How Cable Networks Deliver Ultra-Fast Internet
Your browser does not support the video tag. DOCSIS 3.1 Technology Cable networks are able to deliver data to a consumer's home using a technology standard called DOCSIS. DOCSIS is a set of instructions and rules governing how data is managed and delivered over cable networks. DOCSIS is, in essence, the technology that makes cable broadband work. DOCSIS is Improving! The current standard and still most commonly deployed, DOCSIS 3.0, is capable of delivering 900 megabits per second download speeds. The latest version, DOCSIS 3.1, tops out at a whopping 10 gigabits per second! It doesn't do it
Safer Internet Day and Why It Matters
Next week on February 7, NCTA – The Internet and Television Association will add its support to the worldwide celebration of Safer Internet Day 2017 – “Be the Change: Unite for a Better Internet”. Now taking place in over 100 countries, Safer Internet Day is an annual, globally coordinated event promoting the efforts of internet users of all ages, interests and backgrounds, to make the internet a better place and vice versa – to make the world a better place with the help of the internet. The U.S. host for Safer Internet Day is ConnectSafely.org. Its U.S. steering committee includes
Was Your DVR Used in a DDoS Attack?
This past September, KrebsOnSecurity, a website dedicated to news and information on internet security, was struck by a record breaking denial of service attack. A month later, a similar attack took place against Dyn, an internet infrastructure company. Soon after, NCTA produced a helpful graphic explaining how a DDoS attack like the ones that struck KrebsOnSecurity and Dyn work by taking advantage of unsecured internet-of-things devices like cameras and thermostats to overwhelm and crash servers and infrastructure. It was widely reported that part of the cacophony of devices used in these
New Steps Unveiled for Preventing Unwanted Robocalls
Earlier today, the FCC’s Robocall Strike Force unveiled some new steps that phone providers are taking to help prevent unwanted robocalls. A robocall is defined as a call with an automatic dialing system or with a prerecorded or artificial voice. The strike force, established earlier this year, includes among others Charter, Comcast, and Cox, all of whom are providing their customers with specific guidance and tools on how to block unwanted robocalls. NCTA joins them in supporting the task force as well as the FCC’s robocall portal that provides information about consumer rights and operator
#ICYMI: A New Vlog Helping Families Make Smart Media Decisions
There’s always a new app, a fun new show to binge on, and a new way to connect with family and friends. At this point, it’s impossible to always know what your kids are watching or what they’re doing online. But, the good news is that you don’t have to know the ins-and-out to make sure your kids are being smart and safe in the virtual world. Our website, ControlWithCable.org, is a great place to learn how to engage your kids in important conversations about media, and how to set parental controls to manage their access. You’ll also find a video blog series called #ICYMI (In Case You Missed It)
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
An Existing Internet Privacy Plan That Works for Everyone
Almost everyone agrees that the internet is a phenomenal success that has changed our lives in many important and entertaining ways. Superfast networks built and continually upgraded by internet service providers (ISPs) have provided consumers with an exciting platform to find just about any content or experience imaginable. When taking a closer look at why the internet has thrived, privacy has been a critical issue. For ISPs, privacy has been a top priority for more than two decades as these companies have worked hard to successfully preserve and protect the private data of consumers. And
FCC Privacy Plan Will Confuse Consumers and Provides No Added Protection
Good news Internet users – the FCC is proposing to adopt new rules that it claims will give you more control over how your data is collected and used when you’re on the Web. The soundbites sound great – now you can be sure that your privacy preferences will be honored wherever your surfing takes you. Except, not so much. What they don’t tell you is that any privacy choices you make under the proposed rules will apply only to the first entity you encounter on the Internet – your broadband provider. For everything else you do on the Web (use a browser or the operating system on your mobile
Competition, Neutrality, and Other Words That Don’t Mean Price Regulation
At Thursday’s meeting, by a 3-2 party line vote, the FCC adopted a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that seeks comment on a new rate regulation regime for business data services. In the lead up to that vote, NCTA made clear that we object to the proposal because it radically departs from four decades of bipartisan policy by proposing to regulate the rates of new facilities-based entrants. That such an approach would deter investment and competition seems obvious, but apparently not to this FCC. At the meeting and the subsequent press conference, Chairman Wheeler defended his proposal on
Regulating the Insurgents
If there's one regulatory principle that has largely been inviolate over the past forty years, it is that new entrants should not be subject to rate regulation. FCC leaders through the decades have consistently recognized that incumbent-style rate regulation of new entrants only serves to discourage the investment necessary to spur competitive entry and the deployment of new and innovative services for American consumers. Until now. On Thursday, the FCC is poised to seek comment on a new regime for regulating commercial communications services traditionally known as “special access,” now