LGBT Inclusiveness and Diversity Define Storytelling on Cable
The Oscars are coming up soon, but this year the headlines haven’t been all glitz and glam. The lack of nominations for people of color, women and LGBT groups caused quite a stir, and while the Academy responded by promising to increase the diversity of its board of members , the situation has reminded us about the message that comes across when underrepresented groups fail to be recognized in media and entertainment. In another recent headline, Disney Channel’s teen actress of Girl Meets World, Rowan Blanchard, also challenged the status quo on her channel earlier this month on LGBT
Three Charts That Show Broadband Deployment is Reasonable and Timely
Every year, the FCC is required by Congress to “determine whether advanced telecommunications capability is being deployed to all Americans in a reasonably and timely fashion.” This is officially called the Broadband Progress Report, a title that indicates it should report on growth, development and advancement of broadband in America. Any cursory and objective review of the statistics, even those from the Commission itself, should compel an overwhelming affirmative conclusion. Unfortunately, what should be an unbiased, data-driven assessment has largely been supplanted by an ends-driven
What Does the FCC Know that Apple, Netflix, and Roku Don’t?
TV today is trending for consumers. We’re experiencing an incredible programming renaissance where both the quality and quantity of shows is better than ever before and only improving. We’re also living through a tectonic technology shift that rivals the invention of broadcasting, leveraging rapidly expanding app marketplaces, ubiquitous connectivity and ever shrinking portable screens to deliver limitless television where, when and how we want it. We see these innovations almost daily, which is why it’s so strange that government feels compelled to insert itself in the mix in order to do Big
Boy, We Really Love Streaming Media
The East Coast is about to get pummeled by a monster snowstorm. After the messiness of digging out cars and clearing walkways, I’ll be getting down to the real business of surviving a blizzard – binging on TV. First Mr. Robot, then Orphan Black, and after that a little Game of Thrones season 5 refresher to prepare for season 6 in April. Take a look at the latest streaming statistics and stand back in awe. Not only do Americans stream a ton of media, but we do it thanks to remarkable speeds. Snowstorm or not, Americans love streaming media. Sources: http://www.emarketer.com/Article/US-Adults
Let's Keep the Internet Tax Free
We reported in December that Congress would have a chance in 2016 to pass a permanent extension to the Internet Tax Freedom Act, or ITFA, thereby ensuring that America’s Internet users never see taxes go up on their Internet access. January has come and it’s expected that Congress will soon have the opportunity to permanently prevent state and local governments from taxing Internet access. In our December blog post, we said ITFA would stop Internet access from being exposed to “aggressive tax collectors [who put] at risk all those who rely on the Internet.” The fact of the matter is that the
The Building Blocks of a Digital America
We sometimes take our connected lifestyles for granted – the ease with which we can stream a championship football game, play our favorite video game against a competitor in Japan from the comfort of our living room, or take an online professional development class to further our careers. But all of this is viable because of the myriad of Internet service providers, technology companies and businesses in our country that tackle the challenge of building a bigger and better network day in and day out. It takes a village, and cable companies have been among the leaders of building America’s
We Can Make Gigabit Wi-Fi a Reality
Fact of the day: more Internet traffic is carried over Wi-Fi than any other medium – more than wireline and wireless combined – and it’s increasing every year. So it’s fair to say the future of the Internet is the future of Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi was born in the unlicensed 2.4 GHz band that was once written off as “junk spectrum.” And the unlicensed nature of the band meant that the barriers to entry were low. Anyone with a good idea could launch a new wireless service as long as they played well with others in the band. As a result, the 2.4 GHz band has proven to be an unparalleled hotbed of innovation
The Countdown to INTX 2016 Starts Now!
With INTX just four months away, now is the time to register for a one-of-a-kind experience in Boston from May 16-18. If you’ve never been, INTX is the event where the worlds of media, technology and entertainment converge and gather to share ideas on future of the Internet and television and Boston is the perfect place to connect. The city’s reputation for fueling innovation and start-ups is set to welcome a flurry of new ideas this Spring, when participants will get the unique opportunity to participate in and contribute to the ever-changing new media economy. At INTX, ideas are not only
Why the FCC is Wrong On Broadband Deployment
In tonight’s State of the Union address, President Obama is likely to highlight the Administration’s success in expanding broadband access for millions of Americans. Yet, according to a document that FCC Chairman Wheeler released last week, in late January the FCC will draw a very different conclusion and find that broadband deployment remains inadequate. Why does that matter? Because, under a federal law called “Section 706,” the FCC is authorized to “take immediate action” – code words for regulation – if it determines that broadband is not being deployed to all Americans in a “reasonable
Cable Triumphs at 73rd Golden Globes
Cable shows and their beloved celebrities shined in last night’s 73rd annual Golden Globes, claiming six out of the eleven accolades for television. USA Network came out with two big wins for Mr. Robot. Mr. Robot won for best television drama series in its first season debut, beating out usual favorite HBO’s Game of Thrones, and Christian Slater snagged the Golden Globe for best performance by an actor in a supporting role for his stint as Elliott Alderson. Cable superstar Jon Hamm closed out his career with AMC’s Mad Men on a high, taking the award for best performance in a television drama