A D.C. Resident Shares How the Internet Changed Her Life
Since LaJoy Johnson-Law gained access to the internet in her home last year, life has completely changed for her and her 8-year-old daughter, Abria. A resident of southeast Washington, D.C., Johnson-Law is one of 14 million people who have been connected to broadband internet through the cable industry's broadband adoption programs over the past decade. While Johnson-Law, like many other Americans, was able to make due without the internet for many years by either using the internet at a neighbor's home every once in a while or her phone’s hotspot, everything changed when COVID-19 hit the
More Energy Savings Coming to Pay-TV Equipment
Today is Earth Day, and the timing could not have worked out better to celebrate and recognize a hugely successful energy efficiency program that has already saved consumers $7 billion in energy costs. The program is the award-winning, "Voluntary Agreement for Ongoing Improvement to the Energy Efficiency of Set-Top Boxes," between all of the major cable, satellite and telco multichannel video programming distributors, manufacturers of set-top boxes, and leading energy efficiency advocates the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE)
Much of America’s Infrastructure is Crumbling; Broadband is the Exception
The topic of improving our national infrastructure is once again front and center in Washington. For years, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has been urging policymakers to reinvest in things like waterways, bridges, energy grids, and roads. In fact, ASCE reports that 43% of America's public roadways are in poor or mediocre condition, more than 230,000 U.S. bridges require repair and preservation work, and there is a water main break every two minutes, causing an estimated six billion gallons of treated water to be lost each day. Another “newer” form of infrastructure is the
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
Award-Winning, Energy-Saving Set-Top Box Voluntary Agreement Renewed Through 2025
Arlington, VA – Today, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) and NCTA – The Internet & Television Association (NCTA) announced an extension through 2025 of the award-winning Voluntary Agreement for Ongoing Improvement to the Energy Efficiency of Set-Top Boxes.The agreement, which has already saved consumers $7 billion in energy costs and avoided 39 million metric tons of CO2 emissions through the end of 2019, will now include new, even more rigorous energy-efficiency commitments starting in 2023. By the end of the extended terms of the agreement, the total energy used by set-top boxes in
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
On COVID Anniversary, CTOs from America's Leading ISPs Reflect on Network Performance
One year ago, the entire world practically shut down when the COVID-19 pandemic became widespread. In the United States, lockdown orders went into effect and millions of Americans turned to the internet for telehealth visits, remote work and virtual schooling. It was then that broadband showed its true power to connect people during a time when more people than ever before went online to continue their lives in the only way they knew how. Fortunately, cable internet service providers (ISPs) had planned ahead to ensure that their networks had the capacity to withstand the significant spike in