messages using PeoplePC accounts. PeoplePC is a leading provider of high-quality, value-priced Internet service and subsidiary of EarthLink.

R. Alexander Acosta, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, has charged Jared Cosgrave and Mohammed Haque with fraud and related activity in connection with electronic mail in violation of the CAN-SPAM Act. Both have pled guilty to the charge filed.

"Spammers who set up PeoplePC accounts for the sole purpose of sending spam will be dealt with harshly. EarthLink is committed to cracking down on any abuse of our networks," said Lindsey Wegrzyn, EarthLink's operations security enforcement advisor. "We commend the South Florida Attorney General's Office and Miami FBI for helping to shut down this spamming operation."

The arrests and charges come after a month long investigation last year by EarthLink's fraud and abuse team. In November of 2005, the team discovered thousands of unsolicited e-mails with the subject lines "I'm finally back home" and "I just got back in town." They also became aware of another stream of messages promoting herbal supplements.

Upon further investigation, the abuse team determined that both types of e-mails were being sent through PeoplePC accounts originating from Miami, Florida. The team acted quickly to close the accounts and alert the FBI. FBI agents tracked the source of the emails and a search warrant was issued that led to arrests of the alleged spammers.

"Having the support of EarthLink's fraud and abuse team is one more reason that PeoplePC is able to deliver high quality, value-priced Internet service," said David Rowland, PeoplePC's group vice president and general manager. "Catching spammers who sent thousands of e-mail messages using a PeoplePC account is key to helping our 1.4 million members have a hassle-free Internet experience."

EarthLink continues to take a tough stance toward spammers. Since 1996, the company has sued hundreds of spammers and won more than $200 million in judgments, including two criminal convictions against spammers who received prison sentences for their offenses.

Two months after the integration of Southern California's Adelphia and Comcast operations, Time Warner Cable announced a series of product and customer service improvements to its acquired systems. Starting next month, Time Warner Cable Los Angeles Region will roll out a regionwide standardized digital channel line-up, new genre-based programming blocks, additional high-definition channels and ethnic-language networks, 100 percent digital picture and sound, the launch of new High-Speed Online packages, the start of e-mail domain name changes, and the beginning of Digital Phone launches.

To assist customers during this major transition, Time Warner Cable has launched a comprehensive customer communication campaign consisting of television, radio, outdoor and print advertising. Customers also will receive direct mail, bill inserts and e-mail messages to ensure each customer is aware of the myriad changes.

"Today's announcement is a first step in Time Warner Cable's commitment to offer consumers the best in cable products and services," said Roger Keating, Executive Vice President, Time Warner Cable. "We know from customer feedback and proven successes in other parts of the county that customers want more quality programming that's value driven and rich with choice. These enhancements are designed to address these customer needs."

To see if service is available in your area, visit the Time Warner Cable information page.

In a recent keynote address at the annual conference sponsored by the Fiber to the Home (FTTH) Council, Verizon Telecom Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Bob Ingalls said their competiitors are coming up short on their ???me-too??? claims of offering a fiber-rich network for high-speed Internet and TV service.

???As the FTTH Council has already acknowledged, Verizon is the only major provider in the country that is building and offering service over an all-fiber network,??? Ingalls said.  ???The claims by the competition ??? most notably the cable industry???that they offer a similar fiber-dense network fall a mile short???the last mile.???

In September, the FTTH Council announced that Verizon has earned the council???s first certification for a network that provides fiber all the way to customers??? homes and offices.

In his presentation, Ingalls outlined Verizon???s plans for building the nation???s largest all-fiber network, including an $18 billion net investment over a seven-year period (2004-2010). Verizon told investors and analysts last week that it plans to pass 18 million premises with its fiber network by the end of 2010???more than half the approximately 33 million households in the company???s 28-state wireline service area.  The company is on target to pass 6 million households by the end of this year.

Verizon is also seeing strong customer demand for FiOS TV, which was launched in its first market just over a year ago.  By the end of the third quarter of 2006, Verizon expects to have more than 100,000 FiOS TV customers, and the company estimates that about two-thirds of FiOS TV customers have discontinued their cable TV service.

Verizon has set a target of 175,000 FiOS TV customers by year-end 2006 and making the service available to 1.8 million households.  This would be a market penetration rate of approximately 10 percent.  More than 1 million households are already currently eligible to purchase FiOS TV services, due to Verizon???s progress in obtaining state and local cable franchises.

Verizon???s goal is for FiOS TV to have a market penetration rate that ranges from 20 percent to 25 percent by 2010???or from 3 million to 4 million FiOS TV customers???based on its estimate that approximately 15 million households will be video-ready by then.

Nearly 80 percent of FiOS TV customers have purchased three services???voice, data and video???from Verizon, with customer loyalty that has exceeded the company???s initial expectations.

???Verizon???s FiOS Internet services continue to gain market share with unmatched reliability and speeds that make applications like photo and video sharing, blogging, digital movie downloads, video chat and conferencing, and interactive multi-player games a part of everyday living,??? Ingalls said. ???Meanwhile FiOS TV is setting the pace for signal clarity, HD channel lineup and video on demand, all at competitive prices.???

For more information, check out the Verizon press release.

According to a new study featured in a recent USA Today article, more than 100 million Americans, or three out of every five Internet users, viewed video online in July.

Data on both streaming, which requires a live Internet connection, and downloads, in which a user saves a file that can be viewed later or offline, was recorded by ComScore Media Metrix, an Internet marketing research provider. The company says that 107 million people streamed or downloaded nearly 7.2 billion video clips???an average of 67 apiece.

ComScore also reported that Yahoo was tops with 38 million unique users, followed by News Corp.'s MySpace.com at 37 million and YouTube at 31 million. Unlike with MySpace and YouTube, which emphasize user-generated video, the Yahoo offerings generally came through content partnerships. Yahoo only recently started a video-sharing service.

AOL, the Time Warner Inc. unit seeking to boost traffic to its ad-supported sites largely by expanding its video offerings, did not make the top three. AOL and other Time Warner video had 26 million users, placing it fourth ahead of Microsoft, Viacom and Google.

Fore more information, check out the USA Today article.

Time Warner Cable's Road Runner Service is celebrating its ten year anniversary this month. The service was officially launched in a high-profile event on Sept. 10, 1996 in Akron, Ohio.  Time Warner Cable had initially tested the service in 1995 in Elmira, New York, and after the formal launch, rolled out the service to its customers nationwide over the next two years.

Since 1996, Road Runner has grown into an award-winning broadband service used by millions of people while the cost for the service has remained as low as $39.95. Features now include remote access, multiple e-mail accounts, free broadband content, security software, parental controls, instant messaging, video mail, PhotoShow Deluxe, personal Web space and optional wireless service. Download speeds have grown from approximately 1-1.5 mbps to 5-10 mbps, varying by location.  While Road Runner customers have always had access to local content, users can now also customize the site to meet their needs.

To see if Road Runner High Speed Online??? service is available near you, visit Time Warner Cable page at WhiteFence.

AT&T recently announced that approximately 2,000 previously outsourced technical support jobs will be added to the AT&T payroll. The jobs???which have been outsourced both domestically and overseas???are related to supporting AT&T's DSL customers who self-install their service or have other basic questions about the service.

"This is one more example of how we're working together with our union to add jobs in growing parts of our company," said Bill Blase, executive vice president-Labor Relations. "We're pleased that the Communications Workers of America has recognized the mutual importance of creating these jobs with competitive wages and benefits that enhance the company's ability to compete while creating good jobs."

The DSL jobs are the second group of jobs that the company and the union have agreed to create in recent months. Previously the company and most regions of the CWA agreed on a contract covering premises technicians who will perform installation work at customer homes for AT&T's new U-verse^SM video service. Hiring of those workers is under way as the product is rolled out. The company is currently assessing where to locate the DSL jobs, which will be added to the AT&T payroll by the end of 2008.

For more information, check out the San Antonio Business Journal article AT&T plans tohire 2,000 DSL jobs.

EMBARQ recently announced it will be providing its high speed Internet customers two new free services???network storage capacity and on-demand video???as enhancements to their broadband services.

"We believe we offer the most reliable form of broadband connectivity, at very competitive prices," said Kirk Porteous, director-product development for the Embarq Consumer Markets organization. "EMBARQ Media Safe offers secure online storage and provides our customers with user-friendly automated backup of their computer files and data while allowing them to access, store, organize and share those files from any secure web browser. Through EMBARQ Video Clicks we provide convenient access to a multitude of high-quality videos containing music, news, weather sports and other entertainment."

EMBARQ Media Safe offers 25 gigabytes of secure online storage at no additional charge for all EMBARQ high speed Internet customers, potentially providing enough storage for 8,000 high-quality pictures or 6,000 songs. For high-end users, packages offering up to 1,000 gigabytes (1 terabyte) of storage are available for purchase.

In addition, EMBARQ Video Clicks will allow customers to instantly access music videos; regional, national and international news and weather; sports highlights from their favorite teams; and other entertainment such as short videos and movie trailers.

Read more about these new services in the press release EMBARQ Offers Two Free High-Speed Internet Enhancements.

Buckeye CableSystem and Everyone.net, a provider of private-label hosted e-mail services, recently announced that Buckeye will offer an upgraded set of e-mail solutions to its subscribers, based on a custom version of the Everyone.net e-mail platform. The companies say that the new solution will provide users with a highly reliable feature-rich experience and a significant reduction in spam and junk e-mail, while saving e-mail infrastructure costs and resources for Buckeye.

"Buckeye is committed to delivering the most advanced services to our subscribers," said W.H. Carstensen, president and general manager of Buckeye. "Because e-mail is one of the most popular services among our customer base, we wanted to offer the best. After evaluating vendors, it was clear that Everyone.net's e-mail solution enables us to significantly evolve our offerings to include better quality of e-mail service, greater flexibility, and enhanced features."

According to Everyone.net, Buckeye CableSystem is joining a growing list of service providers who trust the company to manage e-mail services. Everyone.net's private-label solution is designed to alleviate the rising cost of e-mail maintenance, such as hardware and software investments, while significantly improving reliability. The company says that service providers such as Buckeye will be able offer subscribers cost-effective e-mail services without sacrificing the flexibility and control of an in-house e-mail system.

"We have been impressed with the constant innovation and services that Buckeye delivers to its customers," said Michael Rose, chief executive officer of Everyone.net. "We are confident that our e-mail services will help support their strategy of offering value-added services to differentiate themselves in a crowded market."

For more information, check out the press release Buckeye CableSystem Customers to Benefit from Secure, Reliable E-mail Services from Everyone.net.

Qwest recently launched a football-themed Web site to help customers stay even more connected to the sport of football through its communications services. The new site's (www.morefootball.com) interactive features helps put fans at the center of football action.

