New NCTA Member Mega Broadband Focuses on Rural and Smaller Communities
Last month, NCTA welcomed its newest member, Mega Broadband, which provides high-speed internet, video, and voice services to communities and rural areas throughout the U.S. We spoke with CEO Phil Spencer about the company’s commitment to connecting rural America and making sure no one is left behind in the digital age. What unique challenges does a cable operator working in smaller and more rural markets face versus one in more dense and urban markets? Our philosophy is that we're going to bring equivalent broadband speeds and quality to rural parts of the United States. We're not going to
The U.S. Is a World Leader in Internet Inclusivity
For the third year in a row, the United States ranks in the top three countries in the latest Inclusive Internet Index, and boasts the number one spot globally for the affordability category. The report, now in its fourth consecutive year, covers internet accessibility by looking at four factors that contribute to shrinking the global digital divide: availability, affordability, relevance, and readiness. The U.S.’s top marks in affordability comes as no shock, since data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that Americans spend less on an internet plan than other monthly expenses like a
The Monthly Value of Internet
The internet has become such a part of our daily lives that a connection is now considered a must have, not a luxury. Entertainment, school, research, careers, and relationships are all greatly enhanced by a modern internet connection. Considering the fundamental role connectivity plays in our lives, monthly internet subscriptions make up a relatively small part of average household expenses. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans on average spend more on gym memberships, cell phone plans, electricity, gas and dining out than they do on their internet plan. Not every household
America’s Internet Speeds Continue to Rise
According to the latest Cisco Annual Internet Report, the average fixed broadband speed in the United States will grow 2.4x between 2018 and 2023. Specifically, Cisco projects it will go from 58.9 Mbps in 2018 to a whopping 143.6 Mbps in 2023. That jump in speeds isn’t very surprising, considering the cable industry has invested over $290B in capital infrastructure over the past two decades. This all comes as cable ISPs are working to build the 10G network, which will offer multi-gigabit speeds in the coming years. And as we recently wrote, Cisco also projects Americans will have even more IoT
Celebrating Black History Month with BET
If you can’t see it, you can’t be it. This notion was a driving force behind the creation of Black Entertainment Television in 1980. And now 40 years later, BET is still showcasing the stories of African Americans. To celebrate Black History Month, we talked with BET executives about the importance of elevating the black experience and the networks’ many accomplishments. Black History Month at BET When asked what Black History month means at BET, both Scott Mills, President of BET Networks, and his colleague Jeanine Liburd, Chief Social Impact and Communications Officer, had the same response
Bring on the Smart Devices
It’s pretty miraculous that in 2020 you can leave your lights, your AC, and your music on when you leave the house and effortlessly turn them all off using your phone. Smart home technology has rooted itself into our lives, and a new report predicts Americans will have even more connected gadgets in 2023. According to Cisco’s Annual Internet Report, there will be 4.6 billion networked devices in the U.S. by 2023. Compare that to the 2.7 billion estimated in 2018 and it would be safe to assume homes will only continue to get smarter. For a little context, that means the average American in 2018
3Qs: What TV Means to Consumers Today
“Does TV matter?” That was one of the primary questions that drove a team of researchers at ViacomCBS to explore the role that TV plays in the lives of consumers. Their worldwide inquiry, in which they took TV away from families for a whole week, lead to an examination of today’s fast-changing media environment and how it has impacted the way people experience television. As results from the “TV Matters” research emerge, as well as insights from a second project called “Today’s TV,” NCTA connected with Christian Kurz, Senior Vice President of Global Consumer Insights at ViacomCBS. Kurz’s team
3Q: NCTA President & CEO Michael Powell Talks Tech Policy Issues for 2020 and Beyond
As 2020 kicks off a new year and decade, will we see a new set of technology policy issues on the agenda? Or will the same issues continue to pop up from the past? We sat down with NCTA President & CEO Michael Powell to learn what policy issues he views as top of mind for the industry, how he sees the ever-changing streaming TV marketplace, and what is inspiring him as he looks at the issues of the day. What are the top policy issues or challenges facing the industry this year? I think 2020 is a year that is going to be driven by exponential changes in technology and business responses
Safer Internet Day–Together for a Better Internet
Screens are all over our daily lives, reminding us of meetings and appointments, serving up a friend’s vacation pictures, even helping our kids with homework. It’s gotten increasingly difficult to stay on top of our digital lives and data security, and that confusion is compounded when you add kids and tech into the equation. Shouldn’t this be easier? That’s where Safer Internet Day comes in. The advocacy event started in 2004 as an initiative of the EU SafeBorders project, but given the universal nature of its goals, #SID quickly became an international undertaking and today about 150
Wi-Fi 6 Devices Hit the Market
Officially launched last year, Wi-Fi 6 (the newest generation of Wi-Fi) is beginning to find its way onto the market with more and more devices announced. In short, Wi-Fi 6 is the latest update to Wi-Fi technology, and its key characteristic is next generation speeds, like those that will be offered with 10G. Without it, your smartphone, tablet, and laptop wouldn’t be able to take full advantage of the multi-gigabit speeds ISPs are poised to deliver to homes and businesses. At this year’s CES, consumers got the first look at some Wi-Fi 6 devices that were on display. Notably, Comcast announced