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from: Vox.com

Above the Law: AT&T, Verizon, BellSouth, and the Executive Branch

Jan 26, 2008 at 3:29 PM

The Bush Administration has been pushing hard for the Congress to grant retroactive immunity to telecom companies that cooperated with its domestic wiretapping program, the legality of which is still in question. For most Americans, this story falls in the category of boring, but important. Most aren't even aware that we're facing a Constitutional question that could fundamentally change the way we govern ourselves, and how we hold each other accountable.

Note: Yet another example of the "competition=lower prices" myth - and the triple play trap.

from: USA Today

Phone Giants’ Rising Rates Questioned

From USA Today, January 28, 2008
By Leslie Cauley

AT&T and Verizon are raising prices for caller ID and other popular phone services by as much as 300%, even as they continue to push regulators to loosen up because of increased competition.

from: Broadband Reports

Wasn't Competition Supposed To Bring Lower TV Prices?
Everybody raising prices in Northeast...
09:56AM Tuesday Jan 22 2008 by Karl

Remember all of the talk about how when the phone company got into the TV business, you'd see lower prices? Apparently they were just kidding. The Boston Globe notes that RCN, Comcast and Verizon are all raising prices in the region. Comcast will raise rates by an average of four percent next month. RCN is raising their standard TV rates by five percent. Verizon will be raising rates for FiOS TV customers by as much as twelve percent. Comcast explains the rate hikes to the paper:

from: Broadband Reports

Verizon, Industry Comment On Time Warner Cable Plans
Verizon taunts MSO, analysts think low caps are a ripoff
03:10PM Monday Jan 21 2008 by Karl

As we were the first to report last week, Time Warner Cable will be testing overage charges in one of the company's Texas markets. We've noted that Charter is also exploring metered bandwidth, and Business Week confirms that Comcast and Cox are as well. In the Business Week report, Verizon takes aim at the cable industry, suggesting that Time Warner Cable is interested in the plans because they lack bandwidth:

from: Light Reading

NYC Still Waits for FiOS
JANUARY 17, 2008

After two years, an agreement that could let Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ - message board) bring FiOS TV to New York City is getting close -- but not that close.

A recent report in the New York Daily News citing unnamed sources said that a cable franchise agreement between the City of New York and Verizon was being hammered out and that a deal was "going down now." That might not be completely accurate, however.

from: NY Daily News

Verizon deal could finally offer real competition in cable TV service

Wednesday, January 16th 2008, 4:00 AM

City officials spent Tuesday in secret talks with phone giant Verizon on a new franchise deal that could finally offer New Yorkers real competition in cable TV service.

from: Wet Machine

There's Patriotism, But Then There's Cash

Posted By: Harold Feld

Like many, I have been both appalled at the federal domestic spying program and the subsequent the effort to undermine the Rule of Law by granting the telcos retroactive immunity. Which is why I don't know whether to laugh or cry at this USA today story reporting that the telcos shut down wiretaps legally authorized under FISA because the FBI failed to make the requisite billing payments.

from: USA Today

Audit: FBI's lapse in paying phone bill snips wiretaps

By Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY Jan. 11, 2008

WASHINGTON — Telecommunications carriers shut down some covert surveillance lines established by the FBI because the bureau failed to make timely bill payments, a Justice Department review found Thursday.

from: Portland Press Herald

Verizon sale to FairPoint approved PUC
Vermont and New Hampshire regulators and the FCC must give
their approvals for the sale to become final.

By TUX TURKEL, Staff Writer January 4, 2008

AUGUSTA — The Maine Public Utilities Commission voted late
Thursday to approve the sale of Verizon's telephone network in

from: Lasar's Letter

The top paid telecom executives of 2006

The Security and Exchange Commission now has a handy-dandy new database that tells you who in the corporate world is making what these days.

These are, of course, the firms that voluntarily disclosed this data. LLFCC couldn't resist downloading the numbers and coming up with this table. Enjoy!