With a basic digital camera, even amateurs can create and post personal videos. On morefootball.com, fans can upload their own video clips and watch others' video clips, post comments and rant, rave and rehash each play of the season. Fans can also track their favorite teams, make weekly "Fan Picks" and even find the recipes for their own football parties.

"Qwest's morefootball.com brings football fans together and gives them the chance to immerse themselves in the sport in a fan-friendly, easy way," said Laura Sankey, Qwest vice president of corporate marketing and advertising. "Customers tell us they want a fast, interactive connection to football, and Qwest's morefootball.com makes that possible."

The new Web site builds on the Qwest Football Bundles the company launched in August that include high-speed Internet service, digital voice and DIRECTV?? service, as well as the opportunity to add exclusive services and features, such as DIRECTV's subscription football packages and Qwest Wireless.

Check out the Qwest services page to see if bundles are available in your area.

Yahoo! and Current TV, a pioneer in "viewer created content" (VC2) for television and the Web, have partnered to deliver high-quality video content to one of the largest audience on the Web. The launch of the Yahoo! Current Network combines the best in user submitted videos plus professional, studio-produced content to air side by side in a co-branded environment, leveraging the highly customizable Yahoo! Video platform.

"Current TV empowers young adults to actively participate in creating the television they want to watch, but in a broader sense, we're about giving young adults a voice," states Current TV co-founder and chairman Al Gore. "Current's mission has always been to spark a global conversation among young adults. Partnering with Yahoo! helps us advance this mission."

Yahoo! Current Network's daily video offerings blend pop culture awareness with journalistic sensibilities to offer a smart, irreverent take on trends, news and personalities. Videos created and submitted by users will be featured alongside professionally produced segments narrated by Yahoo! Current Network hosts to inform and entertain enthusiast and mainstream audiences. All Yahoo! Current Network content can be easily found, via a search shortcut, by going to Yahoo.com and searching for "Current."

"Current TV's strengths in producing and programming some of the most creative video content available, combined with Yahoo!'s leadership in online video and user-centered communities creates a unique experience. The new Yahoo! Current Network helps publishers find an audience and be discovered on the biggest network on the planet," said Dan Rosensweig, chief operating officer for Yahoo!. "In addition, the Yahoo! Current Network allows advertisers to reach highly targeted audiences in an engaging environment."

The Yahoo! Current Network debuts with four channels on Yahoo! Video that allow users to view and upload videos, participate in rich communities and share their passions. Each channel will feature a daily selection of the best viewer created video submissions and professionally produced Buzz videos. These featured videos will be programmed into a set of custom branded channels with all content discoverable through Yahoo! Video.

Through user participation features found on Yahoo! Video, including the ability to rate, review and share videos, all viewers can voice their opinions and share their favorite content. Users can personalize their experience by subscribing to channels, grouping videos related by source or topic and making videos viewable from their blogs or Web sites.

Current TV, which launched August 1, 2005, is the first national network created by, for and with an 18-34 year-old audience. The network shows young adults what's going on in their world, in their voice. Current is available in 30 million U.S. homes via Comcast (channel 107 nationwide), Time Warner Cable, and DIRECTV (channel 366 nationwide). For more information, check out www.current.tv.

As the cost of high-speed Internet service declines and connection speeds become more important, high-speed service overtakes dial-up in market share for the first time, according to the recently-released J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Internet Service Provider (ISP) Residential Customer Satisfaction Study(SM).

The study found that 56 percent of residential ISP customers subscribe to high-speed Internet service-an increase of 11 percentage points from 2005. Correspondingly, market share of dial-up service has dropped from 55 percent in 2005 to 44 percent in 2006. This trend is expected to continue, as the intent to switch service providers among dial-up customers has increased by 3 percentage points from 2005 to 21 percent in 2006, while switching intent among high-speed customers has essentially remained flat since 2003 at 11 percent.

The average amount subscribers report spending per month for high-speed Internet service has steadily decreased since 2004???down by $1.99 to $42.13 in 2006. During the same time period, the average amount dial-up service subscribers report spending has also declined; however, the drop is less significant???falling $0.69 from 2004 to $18.45 per month in 2006.

"Although high-speed Internet service is still considerably more expensive than dial-up, bundling high-speed with other products, such as telephone and video service, has made it an increasingly attractive option for many customers," said Steve Kirkeby, executive director of telecommunications and technology research at J.D. Power and Associates.

"This is not to say that dial-up services are completely out of the picture, as dial-up still holds a significant portion of the market. More specifically, customers are often willing to pay more for faster Internet speeds, provided they are getting other services for less. Our research shows that customers are increasingly expecting offerings and incentives that recognize their loyalty, and high-speed Internet is a critical piece of the most attractive bundled offers."

For more information on this new study, check out the press release J.D. Power and Associates Reports: High-Speed Internet Overtakes Dial-Up in Market Share as Bundling Makes Services More Affordable.    

Apparently, AOL's free services are paying off. Time Warner Inc. said this week that the company's strategy to offer most of AOL's services for free was making faster-than-expected progress in attracting new Internet users and cutting costs.

Jeffrey Bewkes, Time Warner's chief operating officer, told investors that its strategy had attracted new users beyond those who were once paying customers of the online service. He reported around 40 percent of new users were not former subscribers. In addition, subscribers who formerly paid for AOL services were moving to its free services at a quicker rate than originally predicted by AOL management.

"People weren't leaving AOL because they didn't like it," Bewkes said. "They were leaving because they wanted to go to [high-speed] broadband."

For more information, check out the Yahoo! News article AOL gains more new customers after going free.

Would you like to get high-speed Internet for only $12.99 a month? You can, if you order AT&T Yahoo! DSL Internet from WhiteFence. This special deal is ending on September 30, so you need to hurry up. Just go to WhiteFence and enter your address to find out if AT&T Yahoo! is available in your area.

Comcast recently announced that it has received the "People's Choice Award" for The Fan??? media player at the 16th Flashforward Conference and Film Festival held in Austin, Texas, from September 11-14, 2006. The Fan competed against 60 other Internet sites and applications for the coveted award.

The Fan streams video clips on Comcast's portal Comcast.net to the company's 10 million high-speed Internet subscribers and provides an easy way to find, search, watch, organize and save favorite video content. The Fan streams hundreds of thousands of short-form video clips related to entertainment, games, shopping, travel and other content that consumers want to view online, averaging about 3 million video downloads a day.

The Flashforward conference is the largest international Flash-related film festival in the world. Every year the top sites on the Web that use Flash technology are entered as contestants in the festival. People's Choice award is the only award judged by actual Internet users, rather than a panel of experts.

For more information, visit the Flashforward Conference site.

While Time Warner Cable and Common Sense Media are focusing on helping parents making better viewing choices for their children, the U.S. Senate focused on passing a bill to mandate a study examining the effects such exposure has on the cognitive development of children.

The Children and Media Research Advancement Act, sponsored by Senators Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., and Sam Brownback, R-Kan., among others, will establish a research program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC, working with the National Academy of Sciences, will examine existing research and set new research priorities regarding how screen media???including television, computers and video games??? effects children. It will also issue grants over six years to researchers to examine the impact of media on a child's social, cognitive and physical development.

Read more about the new bill in the AdWeek article Senate Calls for Media Study.

A recent Investor's Business Daily article posted on Investors.com gives an in-depth profile of BellSouth's plans to upgrade its broadband service. According to the article, BellSouth plans to upgrade about 10 percent of the households it serves to 50 megabits per second Internet access, nearly 10 times faster than its current service, starting in the second half of 2007.

Targeting more than 1.3 million homes, the upgrade would effect subdivisions and house complexes where the company has already installed the fiber-optic wiring required for the service within 250 feet of homes. Focusing mostly on suburban areas of the Southwest, the upgrade will use a technology known as VDSL2, a faster version of the DSL technology used by phone companies.

The article also quotes a Bernstein Research report that shows BellSouth in fifth place among U.S. broadband Internet providers with 2.6 million subscribers, behind Comcast's industry-leading 9.34 million, as well as AT&T, Verizon and Time Warner Cable.

Read more about BellSouth's plans in the article BellSouth To Give A Boost To Its Broadband Services.

Several news organizations are speculating that cable, telephone and Internet service provider RCN has hired The Blackstone Group to look into a possible sale of the company. According to a Bloomberg.com source, the Herndon, Virginia-based company is struggling to compete against rivals such as Comcast and Time Warner, the two largest U.S. cable companies, in part because they have more leverage with cable networks.

Representatives from The Blackstone Group and RCN declined to comment to the media about the rumors.

For more information, check out the article Struggling RCN Considers Putting Itself Up for Sale.

Time Warner Cable and Common Sense Media recently announced a new partnership to provide Time Warner Cable customers with access to point of decision reviews, ratings and program information designed to help parents make informed viewing choices about TV, movies, music, books, websites and video games. Time Warner Cable will integrate Common Sense Media's extensive reviews, recommendations and media parent tips into its cable television and high-speed data services.

Time Warner Cable will launch a co-branded section on the Company's website and on Road Runner, its high-speed online service, that will present Common Sense Media's independent ratings information for television shows, movies, books, music and video games. Common Sense Media is also producing televised reviews and media information spots for Time Warner Cable's free video on demand service. Additionally, the companies plan to explore the integration of Common Sense Media reviews, recommendations and ratings into the Time Warner Cable interactive program guide and TV listings search functionality.

"We are pleased to partner with Common Sense Media in giving parents additional tools and information to help them make informed decisions for their families," said Time Warner Cable President and CEO Glenn Britt. "Our goal is to incorporate Common Sense Media assets and expertise across a wide variety of Time Warner Cable platforms making this information easy to access for interested customers. We believe Common Sense Media's extensive reviews will add another level of resources to the cable ratings system that has been operating since the mid 1990's."

Time Warner Cable says it is dedicated to providing customers with more control over their cable services. The new partnership should complement the company's Parental Controls which allow users to block specific channels and in many cases specific programs; as well as the Family Choice tier launched in December 2005 that provides customers with a package of programming they could reasonably assume would not contain any content that might be objectionable for younger viewers in the household.

"Time Warner Cable has taken a big step forward in empowering millions of parents by providing them with point of decision media and entertainment reviews and ratings that allow families to experience the best possible media viewing environment," said James P. Steyer, CEO and Founder of Common Sense Media. "Increasingly, parents need trustworthy information to help them navigate through a rapidly changing media world and make positive choices. We're pleased that Glenn Britt and Time Warner Cable are demonstrating such a strong commitment to kids and families by leading the industry in this way."

