Moving Forward on "Ditching the Box" not "Unbundling the App"
Yesterday, NCTA submitted a 30+ page filing (plus over one thousand pages of supporting technical specs) that provides additional information requested by the FCC about the open standard-based apps proposal presented several weeks ago by a group of independent programmers, NCTA and pay TV companies. This information supplements our prior efforts, both within the Downloadable Security Technical Advisory Committee (DSTAC) and through briefings requested by the Commission, to explain how the HTML5 standard works and why reliance on an ”apps approach” offers a more productive path forward than the
Public Wi-Fi Hotspots Hit 500,000
In addition to the Wi-Fi in our homes and offices, cable ISPs also offer secure Wi-Fi networks to customers outside of the home. These hotspots give you the ability to watch movies at the dog park, or get some work done at an outdoor café. And the best part? They’re offered at no extra charge. You may have never seen them, but they’re located in public places, often on electrical poles or street lamps out of sight. And according to The Cable WiFi Alliance, the number of these hotspots has just reached an impressive 500,000. That means more customers can experience near-ubiquitous broadband
Searching for the High Road on BDS Regulation
At the risk of encouraging another “sticks and stones” retort, we’re going to let most of Harold Feld’s latest screed go attacking us for “faux outrage,” “self-righteous sanctimony,” “acting like a 6 year old,” conducting a “non-stop whinefest,” and “smelling like a g*#@!? ashtray.” Maybe Harold was just having a bad day. Despite its rhetorical flourishes, what’s most notable from Harold’s post is that he offers no response whatsoever to the substantive concerns that were the core focus of NCTA’s blog. Specifically, we explained that regulating the BDS rates of cable operators and other
NALIP: Bringing Latino Content Creators to the Forefront
It’s coming close to that time of year when key players across the media and entertainment world will gather for the 33rd annual Walter Kaitz Foundation dinner, the most prestigious fundraising event in the cable industry. Every year the foundation recognizes organizations that demonstrate an unwavering commitment to diversity. This year, the honors go to the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP)and A + E Networks. In anticipation of the event, we caught up with Axel Caballero, the executive director of NALIP, to find out how the diversity advocate honoree is helping
Emmy Noms Day Another Big One for Cable Programs
The 68th Primetime Emmy nominations were just announced and cable programming is once again sitting pretty, taking over half (41 out of 72) of the nominations in the top 12 categories. The always competitive drama categories were again lead by cable hits, taking five of the seven noms for Best Drama. Cable also has a good number of nods in the comedy categories, including Best Comedy Series nominations for HBO’s Silicon Valley and Veep. This year’s nominations reinforce the trend of the world’s top writers, directors and actors moving to cable and producing cinema-quality programing that
Let Some Fresh Air Inside the FCC’s Smoke-Filled Tent
According to a recent blog post from Public Knowledge executive and telecom pundit Harold Feld, negotiations to reach final rules for the FCC’s Business Data Services (BDS) proceeding are underway and he is encouraging AT&T to stop “throwing a hissy fit,” “read [] the writing on the wall,” and “come into the tent and negotiate.” While we have previously raised concerns about some of the strange statements coming out of Public Knowledge in the BDS proceeding, Feld’s post deserves a particularly close look. Specifically, in explaining why he thinks AT&T should join Verizon in negotiating a
The Internet of Things Lives on Wi-Fi
There are cable Wi-Fi hotspots across the country, and as their numbers continues to increase, the Internet of Things’ network will grow as well. Eventually, everything you own could be connected to Wi-Fi. But with everything getting connected to Wi-Fi, it is essential that we make more spectrum available for unlicensed use so that Wi-Fi can grow. By increasing the amount of spectrum that Wi-Fi can share, we can continue to expand the Internet of Things and increase the speed and capacity of our connected lifestyle.
HTML5: Just Another Technology We Never Notice
The best innovations are the ones we immediately take for granted. Things like Wi-Fi and HD are incredible the first time we experience them and once we realize they work really well, they fade into the background. A great streaming video app is like this, too; astounding one second, to-be-expected the next. But the reality is these technologies are amazing feats of engineering. And in the case of TV apps, are made possible by an even more hidden piece of incredible tech that is essentially unknown to the non-developer community, HTML5. HTML, or Hyper Text Markup Language, is the standard
Do We Need to Formally Re-Define News for the Digital Era?
Like it has done in almost every aspect of our lives, technology has undoubtedly changed the way we get our news and how we engage with news. Pew’s most recent State of the Media report revealed that 65 percent of people receive their news about the presidential election from digital sources, and more people are learning about it through social media than ever before. But the delivery of news isn’t the only thing that’s changed. The types of news content produced for those platforms has also evolved as online news aggregators, satirical and alternative news sites, memes, and viral videos took
An Existing Internet Privacy Plan That Works for Everyone
Almost everyone agrees that the internet is a phenomenal success that has changed our lives in many important and entertaining ways. Superfast networks built and continually upgraded by internet service providers (ISPs) have provided consumers with an exciting platform to find just about any content or experience imaginable. When taking a closer look at why the internet has thrived, privacy has been a critical issue. For ISPs, privacy has been a top priority for more than two decades as these companies have worked hard to successfully preserve and protect the private data of consumers. And