Business Data Services Are a “Textbook Example of What Not to Regulate”
In previous posts we have raised a number of concerns regarding the direction of the FCC’s rulemaking proceeding regarding Business Data Services (BDS). Tomorrow NCTA will file further comments demonstrating that there is no failure in the BDS marketplace justifying massive regulatory intervention, that the costs of new rate regulation almost certainly will outweigh the benefits, and that the extensive rate regulation proposed by some parties could seriously undermine competition and investment in this crucial segment of the communications marketplace. “Unwarranted regulation ‘can create a
Emerging TV Technologies On Display as the 2016 Summer Olympics Kick Off
Every four years audiences around the globe experience the thrill of watching the summer Olympics, one of the greatest sporting events in the world. As we await the start of the opening ceremony tonight, we wanted to take a peek at how the TV coverage of the event intends to use emerging technology to reach and engage audiences. So what’s new this time around? While the U.S. athletes will hopefully break new records this month, NBCUniversal, which will exclusively air live TV coverage of the event, will break its own when it comes to streaming. This year, the network plans to stream 4,500
TV One’s New Approach to Reaching African-American Audiences: Q+A With TV One SVP D’Angela Proctor
When D’Angela Proctor was introduced to Alfred Liggins, CEO of Radio One, he wanted to know what she would do if she could change TV One, the network owned by Radio One and which Liggins launched in 2004. So she put together a deck where she detailed how the network would benefit by producing original films and capitalizing on already working franchises. Since then, Proctor has been TV One’s senior vice president of original programming and production for the past three years, and has pretty much been able to accomplish all of that. TV One produces and airs an array of shows, documentaries
What TV Criticism says about TV, Culture, and Changing Audiences
With the cable portion now wrapped up at the TV Critics Association tour in Los Angeles, it’s safe to say that the critics never run short of questions throughout their eight-hour days stacked with panels of the best producers and casts found on television. For many, the TCA tour is the time to gain access to the various minds and talent making these shows possible, to get the scoop on what’s coming up next season, to find out the prep work it takes for characters to come to life on screen, or to just get to know a show’s writers, executives and actors on a more personal level. But as we all
Why We Filed for En Banc Review
Today, NCTA joined the American Cable Association (ACA) in filing a Joint Petition for Rehearing En Bancwith the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit regarding the 2015 FCC order to reclassify broadband internet access service as a common carrier service under Title II of the Communications Act. We don’t celebrate this petition, but we believe this action is necessary to correct unlawful action by the FCC. We aren’t challenging the specific net neutrality protections – as we’ve explained repeatedly, we have long supported the net neutrality principles embodied in the FCC’s 2010 order
What Makes TV Tick? We’re going behind the scenes at the TCA Press Tour
Twice a year, once in the summer and once in the winter, hundreds of TV critics from media outlets across America gather in Los Angeles for the TV Critics Association press tour. There they’ll get the scoop on all the great shows coming out in the upcoming months. TCA represents over 200 journalists across the country, who reach over tens of millions of readers and consumers. This weekend, during the cable portion of the tour, which is organized by our friends at CTAM, we’ll be there to explore the state of television in today’s media culture as well as viewership trends directly from the
On Promoting Diversity, A+E Networks Walks the Walk
The Walter Kaitz Foundation Fundraising Dinner is the annual gathering of media and entertainment leaders dedicated to recognizing women and multi-ethnic contributions to the cable industry. Now in its 33rd year, the dinner recognizes organizations that have achieved significant milestones in promoting diversity in their workforce and their programming. This year, A+E Networks and the National Association of Independent Latino Producers (NALIP) are the dinner honorees, with NALIP taking the diversity advocate award and A+ E receiving the diversity champion award. Earlier this month, we learned
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