Read more about this new partnership in the press release Time Warner Cable and Common Sense Media Partner to Help Parents Make Informed Media Viewing Choices.

According to Verizon, Hispanic student success in the classroom depends more and more on broadband access for downloading classroom assignments, researching topics and interacting with teachers.

???In today???s classroom, the Internet is no longer viewed as a luxury but more as a necessity to excel in academics,??? said Jeff McFarland, director of multicultural marketing for Verizon Communications. ???Our goal at Verizon is to empower Hispanics by helping bridge the gap between education and technology.???

For parents who want to be sure their children have a safe and enjoyable broadband experience, Verizon suggestions they follow these back-to-school tips:

Monitor the computer
Keep your computer in a common area of the house where adults can easily check on the child???s online activity. Periodically review the browser???s ???history??? feature to see a list of Web sites your child recently visited.

Talk to your child about the Internet
Discuss the information your child can find on the Internet that will help them with their homework or help them better understand a topic they are having problem with at school. Verizon also suggests helpful websites for academic research include: www.math-and-reading-help-for-kids.org, www.encarta.com and www.yourhomework.com.

Help with homework
Sit beside your young children during homework activities but let them attempt the work first. If you see that they're doing something inaccurately, ask them questions to help them think it through. For older children, parents should review assignments and papers both before they're turned in and after they're graded.

For more information, check out the Hispanic PRWire press release Verizon???s Back-to-School Tip: Broadband Use Helps Children Succeed.

AT&T Inc.and MobiTV Inc. recently announced an agreement to offer a mobile television service to broadband users in the United States, including AT&T Yahoo!?? High Speed Internet and AT&T WorldNet subscribers. The browser-based service, which will be called AT&T Broadband TV, will enable subscribers to use a computer to access live programming while at home, at work, or on the go using wired and wireless broadband technologies.

The deal makes AT&T the first U.S. broadband provider to offer a live TV subscription service with MobiTV to consumers through any broadband connection. The service expands upon an earlier agreement that enables AT&T to offer MobiTV to customers who use thousands of AT&T Wi-Fi hot spots.

The service will initially have approximately 20 channels of live and made-for-broadband television content spanning national news, sports, entertainment and full-length music videos from top artists. Among the channels included in the initial channel lineup is Fox News,* Bloomberg, Oxygen, History Channel, Comedy Time, Toonworld, Maxx Sports and the Weather Channel.

With desktop integration for easy access, fast channel-changing, full-screen functionality and quality video playback, subscribers can quickly access AT&T Broadband TV through a hyperlink or desktop shortcut.

Users will have access to a comprehensive channel lineup for a flat monthly subscription of $19.99, with additional television channels planned to ensure that AT&T customers have access to the broadest range of entertainment content.

???The AT&T Broadband TV service offers our customers the ability to watch live television programming beyond the TV screen, increasing our capabilities to provide compelling content to consumers who are seeking information and entertainment when, where and on the device they desire,??? said Scott Helbing, executive vice president, AT&T Entertainment Services. ???The deal helps further enhance AT&T's broadband service and three-screen initiative by offering differentiated broadband-enabled content that consumers are increasingly demanding.???

???Television is officially available on the PC now and will reach television fans in their home, office, college dorm, at the airport or anywhere they happen to be,??? said Dr. Phillip Alvelda, CEO, chairman and co-founder of MobiTV. ???MobiTV and AT&T will deliver premium quality content seamlessly across all broadband networks, making entertainment, wireless and technology history.???

To test-drive and order the new service, visit att.mobitv.com. You can also read more in the Yahoo! New article AT&T launches live broadband TV service.

According to a recent article in CNET, a California man got seven years in jail for software piracy, the longest sentence to be handed down as yet. The man, Nathan Peterson, had sold software at extremely discounted rates through his Web site iBackups.net. The site came under investigation by the FBI in 2003, but was not shut down until February 2005. The court found that Peterson had sold over $20 million dollars of software illegally.

Verizon will soon be raising the speed limit in 48 rural communities throughout Illinois with the introduction of its super-fast digital subscriber line (DSL) Internet access service for consumers and businesses. The action is part of Verizon's initiative to deliver its fast, affordable DSL service to thousands more consumers and businesses in the state over the next year.    

Upgrades to Verizon's network have already begun, and the broadband service will be rolled out in stages to customers later this year and in 2007, allowing more people to take advantage of Verizon's affordable high-speed Internet access, as well as other great new offerings, said Philip Wood, vice president of public affairs, policy and communications in Illinois.

"Our DSL customers can experience the Internet fast lane to listen to music, play games, watch streaming video, shop and work from home," said Wood. "This expansion underscores Verizon's ongoing commitment to serve our rural Illinois markets."

See if Verizon DSL service is currently available in your area.

Amazon.com has launched Amazon Unbox???, a new digital video download service offering customers television shows, movies and other video content from more than 30 studio and network partners from Hollywood and around the world. The only video download service to offer DVD-quality picture, Unbox's RemoteLoad??? technology allows customers to buy from one PC (such as an office computer) and download to another (such as a home computer). As part of the launch, the site is inviting customers to visit www.amazon.com/unbox to try the Unbox service with a free TV show.

Amazon says that Unbox offers triple the video quality of the leading commercial Internet video services, delivering content encoded at 2,500 kilobits per second using the VC-1 Advanced Profile codec. Unbox also automatically includes a second file optimized for playback on any Windows Media-compatible portable device at no additional charge. The service uses progressive download, eliminating the need to wait for the entire video to download before watching. This means the typical cable high-speed Internet customer can start watching any Unbox TV show or movie within five minutes of ordering.

"Amazon Unbox offers TV and movie enthusiasts a fast, convenient way to watch thousands of their favorite videos from around the world," said Bill Carr, Amazon.com's vice president of digital media. "Now Amazon.com customers can choose to get videos delivered to their doorstep from Amazon's DVD store or choose Amazon Unbox and download DVD-quality picture movies or television shows to their PC."

Amazon Unbox customers will be able to access their videos in the Amazon Your Media Library, a personalized Web page that indexes and organizes their media purchases from Amazon.com, including books, CDs, DVDs and Unbox Videos. Your Media Library provides each Unbox customer a place to keep track of their Unbox video purchases, and the option to download them to an additional PC.

Customers can purchase television series episodes for $1.99 per episode and most movies for $7.99 to $14.99, or rent the latest movies for $3.99.

For more information on this new service, read the Amazon.com press release or visit www.amazon.com/ubox. 

AT&T recently announced a new addition to its AT&T Blue Room lineup. Beginning September 10, the service will offer an up-close and personal Elton John performance highlighting songs from the artist's upcoming new release, "The Captain and the Kid," as well as favorites from his greatest hits.

In recognition of its first anniversary, the company said that AT&T blue room will renew its commitment to being the online destination for exclusive Webcasts of the industry's hottest shows, allowing fans who can't attend in person the opportunity to see memorable performances in real time and at no charge.

Beginning Sunday, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. Eastern time, 4 p.m. Pacific time, the AT&T blue room give users access to footage from the official Fashion Rocks Elton John pre-party, which will take place in New York City on Sept. 6, in celebration of the highly anticipated Fashion Rocks concert the following night. The performance will be archived on the AT&T blue room, allowing fans to relive the experience for weeks to come.

"If you are a fan of Elton John, this concert is the show to watch," said Richard D. Beckman, president of Conde Nast Media Group. "We are proud to present this rare opportunity to see a musical icon debut a new body of work and provide visitors to the blue room with such an exciting and incomparable experience."

According to AT&T, the AT&T blue room is part of a strategic initiative to link the its brand to premier communications and entertainment experiences, as well as demonstrate how key products and services, such as AT&T Yahoo!?? High Speed Internet and Cingular Wireless, meet the increasing consumer demands for value, choice and convenience.

For more information on the event, check out the press release AT&T Blue Room Seats Elton John Fans Front Row for Upcoming Fashion Rocks' Private Pre-Show Event.

According to Multichannel News, Comcast is planning to announce a Web-based service that will act as an electronic guide and search engine for computer users trying to sort through thousands of scheduled television shows, on-demand videos and high-definition programs.

Rumored to be called TV Planner, the service will be introduced along side Comcast first ???fall lineup??? launch of video-on-demand programming. The company plans on touting the Web service's ability to sort through large amounts of on-demand programming quickly.

Viewers will be able to click on a listing and instruct a digital recording machine to store a copy of a chosen program. Through a recommendation engine that will be eventually added to the service, users will also get suggestions about what other programs might interest them.

The TV Planner service will launch this fall and be exclusively for Comcast cable subscribers. The 10 million Comcast high-speed Internet customers will be able to reach the service through the company's Comcast.net portal, which provides a wide range of video and multimedia services. Comcast's other 12 million or so customers can also search for scheduled shows and on-demand programs by going directly to a Web site set up for providing the guide services.

Read more in the Multichannel News article Comcast Plans a 'TV Guide' on the Web.

California's legislature passed an amended bill this week, by a vote of 64 to 5, that aims to increase competition among cable television providers and make it easier for telephone companies to enter the market. The bill eliminates city-by-city franchises, which proponents said made it nearly impossible for rivals with new technologies to enter California's market for TV entertainment services.

The bill comes at an opportune time for the telephone and cable companies that are fighting to sign up as many customers as possible for a bundle of services including telephone, cable television and high-speed Internet access. AT&T and other telecom giants have been lobbing to eliminate similar laws requiring franchise deals with municipalities before they are allowed offer TV service.

"California has led the way in the evolution of new technology, and with this bill, our state's policy toward contemporary TV and entertainment technology is catching up to the times," said Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, a vocal supporter of the legislation.

In an analyses by the state Senate's Rules Committee, researchers found that more than 60 percent of the state's TV-watching households have cable reception, while 27 percent subscribe to satellite service and the rest use conventional antennae.

Read more about the bill in the CNET News.com article California passes bill easing cable rules.

Verizon recently announced that its Verizon One high-tech phone, which integrates multiple functions, now has several new features at no additional cost to its users. These enhancements include e-mail access, enriched weather maps, the latest entertainment news, sneak peaks at upcoming movies, wireless home networking, the latest lottery results and the ability to transfer cell-phone photos to the Verizon One phone.

"These newest features enrich the Verizon One experience for our DSL customers," said Christopher Pizzirani, Verizon's vice president of broadband management and development, "and increase the value of this state-of-the-art information tool for the home."

The system is available to Verizon Online DSL customers nationwide and integrates a DSL modem, 802.11g wireless router, 5.8 Ghz cordless phone, wide color-touch screen, Verizon SuperPages features, family-event planner and reminder, and a one-touch access point for weather, news, sports, stocks and entertainment information. Up to four additional handsets can be added to each Verizon One phone at an additional cost. The device allows consumers to set up a wireless broadband network connecting computers within the home with straight-forward setup screens, and also features customized information services and a touch-screen display personalized with photos, including those downloaded from cell phones.

