Posted by: Mike Boehne | December 22nd, 2009 | No Comments »
Comcast customers can get the company’s on demand on-line offering at no charge as part of a beta test. The company said the service, called Fancast XFINITY TV and delivered through the Internet, gives customers “quick and easy access to thousands of hours of cable TV shows, movies and independently produced content.”
The new offering expands on Comcast’s Fancast.com offering, which provides television content to any Internet user. XFINITY TV lets Comcast subscribers use the Internet to access additional channels in their subscription packages.
In a press release, Amy Banse, president of Comcast Interactive Media, said, “This is a beta product only, but the consumer feedback has been great so far. We look forward to more feedback as we make it available to even more customers. We think Fancast XFINITY TV gets use one step closer to our multiplatform goal and is just the beginning of delivering an entirely new TV viewing experience.”
Posted by: Mike Boehne | December 22nd, 2009 | No Comments »
The FCC is considering new set-top box requirements aimed at making Internet content available on television screens. In a slide show presented at a December 16 meeting to review options under consideration for the National Broadband Plan due from the FCC in February , the FCC said “delivering Internet video to the television could drive higher broadband adoption and utilization . . . as new apps and uses would emerge.” The FCC also noted that 99% of households have TVs, versus 79% with computers.
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Posted by: Mike Boehne | December 14th, 2009 | No Comments »
The third quarter 2009 A2/M2 Three Screen report from The Nielsen Company quantifies the strong growth in over-the-top video content driven by offerings such as YouTube and Hulu. More people are viewing video on the Internet—and they’re viewing it more heavily than ever.
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Posted by: Mike Boehne | December 14th, 2009 | No Comments »
Comptel, an association representing competitive carriers, has asked the Federal Communications Commission to put rules in place to prevent incumbent carriers from removing copper-based access networks when those networks are replaced with fiber-based facilities. In its December 7 filing, Comptel also asked the FCC to require incumbents to let competitors use copper loops that are no longer in service.
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Posted by: Mike Boehne | December 7th, 2009 | No Comments »
Some recent public notices from the FCC have been a bit like multiple-choice tests or consumer surveys which invite participants to “check all that apply.” A recent request for comment about measuring broadband adoption, for example, contained 50 questions it said respondents might want to consider.
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Posted by: Mike Boehne | December 4th, 2009 | No Comments »
The economic downturn has not prevented small rural carriers from upgrading their communications networks to support higher data rates, a new survey from the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association (NTCA) reveals. Fifty-three percent of NTCA members responding to the NTCA Broadband/Internet Availability Survey said their customers can now receive broadband service of between 3 and 6 Mbps (up from 46% last year) and 39% can receive speeds of 6 Mbps or higher (up from 25% last year).
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