New Report Finds Network Performance During COVID-19 Was a Success
A new report by the expert Broadband Internet Technical Advisory Group (BITAG), a multi-stakeholder organization composed of engineers and technologists from various sectors across the internet ecosystem, highlights how the internet rose to the challenge of huge traffic surges during the pandemic and continues to perform well as millions of Americans continue to learn and work from home. The report, "2020 Pandemic Network Performance," co-edited by NCTA Vice President of Broadband Technology Matt Tooley and DISH Network Senior Engineering Program Manager Kate Landow, examines from a holistic
Fargo’s On-Location Filming Brings Jobs, Tourism to Illinois
Before a TV show starts filming, a lot of big decisions have to be made. Chief among them, where will production take place? Sometimes, an elaborate set is built (that sometimes can be a holodeck). Other times a location scout works to find an already built environment to use as a backdrop. On-location projects come with perks that are absent with a set: authenticity, scale, and often times support from local government offices. These projects also bring significant economic stimulus to an area by employing local crews and talent. The effects on the community can often go far beyond those
NCTA President & CEO Michael Powell Talks Infrastructure and More on C-SPAN
NCTA President and CEO Michael Powell is the featured guest this week on C-SPAN’s The Communicators, where much of the discussion focused on the Biden administration’s infrastructure plan, specifically its broadband provisions. While the full 30-minute interview is available here, we used C-SPAN’s video clipping tool to develop several soundbites on the key issues that were covered. Those topics include: Importance of targeted funding, How to future proof new networks, The success of direct consumer subsidies, and Warning against rate regulation. Powell also talked about other topics ranging
What Cable ISPs Are Doing to Close the Digital Divide
Just a few weeks ago, Comcast announced on the 10th anniversary of its successful broadband adoption program, Internet Essentials, that it would invest $1 billion over the next decade towards closing the digital divide. This includes investments towards providing support for its Lift Zones—WiFi-connected safe spaces in 1,000+ community centers nationwide—, new equipment donations, grants for community organizations that help low-income Americans, and continued support for the Internet Essentials program. To top it off, the ISP stated that over the past decade, Internet Essentials has helped to
How the Biden Broadband Plan Can Accomplish Connectivity for All
By Michael Powell NCTA President & CEO Now that we have had a few days to reflect on the President's infrastructure plan, we want to be clear about how we view it. We share the end goal of the Biden broadband proposal: ensuring that 100% of Americans have access to robust broadband networks. However, such a monumental plan must be properly targeted to achieve our principal national objectives—getting broadband networks built in areas where they don't exist, and modernizing a safety net to help low-income families adopt and afford internet service. Here is what we strongly support. 1. Dedicate
Discovery's Documentary on Pope Francis Issues a Call to Action to all Humanity
When the world's leader of the Catholic Church grants filmmakers unprecedented access to his life, it's a pretty big deal. This week, viewers are getting the opportunity to learn more about Pope Francis and the issues that matter most to him through Discovery's documentary, "Francesco." Released on Discovery+ at the start of Holy Week and just in time for Easter Sunday, "Francesco" is the first of a whole new slate of original programming by the streaming service—which launched in January—and represents the network's new investment towards premium documentaries. At the Television Critics
Observations on Network Performance One Year into the NCTA COVID-19 Dashboard
It's been more than a year now since COVID-19 forced Americans into lockdown and sent many of them straight to their homes to continue their lives online. In their reflections on the one-year anniversary of COVID, chief technology officers from America's leading internet service providers concurred that the ability of their networks to perform so well over the past 12 months, despite significant surges in internet traffic, comes down to several factors. Those include years of investment, planning and looking ahead, combined with the incredible hard work of their employees to accelerate network
Nielsen Data Shows that People Working From Home Are Watching "The Office"
The COVID-19 pandemic has reached its one-year mark across much of the globe. In a year marked by a constant deluge of bad news, political polarization, and pervasive uncertainty, TV and video entertainment provided Americans with a much needed escape. New data from Nielsen calls attention to the importance of TV as a means for Americans to sustain themselves and their sense of community during the COVID-19 pandemic. While certain new releases, like “The Mandalorian” on Disney+, saw spikes during the stay home period, Nielsen data indicates that most viewers sought the comfort of old, familiar
Turner Reimagines March Madness Live to Meet Fans Where They Are
After last year’s disappointing March Madness cancellation due to COVID-19, the tournament is back for 2021 and fans are getting ready for the Sweet 16. Viewers have also been on the receiving end of a whole new entertainment experience this year. Turner and CBS are providing live coverage of all 67 games from the tournament across TBS, CBS, TNT, and truTV. But in addition, March Madness Live (MML)—the NCAA tournament app produced jointly by Turner and CBS—is sporting a new look and design to encourage more interactivity and engagement with viewers. Notably, MML is now available on a record 18
CTOs Share Insights on Network Performance Over the Past Year, Part Two
Last week, on the one-year anniversary of COVID in the United States, chief technology officers from America's leading internet service providers (ISPs) offered reflections on the internet usage trends they observed over the past year and how their networks were able to handle the unprecedented surges in internet traffic. This week, in part two of NCTA's special Q&A series, the CTOs from Charter, Comcast, Cox and Midco relayed the massive undertaking it took to ensure that their customers' new remote needs were met when more people than ever before connected online to continue working