"Verizon One eliminates the need for multiple, costly devices," Pizzirani said, "including separate modems, phones and electronic organizers. The value of Verizon broadband is made even better with this communications command center."

Read more in the article Verizon to Sell Verizon One Wi-Fi Hotspot Phone Manufactured by Westell.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

Read more about this new protection tool in the EarthLink press release.

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 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.   

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.

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. 

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

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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."

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.

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.

In a 4-0 decision last week, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to end regulations requiring incumbent telecommunications carriers to share their DSL broadband connections with competitors. The regulations allowed competitors such as Earthlink to offer their DSL services over lines owned by telecommunication giants AT&T and Verizon. While larger Internet service providers (ISPs) like Earthlink have agreements with these companies allowing them to offer service over the lines, smaller ISPs may be left in the dark after the DSL network-sharing rules end in a year. Read more about the decision in the article FCC Removes DSL Network-Sharing Rules.

Verizon will widen its broadband speed advantage over other telecom and cable TV companies by installing equipment from Alcatel, Motorola and Tellabs that will dramatically increase speeds on the company's fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network. Verizon plans to deploy the Alcatel equipment first, to be followed by Motorola and Tellabs, though this is subject to finalizing definitive agreements.

Initially, the new equipment will be capable of increasing broadband speeds by up to four times downstream to the customer's home and by up to eight times upstream back to the Internet on Verizon's FTTP network. To read more about what Verizon will be able to offer their DSL customers, you can read this Verizon press release.

Beginning this week, BellSouth and TiVo will launch the first of a variety of co-marketing initiatives that promote BellSouth FastAccess DSL and TiVo. Through an agreement with TiVo, select FastAccess DSL subscribers will receive special pricing on the TiVo box and service. These customers can further enhance their already reliable, high-speed Internet service with TiVo???s broadband applications, including online scheduling, TiVoToGo transfers, TiVo Guru Guide recommendations, streaming radio, movie browsing and TiVo???s easy-to-use Home Media features.

???TiVo is pleased to work with BellSouth on this powerful marketing initiative,??? said Naveen Chopra, vice president of business development at TiVo. ???With its strong southeastern presence and renowned customer satisfaction, BellSouth is uniquely positioned to market the benefits of a broadband-connected TiVo Box. Together, we can turn a DSL Internet connection into a pipeline for video content delivered directly to the television.??? You can read this BellSouth press release to find out more about this marketing initiative.

AOL announced that it is testing closed-captioning for the deaf and hearing-imparing on its online video. The captioned video will initially feature a variety of content from CNN, including breaking news and entertainment, with more captioned content to be introducted over the next few months. Available through AOL's paid service and the free AOL.com, the closed-captioned content can be activated by clicking on a "CC" button displayed on its media player. The video is made available as part of a partnership between AOL and WGBH's Media Access group, the Boston-based public broadcast company that invented TV captioning in the early 1970s.

YouTube announced this week that its viewers are now watching more than 100 million videos per day. The site holds the leading position in online video with 29 percent of the multimedia entertainment market in the United States, according to the latest weekly data from Web measurement site Hitwise. Delivered for free, YouTube videos account for 60 percent of all videos watched online. In June alone, 2.5 billion videos were watched on the site. More than 65,000 videos are now uploaded daily to YouTube, up from 50,000 in May, the company said. The site also boasts nearly 20 million unique users per month, according to Nielsen//NetRatings.

YouTube is currently developing advertising and other means of generating revenue to support the site, including partnerships with NBC and Hollywood production companies.

Qwest Communications and AT&T have asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for forbearance from certain rules being applied to their broadband services. Qwest said its request does not apply to the broadband services it offers as part of its Internet access service, while AT&T said their appeal addresses the non-TDM broadband services they and other Bell companies offer.

Verizon was granted the relief by the FCC in March, upsetting competitive carriers who feared Verizon would no longer make Universal Service Fund contributions from its business broadband services proceeds. However, Verizon said they would continue making payments after the forbearance, as did Quest and AT&T in their recent request. An AT&T spokesperson said the provider's main concern was relief from common carrier rules so it can determine its own rates, terms and conditions for wholesale customers.

Golfer Ben Crenshaw recently signed an endorsement deal with Time Warner Cable to become its newest spokesperson. Crenshaw will promote Time Warner Cable high-speed Internet, cable and phone services through print and media ads and corporate outings for the next three years. A professional golfer for 33 years, Crenshaw won the Masters in 1984 and 1995 and captained the last winning U.S. Ryder Cup team in 1999.

In her testimony before the House Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce and Agency Organization of the Committee on Government Reform, Joslyn Read, assistant vice president, regulatory affairs, for Hughes Network Systems, urged the federal government to provide economic support to encourage the adoption of broadband communications essential for teleworking and Continuity of Operations contingencies.

Testifying on behalf of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and Hughes, Read also stressed the importance of ensuring that employees within the Washington Metropolitan area and beyond have access to a high-speed broadband connection in order to enjoy all the benefits of teleworking. Read noted that because of the high cost of building land-based infrastructure in rural locations, satellite broadband technology is often the best and only option for gaining that access.

To learn more, check out the Hughes press release.

AT&T has officially launched Homezone, a new service that offers digital video recording, movies on demand, photo- and music-sharing, and Web-based remote access through AT&T and their satellite TV partner EchoStar Communications. Initially available in Ohio and San Antonio, Texas, a broader launch is planned for the coming months. According to AT&T spokesman Fletcher Cook, Homezone is meant to be an alternative to AT&T's Web-based television service U-Verse, which runs on fiber optic networks, for customers who live in areas without fiber deployment. Homezone will be available at various prices depending on features such as long-distance calling, channels and Internet speed.

Are you interested in all the new communication technologies but are worried they will be too complicated? AT&T Inc. has announced a new Web site designed to help consumers get the most out of the "Digital Lifestyle." New online tutorials, available at www.att.com/choice, invite consumers to a hands-on experience with communications and entertainment products and services offered by AT&T, including AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet, AT&T| DISH Network and Cingular Wireless.

The site will launch with demos focused around AT&T's most popular services and features. The company will add additional tutorials every few weeks. The tutorials, through 60-second live action video vignettes, will demonstrate how easy AT&T products and services are to use. Initially, consumers will learn easy tips and tricks for:

• Storing and sharing photos online
• Recording and viewing digital content on a digital video recorder
• Setting up and managing a wireless home network

WhiteFence now offers Cebridge Digital Cable and High-Speed Internet services for most of Louisiana and rural parts of Texas. Cebridge Connections serves more than 1.3 million customers across hundred of communities in more than 15 states. Cebridge's full line of TV and high-speed Internet services, created especially for residential customers, offers tons of features that can turn your home into entertainment central.

Verizon announced yesterday that FiOS can offer speeds that will be among the fastest in the nation. According to Verizon, their FiOS fiber-supported service can deliver up to 50 Mbps downstream and 10 Mbps upstream. To read more about this blazing fast service, you can read the article FiOS in Fast Lane with 50 Mbps Service.

Bright House Networks Digital Cable, Digital Phone, and High-Speed Internet are now available in bundles through WhiteFence in Orlando, Florida.  Bright House currently serves more than 2 million customers in several large markets including Bakersfield, California; Birmingham, Alabama; Detroit, Michigan; Indianapolis, Indiana; Orlando, Florida and Tampa Bay, Florida. 

DSL appears to be the service of choice for broadband users throughout the world. According to the latest figures from the DSL Forum, DSL subscriptions worldwide have grown 39 percent over the last year, surpassing the previous mark of 150 million. The United States, with 22.2 million, is second only to China in total new subscribers. In the past year, there were 5.6 million new DSL subscribers in the United States, a growth of 34 percent compared to 21.9 percent for cable broadband access. To learn more about this report, visit DSLForum.org.

Founded in 1989, Talk America is a communications provider offering local and long distance telephone services to residential and small business customers in the United States.  They currently service up to 1.5 million customers nationwide.  You can order their local and long distance telephone service in Georgia, Michigan and Ohio as well as bundle packages (including local phone service, long distance phone service and high-speed Internet) throughout Georgia and Michigan.

AOL is considering offering its services for free to customers with a broadband Internet connection, according to a recent story in the Wall Street Journal. Under this new plan, AOL would stop charging subscription fees for services like e-mail and anti-virus protection for users with high-speed Internet access or a dial-up service from another provider, the WSJ source said. However, AOL dial-up users would still be required to pay for their service. To learn more about this development, read the Yahoo! News article AOL mulls free services: source.

If you order BellSouth services now, you can have your choice of a cash back offer, gift card or gas card. The amount that you get back corresponds to what service(s) you offer. You can get:

• $25 back on a BellSouth unlimited long distance phone service order
• $75 back on a Cingular service order
• $75 back on a BellSouth DSL high speed Internet service order
• $125 back on a DIRECTV service order

To find out if you qualify for these deals or if they are available in your area, you can go to WhiteFence and enter your address. BellSouth services are available across the gulf coast, namely in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Today's homebuyers and apartment/condominium dwellers continue to look for a digital lifestyle and leading-edge communications and entertainment connections. Through the AT&T Smart Moves program, AT&T drives value to builders, developers, property owners and residents through fiber-based services and marketing support for bundled communications.

AT&T Smart Moves is a strategic marketing initiative between AT&T and single-family residential developers, regional or national single-family builders, real estate investment trusts, apartment ownership groups and apartment management groups. These programs help to deliver the full range of AT&T services to single family homes and apartments. You can go to AT&T site to find out more.

EarthLink and Time Warner Cable announced today that they have reached a new agreement to provide EarthLink broadband online service on Time Warner Cable systems.

Under the new agreement, the parties will make available EarthLink broadband online service to the approximately 19 million homes passed by Time Warner Cable's broadband cable systems. This service area is expected to increase upon completion of Time Warner Cable's previously announced transactions with Adelphia and Comcast EarthLink has been offered by Time Warner Cable since November 2000.

We often hear identity theft victims horrible stories of the crimes committed against them, but what about the perpetrators of these crimes? Why do they do it and what happens to them once they've been caught? Tom Zeller, Jr. wrote an article about one identity thief recently in the New York Times. In the article, Zeller attempts to answer these questions, at least in the case of Shiva Brent Sharma.

At the age of 20, Sharma had stolen over $150,000 through identity theft schemes. Sharma says the ease of identity theft, coupled with the thrill of getting away with it, are some of the reasons that he committed his crimes. Although he is currently in prison serving a two to four year sentence, Sharma says he is worried that the world of easy money might lure him back in. To find out more about Sharma, you should read the article Identity thief finds easy money hard to resist.

