Baller Herbst List: 4-12-07
BROADBAND
Verizon on symmetric FiOS: "Our products
are carefully crafted based on feedback we
get from our customers. Indeed, our FTTP
network can easily support a symmetric data
service. As market dynamics change, we
would re-assess the benefit to our custo-
mers of introducing a class of symmetric
data services."
dslreports.com
"U.S. phone companies signed up at least
100,000 more high-speed data subscribers
than cable operators during the fourth
quarter of 2006...For the ninth time in the
last 11 quarters, the telcos beat their cable
counterparts"
lightreading.com
More on Minnesota bill encouraging 1Gbps
broadband statewide: "the state's incum-
bent providers (Qwest and Comcast) have
been opposing the bill because it uses tax-
payer funds to expand broadband deploy-
ment."
dslreports.com
WIRELESS
Houston City Council approves wireless
agreements with EarthLink . . .
dailywireless.org
abclocal.go.com
... "Agreements for attachment to electrical
utility poles—cue ominous music—are still
underway."
wifinetnews.com
"Clearwire is building in Grand Rapids per-
haps the first full municipal wireless broad-
band network in the country using WiMAX
technology. It is also being courted by
Ottawa County for a large deployment there,
and holds spectrum licenses to operate in
Battle Creek, Kalamazoo and other commu-
nities in the region. But even the $600
million Clearwire raised when it went public
in March won't last long at the current clip,
analysts warn, and it will quickly face com-
petition from Sprint Nextel Corp."
mlive.com
Sprint plans WiMAX for Chicago
chicagotribune.com
"Traffic emulation useful for testing muni
wireless networks"
muniwireless.com
Discussion on automated meter reading
and wireless networks
muniwireless.com
NY Times finds 802.11n underwhelming
nytimes.com
wifinetnews.com
dslreports.com
CALEA
Good backgrounder
convergedigest.com
(see also www.baller.com/calea.html)
VIDEO
Op-Ed calls for Iowa Legislature to address
predatory pricing as part of statewide cable
franchise legislation
desmoinesregister.com
362/1035/OPINION
Iowa considers satellite "equalization tax"
desmoinesregister.com
Buildout amendment added to Florida state-
wide franchise bill "would require new com-
panies to provide cable access to at least half
of low-income households in their service
area within five years."
bradenton.com
"More than two years after basically writing
SB 5 – Texas’ statewide video franchise law
that passed the Legislature in 2005 – AT&T
is now interpreting that law for San Antonio
city officials"; article focuses on PEG provis-
ioning
saveaccess.org
"Whither public access?" -- "[S]ome cable
law experts say [Michigan's] new law clouds
the future of public access, education and
government television channels, known as
PEG channels. Especially vulnerable are
shows... that don’t have their own produc-
tion facilities and depend on someone else,
like a cable company, to provide them."
(from Neil Lehto)
lansingcitypulse.com
NCTA reacts to Chmn. Martin's DTV dual-
carriage proposal
multichannel.com
broadcastingcable.com
PA locality eliminates franchise fees -- "In
response to Comcast's recent rate hike and
removal of some basic cable channels, High-
land Township supervisors on Tuesday
voted to do away with franchise fees that
are routed to the township from cable sub-
scribers there. 'Out of desperation, I think
we can give our subscribers at least some
relief by doing away with our franchise fee'"
eveningsun.com
VOIP
Vonage CEO steps down, Jeffrey Citron
returns to helm
dslreports.com
Rural ILECs less worried about competition
from Vonage; "they’re more worried about
Yahoo! and Google. And they have not
forgotten about the cable companies."
telephonyonline.com
OTHER NEWS
Cingular and Qwest lift ban on freecon-
ference.com
techdirt.com
Comcast to acquire Fandango.com
multichannel.com
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