In HBO's 'Nuclear Family,' Filmmaker Explores Her Lesbian Mothers' Landmark Custody Battle
This Sunday, HBO premieres a one-of-a-kind, three-part documentary series that not only takes an intimate look at a landmark custody dispute, but is also the filmmaker's personal story. In "Nuclear Family," Ry Russo-Young investigates the court case that played out in the early 1990s between her mothers—a lesbian couple—and her biological father, Thomas Steel, who according to Russo-Young's mothers, acted only as the sperm donor in their quest to have and raise a child together. Years later, Steel ended up suing Robin Young, Ry's birth mother, for legal rights to Russo-Young while Young's
Cable Broadband Providers Deploy Fast Internet to All Communities Regardless of Income or Race
As policymakers around the country continue to focus on getting all Americans connected to robust broadband service, it's important to understand how broadband is deployed today and where broadband infrastructure gaps exist, especially in urban areas where few research studies have looked at this issue. That's why NCTA examined data pulled from FCC and Census Bureau reports to determine where cable's broadband networks have been deployed in urban centers, and to find out what capabilities are available across different household categories. The findings from this report, "Building a Gigabit
Broadband Stats: Decreasing Costs for Consumers
For many Americans, more and more time is now spent online between work, school and entertainment. Fortunately, prices are going down for consumers while at the same time providing a significant value as people are using the service even more. With demand continuing to rise, cable providers will continue to invest heavily to upgrade and improve their networks to ensure that America’s broadband will be ready for whatever innovations the future brings. As broadband kept Americans connected over the past year, the real price of internet service fell by 2.7% according to the Bureau of Labor
How the Comcast Lift Zones Benefited the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston During a Crucial Year
This month, millions of children went back to in-person classes and started after-school programs for the first time in over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But some of these programs never shut down. The Boys & Girls Clubs of America, a nonprofit that operates after-school programs for young people nationwide, remained opened in many locations to continue serving the families who depend on the clubs' services. In fact, in the greater Houston area, the Boys & Girls Clubs opened their doors for eight hours a day during the school week as soon as they were able to implement health and
National Geographic Commemorates 20th Anniversary of 9/11 in New Documentary Series
Tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City and the Pentagon. While America continues its climb out of the COVID-19 pandemic, 9/11 still resonates deeply as a day of remembrance of the lives lost as a result of the attacks, and of the tragedy and unity that followed in the aftermath. To commemorate the anniversary and to honor the lives lost, National Geographic released a six-part documentary series. "9/11: One Day in America" follows the events of September 11, 2001, through the lens of first responders and survivors who were there on that fateful day.
Energy Efficiency Programs Are Helping the Wallet and the Environment
Innovative voluntary energy efficiency programs for set-top boxes and home internet equipment continue to yield tremendous financial savings for consumers while significantly reducing energy consumption. Pay-TV providers and internet service providers and their manufacturing and retail partners are demonstrating their commitment to energy conservation by participating in the voluntary agreements, both of which are led by NCTA, Consumer Technology Association (CTA), and CableLabs. New independent audits released by D+R International revealed the latest findings highlighted below that
A Tribute to Cable Employees This Labor Day
The past year and a half has seen its ups and downs during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but through it all, cable employees have remained steadfast in their commitment to delivering the internet and television services that millions of Americans across the country depend on to continue working, learning, and connecting. As America prepares to celebrate the upcoming Labor Day holiday, it's important to reflect and pay tribute to the numerous field technicians, engineers, customer service agents, television showrunners and producers, and all industry employees who work around the clock to keep
TV Stats: TV's Innovative Shows Impact On Screen and Off
For decades, TV has led the way for bold storytelling. TV shows have raised the bar repeatedly, challenging conventional wisdom of what is commercially successful as well as what viewers will connect with. Over the past decade, the TV market has exploded with new options as more and more streaming services launch. But competition is a good thing, and the result has been a win for viewers, as more high-quality entertainment becomes available every day. But through all this change, one thing has stayed the same—innovative TV comes from cable networks. In fact, in 2020, cable networks were
GLAAD Shares Why LGBTQ Representation in Children's Media is So Important
Over the last two decades, the United States and much of the world has experienced a dramatic shift in attitudes over acceptance of LGBTQ people. During that time, on screen representation has soared, thanks in part to big names in cable TV (such as HBO or Showtime) taking what was then considered a risk and producing shows that not only portrayed LGBTQ people in positive ways, but also had them as central characters. This expanding of perspectives on screen has been met with critical acclaim as well as commercial success. Where conventional wisdom once held that queer characters and story
AMC's 'The Walking Dead' Prepares for its Final Year
It's the beginning of the end for AMC's "The Walking Dead," and for zombie fans galore, it's been a wild ride. The 11th and final season of the show premieres this weekend and will stretch into late 2022. Since the show's debut in late 2010, the post-apocalyptic zombie TV series has experienced massive social followings like no other, and has spun off into additional shows that include "Talking Dead," "Fear the Walking Dead, and "Walking Dead: World Beyond." And "The Walking Dead" universe continues to expand. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the popular online video game Fortnite brought in new