The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee rejected a net neutrality amendment last week. Because of this, the amendment will not be added to the broadband bill that will be entering the Senate floor. Senator Olympia Snowe, one of the lawmakers that offered the amendment, predicted that without a net neutrality law, "large broadband companies will block or degrade Web content from competitors."

To read about the next steps in net neutrality legislation, you can read the article Senate Panel Narrowly Rejects Net Neutrality.

EarthLink officially launched its first municipal Wi-Fi broadband network today in the City of Anaheim. At 11:00 a.m., Curt Pringle, the Mayor of Anaheim, will officially 'unwire' Anaheim at a wire cutting ceremony. This portable, wireless service will provide inexpensive, high-speed Internet access for the City's residents, businesses, visitors and municipal employees.

"EarthLink has always focused on providing the tools and services that allow our customers to personalize their Internet experiences. The launch of this municipal Wi-Fi network in Anaheim is the latest proof-point that we are delivering on that vision," said Garry Betty, president and chief executive officer of EarthLink.

According to the article DSL strikes a chord with frugal shoppers, middle-income and price-sensitive households tend to favor DSL over cable Internet. This conclusion was made based on research completed by Leichtman Research Group. They found that about 21 percent of households earning an annual income of between $30,000 and $75,000 a year subscribe to DSL, while only about 18 percent of these households subscribe to cable. Households with income above $75,000 tended to gravitate more towards cable Internet, with 37 percent of those households subscribing to cable broadband and only 27 percent subscribe to DSL.

Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, supposes a reason for the divide in the article: "Middle-income families making the jump from dial-up to broadband are much more price-sensitive, and clearly the phone companies' messaging on low-priced DSL has gotten through loud and clear." Check out the article to find out how the phone companies have accomplished this.

HughesNet HOME service plan provides you with everything the Internet has to offer. If you order HughesNet now, you can receive a $200 mail-in-rebate. This plan offers download speeds of 700Kbps and upload speeds of 128Kbps. Just sit down at your home computer, click on your Web browser and start surfing instantly. The rebate offer ends on July 31, 2006.

Qwest Communications International Inc. announced in a recent press release that it has partnered with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children^(R) to present the Qwest Connected Family Online Classroom to Colorado families and proactively help combat online exploitation of youth through increased parental and guardian education.

This critical issue continues to have a startling impact on the estimated 24 million child Internet users: according to a U.S. Department of Justice study, one in five children online is sexually solicited yet only one in four told a parent or guardian. The Online Classroom provides educational guidelines and learning resources for parents and guardians to help reduce the incidence of online victimization.

According to a Verizon press release, independent research shows that more American's are choosing DSL over cable Internet. The Leichtman Research Group reports that more than half of all new high-speed Internet customers chose DSL over cable modem service in 2005, and that Verizon netted the most broadband customer additions among all cable and DSL providers in the nation over the past six months ("1Q 2006 Quarterly Notes," Leichtman Research Group Inc.).

In another recent study ("The State of Internet Access," Forrester Research Inc., April 2006), Forrester Research found that DSL sales and market share continue to climb, outpacing cable growth. The industry research firm reported that in 2005, the nation's major DSL providers increased their customer base by 39 percent, nearly double the major cable providers' 21 percent increase in cable modem users. The study shows Verizon surpassing the industry average, with 43 percent year-over-year growth in DSL subscriber additions. Verizon currently serves nearly 6 million wireline broadband customers.

It appears there will be several of these updates as the debate wears on. A new proposal entered the U.S. House of Representatives this past week. According to the article New Net neutrality plan may ruffle feathers, Rep. Charles Gonzalez proposed an amendment to the telecommunications bill that no one should be allowed to participate in discriminatory practices, not broadband providers, commercial Web sites or search engines. However, in a strange turn of events, "Gonzalez doesn't even support the idea of mandated Net neutrality. Rather, his amendment appears to have been intended as a kind of poison pill that would force Internet companies to back away from their own requests." Check out the article to find out why.

Now through WhiteFence, you can get cable and high-speed Internet from Insight Communications.  They are the ninth largest cable operator in the United States with 1.3 million customers in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. 

On Thursday and Friday, posts on the Technorati blog from irate BellSouth customers claimed that they were unable to access MySpace and YouTube over their BellSouth Internet connection. Though several customers wrote that they believed BellSouth was blocking traffic to these sites, an official at BellSouth said that the claims were untrue. To find out more about this net neutrality related story, you can read BellSouth Says It's Not Blocking MySpace.

According to the article Comcast gives broadband users a speed boost, Comcast is giving its high speed Internet consumers a free speed boost through their new feature PowerBoost. The PowerBoost feature can double download speeds when there is extra capacity on the servers. Comcast confirmed that Comcast customers in New England are already using this feature. They said it will be deployed throughout Comcast's territory this year.

Leichtman Research recently reported that 69 percent of U.S. households subscribe to Internet service. Of those, 60 percent have broadband. More people have cable high speed Internet than have DSL; however, DSL subscriber rates are growing. This Leichtman Research Group press release has more information on their study.

According to the article Symantec repairs flaw in antivirus software, Symantec released a repairing patch this weekend to fix a serious flaw just revealed last week by researchers. The flaw effected the latest corporate versions of the Symantec AntiVirus software. The security problem allowed hackers to delete files, steal data and implant malicious programs. If you need the patch, it is available via Symantec's LiveUpdate technology.

E-mail messages can come back to haunt you. As more and more people become comfortable with their computers and the Internet, they forget that e-mail correspondence is more permanent than verbal conversation. E-mails, even if deleted off your personal computer, can often be recovered. Several civil and criminal cases recently have used e-mail records as evidence, including the antitrust case against Microsoft in the 1990s. To find out more about why you should think carefully before you send that next e-mail, you can read the article Perspective: Getting nailed by e-mail.

EarthLink announced on Friday that it has received approval to build a Wi-Fi broadband network in the Crescent City. The Wi-Fi mesh network will provide affordable, high-speed Internet access for residents, businesses and visitors in New Orleans. EarthLink will provide a free service tier and a paid service tier.

"EarthLink is doing its part to help rebuild the Crescent City and enable residents, visitors and the thousands of workers to stay connected with low cost broadband service," said Donald Berryman, executive vice president of EarthLink and president of the ISP's municipal networks unit, in an EarthLink press release.

For more information, you can check out Earthling, EarthLink's Blog.

Yesterday, the House Judiciary Committee voted to uphold net neutrality. They approved a bill that would require Internet providers to operate their networks in a "non-discriminatory" manner. This is a big win for companies like Google and Microsoft that have been lobbying for net neutrality for months. You can read the article, House panel votes for Net neutrality, to find out more. Also, the bill itself is accessible through the Library of Congress Web site.

More than 500 people have been arrested recently for mass-marketing fraud. Since March 1, 2005, police in countries across North America, South America and Europe participating in "Operation Global Con" have uncovered a number of scams and have arrested 565 people to date. Almost three million people a year fall victim to mass-marketing fraud that can be carried out through the Internet, by telemarketers and through mass mailings. To read more about this story, you can read the article Hundreds arrested in mass-marketing frauds.

Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the Internet, is calling for net neutrality. Berners-Lee recently talked about the subject at the World Wide Web conference in Edinburgh. According to the article Berners-Lee calls for Net neutrality, author Jonathan Bennett said that although Berners-Lee does support net neutrality, he does not support a completely unregulated telecoms and Internet market. Read the article to find out more about Berners-Lee's opinion on net neutrality.

Things are heating up in congress about net neutrality. Carol Wilson from Telephony Online wrote a good update recently on what is going on in her article, Net neutrality heats up again. You should check it out to keep up with the situation, since what happens has the potential to greatly affect how we use the Internet.

Yesterday, EarthLink announced that they have launched www.scamblockers.com to give consumers another source of information on how to avoid being scammed. On the site, you can learn how to spot a phisher, read an Internet Security FAQ or take a "Spot a Scam" Quiz. Also, you can download the EarthLink Toolbar which includes the EarthLink Scamblocker. The EarthLink Scamblocker alerts users to possible scam Web sites. According the Scamblocker Web site, "in addition to the list of our known list of phisher Web sites [Scamblocker] automatically block, ScamBlocker also analyzes each page you visit, according to a set of security rules.

An article posted today on CNET gives very good advice to those shopping for high speed Internet - Beware of broadband speed overkill. Although speed is definitely good when it comes to choosing your Internet service, not everyone using the Internet needs 30Mbps downstream/5mbps upstream, which is the highest speed the Verizon FiOS service offers. Someone who uses the Internet for simply sending email and surfing the Internet doesn't need anything that fast. The consumer would end up paying a high price for a service he or she does not even make use of. So, before you opt for the highest speed possible, make sure that you need it. In many cases, the lowest or mid-level high speed Internet service offered will be enough speed for you and your family.

Stas and I have written about home networking on multiple occasions, but not everyone is familiar with the subject. Home networking is when more than one computer in a home is connected to each other. The easiest and most popular way currently to network your PCs is using wireless networking.

Once your computers can talk to each other through a network, you can have multiple computers share one printer, use a single Internet connection between multiple computers, and access shared files between computers. To find out more about the subject, you can check out this article on How Home Networking Works.

Cox wants to help parents take charge of their children's online activities and television habits. The Take Charge! Web site, created by Cox Communications, has good information for parents, teens and kids. Some good pages for parents include: Chat Room Acronyms and Improving Family Communication. You and your kids should check the site out.

If you have not yet realized how prevalent crime is on the Internet, you should read the article The Net's not-so-secret economy of crime. Author David Kirkpatrick illustrates that not only is crime a real threat on the Internet, but it is also an organized industry. To do this, he uses the Raze Software Web site as an example. At first glance, this Web site, registered in Belarus, looks like any other business Web site. But this is not the case. The software that they sell is actually designed to help criminals keep track of stolen credit cards.

And unfortunately, according to the security firm RSA, this site is not the only one of its kind. Marc Gaffan, a marketer at RSA is quoted in the article as saying that "there's an organized industry out there with defined roles and specialties. There are means of communications, rules of engagement, and even ethics. It's a whole value chain of facilitating fraud, and only the last steps of the chain are actually dedicated to translating activity into money."

A recent study conducted by Cox Communications and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) shows that 14 percent of teens have met face-to-face with people they have met on the Internet. However, the study also found that parents can curb their child's risky Internet behavior. If parents or guardians show interest and give guidance about online dangers, children are less likely to conduct such risky behavior. Parents should be aware of some of the statistics reported by this study, including:

• 30 percent of teens surveyed have considered meeting someone they have only communicated with online.
• 71 percent of the teens surveyed reported receiving messages online from someone they did not know.
• 45 percent of the teens have been asked for personal information by someone they did not know.

