Save Access

from: Wall Street Journal

Cable Prepares an Answer to FiOS

From Wall Street Journal, February 14, 2008
By Vishesh Kumar

Stung by the success of phone companies in selling packages of TV and high-speed Internet services, the cable industry is getting close to launching a counteroffensive — an inexpensive new technology that dramatically boosts Internet connection speeds.

A very useful article for sorting out all the broadcast digital transition (DTV) misinformation in the media these days. It also highlights cable company strategies for playing the transition to their own end (the cable digital transition deadline isn't until Feb 2012). Lost here is any mention of affordable 'basic' cable service, the tier of analog service consisting of local broadcast and PEG channels priced to ensure that low-income and fixed income families can afford basic local TV service. We need to ensure that digital cable affords this tier of service for those that need it most.

from: MultiChannel News

Analog is Dead. Long Live Analog
Why Cable Won’t Go All-Digital By Feb. 18, 2009, Even If Broadcasters Will

By Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 2/18/2008 8:22:00 AM

Is analog TV an albatross for cable?

Note: Yet another example of the Bush administration 'inventing reality' based on their own political exigencies, despite the fact that numerous studies and the daily experience of most Americans suggest a much different 'broadband' state of affairs.

from: AP/Yahoo News

Study: US broadband goal nearly reached

from: MultiChannel News

The Winds of Change
Potential Reform of FCC Could Go in Many Directions
by Ted Hearn -- Multichannel News, 1/28/2008

The House Energy and Commerce Committee is shining a spotlight on FCC chairman Kevin Martin’s management of the agency. (See “Watching the Martin Watch,” page 18, Jan. 21, 2008).

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.

from: DSL Prime

Note: The NYT reports 1/24/08 that AT&T profits are up for this quarter.

DSL Prime: Wall Street Falls
DSL Prime examines the future of the Bells as Wall Street slowly passes its own flawed judgment.

from: DrewClark.com

Connect Kentucky Article Raises Bell Lobby Specter
January 17th, 2008 By Drew Clark

Art Brodsky’s 4,789-word article about Connect Kentucky and its offspring Connected Nation has been the talk of telecom circles over the past week.

from: BitchSlappin

The Telecomms, Lobbyists, State Government and Big Media
1/14/08

The small local independent papers are full of news that is NOT being picked up by Big Media, and when you put these pieces together it shows how broken things are. First are the stories about the big telecomms steamrolling into statehouses and buying state congressmen right and left, not to mention Governors, to get their state franchise legislation and deregulation pushed through, bad state legislation that trashes Public Access TV, lessens or trashes completely the ability for municipalities to control their own right of ways, allows the franchisees to cherry pick the areas they wish to serve, negates any oversight on the consumer complaint process, overrides current franchise agreements in place that provide access to libraries, schools and municipal government as part of the agreement, and all kinds of other giveaways. Then there are the stories of what has gone wrong in the states where state franchising exists.

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: 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!