If you want to find out the most successful ways to guide your child to make smart decisions online according to the study, you can read the Cox press release about the study.

As I mentioned in a post last week, AT&T together with WhiteFence has established the AT&T Mover's Advantage program. Through this site, consumers can connect all their utilities on one site. I have found this article, AT&T forms new partnership to help take the sting out of moving, so you can read more about this service from AT&T and WhiteFence. Also, you can check out the AT&T Mover's Advantage FAQ section to find out all about the new service.

When you choose RCN, you connect to more than just a premier cable TV, phone and internet service provider. You connect to people committed to helping you get the most out of your communication, information and entertainment experiences. Not only can you get all these services through WhiteFence, but you can also get them bundled and save. If you want to see if you can get RCN in your area, go to WhiteFence and enter your address.

As mentioned in this blog before, young adults between the ages of 18-29 are most likely to be targeted for identity theft. Qwest, in their effort to raise awareness about identity theft, hired an individual who knows personally that this statistic is true. Zach Friesen of Denver, Colo., was actually first a victim of identity theft at age 7, though he didn't know about it until he tried to get his first job at 17. After seeing Friesen lobbying the Colorado State Legislature on the issue of identity theft, Qwest executives chose to hire Friesen to speak to high school kids about the dangers of identity theft. To find out more about Friesen's story, you can read Child victim shares ID theft tale.

According to Richard Parsons, Time Warner's CEO, consumers are liking Time Warner bundles. In a recent conference call about Time Warner's first quarter results, Parsons said that Time Warner's cable revenue increased 15 percent during the quarter to $2.6 billion. He attributed this growth to Time Warner's marketing of bundles. In the article CEO: Consumers liking bundled telecom services, Parsons is quoted as saying that "the obvious conclusion is that the triple-play bundle is working. This ability to offer a bundled package gives us the opportunity to go back and resell services to customers who didn't buy from us the first time." Parsons' statements support the research by Leichtman Research Group that I wrote about in the post Bundles growing in popularity.

In New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, Verizon FiOS customers are getting a free upgrade in their services. A basic package that previously offered customers 5 Mbps downstream and 2 Mbps usptream now offers 10 Mbps/2 Mbps. For the Verizon FiOS Broadband top tier service, consumers will get an upgrade to 30 Mpbs downstream and 5 Mbps upstream. You can see this article on the Verizon Broadband FiOS upgrade here.

On Monday, Ted Stevens, the chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, released a draft telecom bill that touches on several hot topics of today. According to the article Net neutrality missing from sweeping telecom bill, Stevens said in a statement that the bill "attempts to strike a balance between competing industries, consumer groups and local government."

Some of the important points made in the new bill include:

• Video and Audio Flag
  • An Audio Broadcast Flag that will ban digital over-the-air radio and digital satellite devices that can record broadcasts.
  • Also, under the Video Broadcast Flag, some receivers that allow users to record broadcasts may be banned.
• New Taxes - Imposes taxes on broadband and VoIP services.
• Municipal Broadband - Cities and states would set up their own municipal broadband networks.
• Internet Neutrality - The FCC would have to publish a yearly report on any problems with net neutrality.

These and other changes will be enacted by this bill if it is passed into law as is. According to the article Senate Telecom Reform Bill Surfaces, the senate committee will hold two public hearings about the bill as well as an executive session after Memorial Day to mark up the bill.

After much deliberation, the new telecommunications bill was passed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee yesterday. The bill contains important provisions regarding regulation for pay-TV services. According to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, "if the legislation becomes law, AT&T and Verizon will be allowed to gain a statewide license to offer television service, bypassing the current regulation for cable operators that requires them to obtain such access by negotiating with individual cities and counties."

Although the bill itself passed, an amendment to the bill that would have helped cement net neutrality was rejected. To read more about the amendment, you can read House Committee Rejects Net Neutrality Amendment.

According to a study from the Leichtman Research Group, Inc. (LRG), 43 percent of consumers say that they live in a household that currently receives a ???bundle??? of TV, phone or Internet services from a single company. This is up 10% from a study conducted last year.

The report also found that cable subscribers that receive their service in a bundle are about 5 percent less likely to switch from their cable provider than subscribers who do not have their cable service in a bundle. You can view the LRG press release Consumers are Increasingly Likely to be in "Bundles" to find out more about the study.

You probably didn't need a survey to tell you that the Internet is important in Americans' everyday lives. But just in case you didn't realize how important, a survey recently done by Pew Internet & American Life Project reveals that more and more people are turning to the Internet to help in life's major moments. In their memo on the survey, the researchers state that over the three-year period from January 2002 to March 2005, "Internet use grew by:

54% in the number of adults who said the Internet played a major role as they helped another person cope with a major illness. And the number of those who said the Internet played a major role as they coped themselves with a major illness increased 40%.

50% in the number who said the internet played a major role as they pursued more training for their careers.

45% in the number who said the Internet played a major role as they made major investment or financial decisions.

43% in the number who said the Internet played a major role when they looked for a new place to live.

42% in the number who said the Internet played a major role as they decided about a school or a college for themselves or their children.

23% in the number who said the Internet played a major role when they bought a car.

14% in the number who said the Internet played a major role as they switched jobs."

If you would like to view the report, you can go to this PDF document of the report, The Internet???s Growing Role in Life???s Major Moments.

In accordance with Chinese regulations, Skype in China is being censored. Skype chief executive Niklas Zennstrom confirmed that conversations about the Dalai Lama, the banned Falun Gong spiritual group and other sensitive topics have been censored by Tom Online, Skype's Chinese partner. Rick Tehrani, the author of the article China Censors Skype, writes that this censorship brings up a larger issue, that of how far will the Chinese government go to censor communication as new technologies allows for increased ways for people across the world to communicate. For more information about this subject, you can read Tehrani's article or the article Internet phone firm Skype says Chinese partner filtering text messages; defends censorship.

Continuing with the theme of Internet security, Mozilla users have a new update available to make their browsing more secure. Last week, Mozilla released a new version of Firefox, version 1.0.5.2. According to an article in CNET by Tom Espiner, Mozilla is urging its users to upgrade to the latest version of Firefox, as it fixes several security holes. In the article, the security firm Secunia warns that "hackers could exploit the security holes to gain control of computer systems, conduct phishing attacks and bypass security restrictions." Information about the Firefox release and a link to the download can be found on the Mozilla site.

As the "net neutrality" debate continues, analysts have begun to ask just how hard would it be to actually block VoIP traffic like some of the telecommunications companies have suggested. In the article Analysis: Blocking Skype Won't Be Easy, author Art Reisman discusses just how difficult it would be to detect and block Skype traffic.

The author describes his efforts to detect and block Skype traffic as the CTO of a company that specializes in bandwidth control and traffic shaping. He concludes the discussion on the topic by writing that "to date all my common tricks for determining VOIP traffic on the Internet have been thwarted by the Skype designers."

So, if Internet Service Providers eventually do begin to block VoIP traffic from providers like Skype, they might find that it is easier said than done.

Both Stas and I have mentioned the importance of wireless safety in the past (check out Stas' article Protect your wireless home network); I recently read an article in PC World that reinforces the need for wireless security. According to the article Got Wireless Security?, leaving your wireless home network unsecured is just as dangerous as leaving files of your most important personal documents on a street curb for all to see. Hackers can easily get into an unsecured wireless network and get financial information, business records or sensitive e-mail.

Symantec and the Internet Education Foundation (IEF) as well as other Internet industry corporations have joined together to educate consumers on the dangers of leaving their wireless networks unsecured through the Wireless Security Initiative (WSI). You can go to the GetNetWise site to find out more about the initiative and wireless Internet security.

In an effort to be more competitive in the IPTV market, AT&T is incorporating Akimbo Systems into its AT&T Homezone service. Akimbo Systems offers Internet-based video-on-demand services, with over 10,000 television programs and movies in its catalog. AT&T Homezone is being tested in several markets across the United States. You can read more about AT&T Homezone, which offers AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet as well as AT&T DISH Network programming, in this article: AT&T wants its Internet TV.

According to a blog entry on CNET by Elinor Mills, EarthLink and Google are planning to set up free municipal Wi-Fi in cities other than San Francisco. Ironically, this news comes just as complaints about EarthLink and Google's Wi-Fi plans in San Francisco have come to light.

Critics believe that EarthLink and Google's Wi-Fi plans will interfere with San Francisco residents' privacy. Experts also suggest that the Wi-Fi system might interfere with many Wi-Fi users' radio signals. To find out more about the critics issues with the Wi-Fi plan, you can read Critics Hit San Francisco Wi-Fi Plan on Privacy, Interference by Stephen Lawson.

If you are just hooking up to the Internet for the first time, you might not know what you should consider when picking your Internet Service Provider. The Federal Citizen Information Center (FCIC) has developed a guide of issues you should evaluate when choosing an Internet Service Provider. The guide covers issues like Internet speed, availability, modem ratio, terms of service, cost and several other issues. If you are interested in finding out more, you can read the FCIC article on Internet Service Providers.

Consumers can get OPEX Internet Voice for as low as $14.99 a month through WhiteFence. OPEX Internet Voice provides access to unprecedented cost savings with unlimited service. All consumers have to do once they subscribe to OPEX is combine their current high speed internet access with OPEX's phone adapter to use OPEX VoIP service. Conveniently, WhiteFence offers high speed Internet from several well-known, trusted Internet providers, such as AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, Time Warner, EarthLink, BellSouth, Charter, Cox and Qwest.

On Wednesday, San Francisco's TeleConnect Committee accepted Google and EarthLink's wi-fi plan for the city. The companies had submitted a joint wi-fi plan, whereby Google would provide a slower free service, while EarthLink would provide a faster fee-based service. According to the accepted proposal, Google and EarthLink will provide 95 percent coverage outside as well as 90 percent indoors.

Cox and Verizon got top marks in J.D. Power and Associates recently released "2006 Major Provider Business  Telecommunications Data Services Study." Cox rated number one among providers for small and mid-size businesses, while Verizon got top honors in the large enterprise business category.

The study was created to measure customer satisfaction of data services, which include services such as T1, cable modems and DSL. To read more about the study, you can check out the article Cox, Verizon Tops in J.D. Power Biz Survey.

On Friday, April 7, the House Judiciary Committee's Task Force on Telecom and Antitrust will conduct a hearing on net neutrality. Although the witness list is not available currently, it should eventually be published on the House Judiciary Committee's Web site. Several telecom execs are expected to testify. You can find out more information on the hearings on net neutrality at Telco Media News.

Have you ever received an email from a company in which the sender claimed to need your personal information, including social security numbers and credit card numbers? If you have, you have probably been a victim of 'phishing.' Hopefully, you were able to evaluate the email and realize that it was not a legitimate request of your information. Several people, however, do not realize the dangers of trusting their emails and fall prey to phishers.

Recently, Rachna Dhamija of Harvard University and Marti Hearst and J.D. Tygar of the University of California at Berkeley conducted a study on why phishing works. Even after years of warning about phishing, they found that a majority of their sample, more than 91 percent, fell victim to a carefully made phishing Web site. To read more about their study, you can read this article about why phishing works on CNET.

EarthLink is bringing back the MindSpring brand as a PC VoIP and instant messaging program. MindSpring was bought out by EarthLink in 2000 for $4 billion. With the new MindSpring, consumers will be able to have the same identity for VoIP, e-mail and instant messaging. PC-to-PC calls are free, while calling to a telephone number costs only 2 cents a minute. You can read the article, MindSpring returns as a free VoIP product, for more information.

According to Javelin Strategy and Research's 2006 Identity Fraud Survey, young adults, ages 25-34, are more vulnerable to identity theft than any other age group. Javelin suggests some reasons for this are that most young adults lead a mobile lifestyle and that young adults are less likely to protect their personal information.

In the article Young adults most at risk for ID theft in the Chicago Tribune, author Carolyn Bigda suggests ways to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft, including:

• Protect your wallet from theft. If it does get stolen, make sure you have numbers to all of your banking companies in a place other than your wallet, so that you can quickly cancel the accounts.
• Do not carry your Social Security card in your wallet. Also, give out your Social Security number as little as possible. Before giving it to anyone, even a reputable company, make sure to ask if any other form of ID would be acceptable.
• Shred all trash with personal information on it. You can call 888-5-OPTOUT to stop getting pre-approved credit cards to minimize the amount of paper out there with your personal information on it. Also, you can request to get electronic statements to cut down on your paper trail.
• Secure your computer with a firewall and antivirus and anti-spyware software. Make sure your firewall is turned on and run your antivirus and anti-spyware software frequently.
• Ignore any emails asking for personal information. If you are worried that the email may be legitimate, call the company directly (do not call using a number found in the email). Most times, emails asking for personal information are "phishing" attempts.
• Check your credit regularly. You can get your credit report for free once a year from all three credit reporting agencies by going to www.annualcreditreport.com.

To see more advice on Computer Safety, check out these previous posts: Protect your wireless home network and Avoiding identity theft.

Have you encountered a problem with your high speed Internet service? To resolve your issue with your high speed Internet, you can follow these steps:

Check your hardware:
Your first step should be to make sure that the problem you are having with your high speed Internet is not being caused by your computer or your modem. Many computers and modems have troubleshooting programs that can diagnose problems if any exist. If you determine that the problem is due to your hardware, you should call the manufacturer to find out the how to fix your problem.

Contact your provider:
If you determine that your hardware is not causing your problem, you should prepare to call your provider. Make sure to have your account number available as well as notes on exactly what is happening with your high speed Internet and what you???ve done to try to correct the issue. Having all this information available will help you to easily you???re your high speed Internet provider???s customer service representative about the problem. The representative will be able to understand your problem faster if you can communicate easily all the details of what is going on with your high speed Internet. After you have compiled all the details about your problem, call your provider???s customer service number. The customer service representative may be able to fix the problem over the phone or they may need to send someone to your home to fix the problem.

Switch providers:
If you are still unhappy with your high speed Internet, you always have the option of switching your provider. If you have a contract with your high speed Internet provider, be sure to check with your provider to see if you will have to pay a fee for canceling your service early. If you choose to change your service, you can use WhiteFence to compare and connect to a new high speed Internet provider.

If you want to find out details about DIRECWAY's change to HughesNet, you can read about the satellite high speed Internet provider's name change by reading these articles: Hughes Plans Rural Internet Satellite Service and HughesNet replaces, expands DirecWay.

DIRECWAY, a great service offered through WhiteFence, has recently changed its name to HughesNet. HughesNet provides quality high speed Internet over satellite. With HughesNet, you get all the benefits of high speed Internet even if you live in a rural area where you cannot get DSL or cable. HughesNet is available nationwide. You can find out more about HughesNet on WhiteFence.

DSL is a form of high speed Internet that allows you to connect to the Internet through your normal phone line. A benefit of DSL is that although you may be using your phone line for the DSL high speed Internet, you can still make phone calls on your phone line.

But limitations with DSL do exist. DSL is not available nationwide and can only maintain a good signal if you are close to a provider???s central office. As you get further away from a central office, your DSL service will slow down. If you find that DSL is not available in your area, your other options are cable high speed Internet or satellite high speed Internet. To find out if you can get DSL at your home, or look at alternatives to DSL high speed Internet, you can use WhiteFence to compare and connect high speed Internet providers.

Fortune Magazine recently published a good article that gives a run-down of what is going down currently in the "broadband war." With the phrase "net neutrality" gaining importance in the industry, it is important for us to understand exactly what is at stake. Justin Fox, the author of the article The broadband war of 2006, writes that it would probably be better for consumers if neither the telecommunications companies nor the Web companies win completely. If you are interested in the subject, you should read the article.

At the TelecomNEXT conference in Las Vegas, AT&T CEO Ed Whitacre, Jr. dismissed critics of the AT&T/BellSouth merger. Whitacre also spoke about the issue of net neutrality. This issue stems from the fact that AT&T, like other major Internet providers, is pushing for a tiered Internet pricing system, in which consumers would pay for different levels of service.

According to the article AT&T dismisses BellSouth merger critics in BusinessWeek Online, Whitacre said that, "There's been a lot of talk about this in order to scare people into thinking that access to the Internet is somehow at risk, or that the Internet as we know it is a thing of the past. AT&T will not block anyone's access to the public Internet, nor will we degrade anyone's quality of service."

Qwest's fate has been questioned by many industry analysts since the possible merger between AT&T and BellSouth was announced. In the article Currying Favor in Telephony Online, author Daniel O'Shea suggests that Qwest might have "a life of its own" if it is able to create an "identity for itself as an independent ILEC and wholesale provider that is already thinking progressively about the IP-based content era." O'Shea writes that Qwest CEO Richard Notebaert speech recently to the VoIP industry, in which Notebaert said that Qwest will not block VoIP traffic, might help Qwest create this identity.

AT&T recently completed upgrading the IT system between New Orleans and Houston for Shell Exploration & Production Company (SEPCo), a job that AT&T had signed up for prior to Hurricane Katrina. AT&T completed the work in time for the return of SEPCo's employees to their offices in New Orleans. AT&T upgraded SEPCo's IT system to a private high speed fiber-optic network with the latest optical switching technology. Using the network, SEPCo workers can transmit all the data typically found on a PC in one second. To find out more about the network AT&T installed for SEPCo, read AT&T Completes Work at Shell New Orleans Office.

On March 16, Microsoft revealed their new VoIP offerings for Microsoft Windows Live. Although Microsoft already offers free video communications through Logitech and PC-to-PC VoIP capabilities through MSN Messenger, Microsoft plans to expand their VoIP offerings. Microsoft plans to integrate VoIP services with Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Search and Windows Live Messenger. To find out more details about the services, you can read Microsoft bares VoIP ambitions.

I mentioned in a post on Friday that EarthLink is offering phone service through a deal that they have made with Covad. If you are interested in EarthLink's partnership with Covad or in the phone service offered by EarthLink, you can read this article EarthLink pumps cash into Covad to find out more.

On Thursday, EarthLink said that it will be expanding EarthLink's DSL and VoIP services to eight additional markets. Its VoIP service will give the people in the area an alternative to local phone companies. Through a partnership with COVAD, EarthLink offers a VoIP service that is unlike other VoIP services because it does not go out during power outages.

Qwest Communications is committed to net neutrality, according to Qwest's CEO Richard Notebaert. Although Notebaert says that Qwest will not block VoIP traffic, he says that Qwest should have the right to deliver different types of service for different prices.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, identity theft is a big threat in the Internet age. Executives from around the world are taking action by attending the National Identity Theft Conference in San Francisco on March 16-17. According to Identity Safeguards, one of the companies that is co-sponsoring the event, "identity theft has become the number one issue facing financial institutions, credit bureaus, online businesses, universities and other enterprises that retain personal information."

To illustrate the need for safety, Identity Safeguards states that  "over 80% of the top 100 financial institutions reported external attacks on their IT systems in the past year."

Ever wonder exactly how you can talk on your phone while you're on the Internet with your DSL connection? Well, I found a good site that explains this and several other aspects of DSL high speed Internet. Check out this article How DSL Works.

Comcast announced that it has teamed up with Terra.com, one of the top portals for U.S. Hispanics, to launch a Spanish-language broadband portal, called Comcast Latino. According to a press release from Comcast, "one-third of all U.S. Hispanics use the Internet, which is 11 percent larger than the total online population of Spain, and four percent larger than the total online populations of Mexico, Argentina and Colombia combined." In January 2006, over 14 million U.S. Hispanics logged on to the Internet. The number of Comcast's Spanish-speaking customers spurred Comcast to create a Comcast Latino. Comcast Latino officially launched on March 7.

From March 31 to April 2, Verizon is sponsoring a free weekend of the XBOX 360 premium service for XBOX 360 users. During the XBOX Live Gold Weekend, XBOX 360 gamers will have free access to the XBOX Live Gold platform. Gamers will be able to participate in multiplayer game sessions as well as have the opportunity to win great prizes from Verizon. You can find out more about this promotion from Verizon in the article Verizon Sponsors Microsoft Xbox Online Event.

As I wrote about in an earlier post titled What's in your phone bill?, the Virginian-Pilot was doing a good series of articles on understanding your utility bills. They recently finished out the series with articles on cable and high speed Internet. The author explains some of the fee lingo commonly found on cable and high speed Internet bills in Virginia. Although some of her discussion may be state specific, you should take a look if you have a question about your own bill.

A new survey conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project indicates that 24 percent of rural Americans have broadband access at home as compared to 39 percent of urban dwellers. Both statistics are drastically up from 2003 data that indicated only 9 percent of rural users and 22 percent of urban users had broadband Internet access.

Availability of quality broadband access is the root cause for the jump in rural usage as more cable companies have completed their footprint build-out (which extends to the most rural franchise areas) and the acceptance of broadband satellite companies like DIRECWAY.

The survey contacted 5,262 US adults in the winter of 2005.

As you know, there has been a rise in identity theft in the past few years. As more and more people get hooked up through high speed Internet, criminals are finding a number of ways to get your information. Gaining access to your computer through the Internet is an often used way that thieves get access to your personal information. There are several ways that you protect your computer from thieves, including:

• Have virus protection software on your computer and check often to make sure all definitions are up to date.
• Install any security updates that are available for the software on your computer. You can set up Windows XP to automatically check for updates to insure that you are not vulnerable to thieves.
• Be wary of any files sent to you by strangers. By opening a file that is sent to you, you could be downloading a virus or spyware onto your computer that could collect your personal information.
• If you get an email from anyone asking for personal financial information, do not respond using any links or phone numbers in the email. This could be a ???phishing??? attempt, in which thieves hope to trick you into divulging your personal information. Instead, find the email address or phone number for the company who supposedly sent the email from an outside source and contact them directly to verify the email.
• Before you enter any personal information on a Web site, look for indicators that the Web site is secure. Though this is not a guarantee, one good indicator that a Web site is secure is if the site???s URL begins with ???https???.

For more tips about avoiding identity theft, both on the Internet and in your everyday life, you can read this article from the Federal Trade Commission.

Many people do not realize that there is another option for high speed Internet other than cable or DSL. In fact, you can get high speed Internet via satellite from DIRECWAY.

With DIRECWAY, you can get all the great benefits of high speed Internet through a satellite, including an always on Internet connection and fast downloads. Anyone in the contiguous United States can get high speed Internet through DIRECWAY, as long as you can get a clear view of the southern sky. No longer will you have to worry about busy telephone lines or slow downloads.

You can be up and running quickly with DIRECWAY; the average time it takes for a customer to be set up is two weeks from their order date. An installer will come to your house and set up your equipment so that you can be using your high speed Internet promptly. You can go to WhiteFence to find out more details about DIRECWAY.

The number of wireless home networks has skyrocketed in the last two years due to the popularity of cable modems and DSL service, which now offer bundles including wireless devices. Unfortunately, most out-of- the-box configurations are extremely easy to abuse. If your home wireless network isn't protected properly, chances are your personal documents, pictures and email are vulnerable.

To prevent anyone from being able to access your personal files, read this article to find out how to check your network configuration and ensure your data is safe. If nothing else, you should follow their instructions to change your router's access name and password, as it is simple to do and serves as your "first line of defense."

Within the past few weeks, there have been threads on unofficial Vonage member forums that claimed Comcast had begun to block Vonage VoIP services. Representatives from both Vonage and Comcast have recently come forward to say that Comcast has not been blocking Vonage services.

Although representatives from Vonage said they had not noticed any problems with Comcast, Comcast and Vonage worked together to investigate if there was any issues with Vonage calls that were transmitted over Comcast's high speed Internet. Comcast said that Vonage indicated that the problem that had intiated the complaint had been an isolated issue and had nothing to do with Comcast high speed Internet service.

Currently, you can get Comcast's high speed Internet for only $19 a month for the first three months. If you are looking for blazing fast Internet speed and a connection you can trust, Comcast has it. Go to WhiteFence to find out more details about this gread deal on Comcast  high speed Internet.

US Airways has picked AT&T as its voice and data services provider. US Airways Group Inc. will be paying AT&T Inc. $44 million to provide their airline's 276 locations with voice and data services for the next 3 years.

Through a deal with MTV Networks, Sprint will be offering new Sprint TV programming from CMT, VH1 and MTV to their Sprint mobile customers. Some programs that will be available include 'CMT Insider,' 'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,' 'Laguna Beach' and 'Best Week Ever.' Sprint will also be the first wireless carrier to offer streaming radio from CMT, VH1 and MTV.

Ted Turner, media mogul and founder of CNN, will be leaving the board of Time Warner this year. This announcement has come after months of turmoil involving Time Warner and its board. You can read this article to find out more about Ted Turner's resignation.

Verizon has released its new on-demand line-up for its broadband and FiOS customers, which will include programming from ABC News, Disney Online, ESPN and Movies.com. Verizon customers will be able to get unique content due to Verizon's content agreement with Disney that was announced last September.

Online programming, which is targeted for Verizon's broadband customers, will include live video news feeds, sports events and children's programming. Verizon's FiOS network will be offering its customers over 80 hours a month of free video on demand. Read this article to find out more about Verizon's new lineup.

EarthLink executives outlined some initiatives at an investors' conference yesterday. According to Telephony Online, these initiatives include:

"Helio, the announced MVNO EarthLink is launching with Korean mobile provider SK Telecom. As CEO Sky Dayton, EarthLink???s founder, explained to analysts, the spring launch of this venture will focus on post-paid customers, targeting the 18- to 34-year-old market and Korean-Americans.

New Edge Networks, the data CLEC EarthLink is acquiring. When the deal closes in April, EarthLink will provide new funding for marketing and sales to enable the company to post double-digit growth in the SMB market, and add EarthLink???s Web hosting and security products to its successful VPN sales.

TrueVoice and Home Phone, EarthLink???s two VoIP offerings. The company is actually offering free PC-to-PC calling, a la Skype, then hoping to move those customers up market to trueVoice, which is more Vonage-like and requires an ATA, and then to Home Phone, the line-powered ADSL 2+-based service EarthLink is trialing with Covad Communications in four cities and will be rolling out across its markets later this year.

Satellite video resale. The company earlier this week announced distribution deals with both DirecTV and EchoStar, owner of Dish Networks, to resell their video services, and it could add content of its own, such as video-on-demand, going forward."

If you want to read more about EarthLink's current direction, read EarthLink to telecom world: Watch us now.

After the recent truce was reached between Time Warner and stockholder Carl Icahn last week, some Time Warner bondholders have voiced their worry over Icahn's now close position with the Time Warner's board. These bondholders are worried that if Time Warner is too interested in the rights of the shareholders, the bondholders' interests might be forgotten. Read this article to find out more about Time Warner's bondholders' fears.

EarthLink announced Monday that it will offer its services bundled with DIRECTV and DISH Network services. As mentioned in an earlier post, you can already bundle EarthLink and BellSouth services. The goal of these deals is to allow customers to pay for their telephone, Internet and satellite services on one bill. To find out more on the topic go to this article about EarthLink's bundles.

In an earlier post, I wrote about the agreement that was finally reached between Carl Icahn and Time Warner. If you want to find out more about the settlement, read the article Cease-fire in effect for Icahn, Time Warner that appeared yesterday in the Washington Post.

After months of talks, Carl Icahn and Time Warner have finally reached an agreement, one in which Time Warner will remain one company. In August 2005, Icahn, a significant stakeholder of Time Warner, tried to take control of the company, saying the company was undervalued and mismanaged. Icahn had pledged that after he took control of the company, he would break up Time Warner to boost the company's value.

Some of the concessions Time Warner gave Icahn in the agreement include increasing its stock buy back program as well as Time Warner promising to look into ways to cut costs. Read this article to find out more about Time Warner's agreement with Icahn.

EarthLink is helping you to feed your MySpace.com obsession. Soon the Web site and all its capabilities could be available on your cell phone. Well, at least cell phones released by Helio LLC, a joint venture SK Telecom and EarthLink Inc. Go here to find out more about this new possibility from EarthLink and MySpace.

According to an article from the San Antonio Business Journal, AT&T plans to equip all AT&T switching locations throughout Texas with the ability to transmit AT&T high speed Internet. AT&T begun work on this project due a mandate set by Senate Bill 5, which Texas Gov. Rick Perry and other members of the government say will guarantee broadband services to rural areas of Texas. The AT&T high speed rollout is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2006.

Getting tired of your slow Internet connection? Considering an upgrade to broadband? Remember, when comparing DSL and cable, both are enormously better than dial-up. You will get an improvement no matter what you choose, but which is best for you? Several issues can differentiate DSL from cable: ease of installation, speed, price, etc.

Determining where your cable jacks or phone jacks are in comparison to your computer will help you decide if DSL or cable would be easier to set up. If your computer is far away from a cable jack, you will have to get someone from your cable company to install another jack near your computer, which may take time to schedule. Because you probably had your computer near a phone jack for your dial-up service, DSL would be an easy choice since you can use the same jack you used previously for dial-up. Proponents of both defend the speed and performance of DSL and cable. Although cable???s theoretical bandwidth is higher, this speed will not truly be reached due to many factors, putting DSL and cable on even ground.

As far as price goes, you need to shop around. Though cable is generally thought to be cheaper, different areas of the country offer different deals, so it pays you to look for the best price. Go to WhiteFence, where you have the freedom to compare DSL and cable offers side-by-side, to make your choice easy.

DIRECTV Group, Inc. said DIRECTV and EchoStar are in talks to develop a U.S. wireless high speed network. The rivals are considering working together so that they can become more competitive with cable providers that are able to offer multiple services to their customers. The article DIRECTV Talks Up Wireless Network With Rival EchoStar gives more details on the subject.

The U.S. senate conducted hearings this week about whether broadband providers should be required to allow consumers access to all legal Web sites. The deliberation began because of fears that broadband providers would deny consumers access to competitors - competitors like Vonage and Google who provide services and information online. The CEO of Vonage made a good point, saying that if broadband providers are allowed to do this it would be like the electricity company saying which toaster you could plug in. However, cable and phone companies contest that there is no need for new laws, because there currently is not a problem. To find out more about this issue, see Google, Telecoms clash over "Net Neutrality."

Commercials that make us laugh are what we want - at least that is what TiVo has found. TiVo announced the top 10 most replayed Superbowl ads and said that most if not all of the most replayed commercials were designed to tickle our funny bone. But this isn't too surprising, as they found this to be true in past Superbowls. However, the funny ads did have some competition - the game itself. This year's analysis revealed that replays of the controversial referee calls during the game rivaled the replays of ads. Go here to see a list of TiVo's most replayed Superbowl ads.

EarthLink and BellSouth have decided to continue their DSL partnership. EarthLink will continue to provide DSL to BellSouth's customers through 2008. Representatives from both companies said the deal is a good situation for both BellSouth and EarthLink, and will aid them in growing their DSL client base. More about the deal can be found at Web Hosting Provider EarthLink Extends Agreement With BellSouth and BellSouth extends EarthLink DSL deal.

Qwest Communications announced yesterday that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has decided to go with Qwest for its national networking service. You can go to this article to find out more about the Internet services Qwest will be providing for NASA.

Real Simple has posted a great article with cost-cutting tips you can use right now to trim your monthly expenses! Some of the most common "leaks" you can plug that apply to utility-related issues include:

• Subscribing for cable TV, Internet access and phone service from three different providers. Savings: $10 to $20 a month.
• A cell-phone plan that doesn???t match your needs. Savings: An average of $16.50 a month, according to J.D. Power & Associates.
• Too much insurance. Savings: 15 to 30 percent on home and auto bills.