FLO TV at an End?
Posted by Steve Fravel on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 · 
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Citing low subscriber growth during the first three years of operations, Qualcomm is said to be looking closely at options for its FLO TV division. Those options may include selling the division outright, selling the spectrum or finding a partner that can modify the business and take it in a new direction.
Qualcomm reportedly invested $683 million to acquire the wireless spectrum necessary to provide the FLO TV service. FLO TV provides ESPN, ABC, CNN, CBS and Comedy Central among the approximately 20 live channels carried. It is not a nationwide service, though it is available in most major cities around the country.
Disney Pays $763 Million for Social Games
Posted by Steve Fravel on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 · ·
According to observers, the social gaming business is booming. Disney’s initial payment of $563.2 million places the Walt Disney Co. squarely into social gaming as the largest Hollywood operator. The deal is reportedly structured to include additional payments of nearly $200 million should Playdom achieve significant undisclosed growth benchmarks.
The concept uses simple games that include ”virtual retail” opportunities for players to purchase everything from clothing and spa visits to refreshments for their game characters. Playdom is one of a group of game developers that are part of the rapid expansion of social game growth in network environments like Facebook.
Zayo Partners with 10 Independent Telcos for Colorado Fiber Network
Posted by Jesse Ward on Monday, July 26, 2010 · ·
Zayo Bandwidth, a national provider of fiber-based solutions for carrier, enterprise and government customers, announced late last week that it has joined forces with independent telephone companies to form the Colorado Communications Transport LLC (CCT). CCT will develop a 746-mile fiber-optic transport ring which will cover northeastern Colorado and provide connectivity to major communication hubs in Denver.
In addition to Zayo, the founding members of CCT include 10 telcos in northeastern Colorado: Agate Mutual Telephone Cooperative Association Inc., Eastern Slope Rural Telephone Association Inc., Nunn Telephone Co., PC Telcom, Peetz Communications LLC, Plains Cooperative Telephone Association Inc., Roggen Telephone Cooperative Co., Stoneham Cooperative Telephone Corp., Wiggins Telephone Association and Willard Telephone Co. Read more
AT&T Deploys Bonded VDSL
Posted by Jesse Ward on Monday, July 19, 2010 · ·
In an attempt to extend the reach of its U-Verse services, AT&T has begun deploying pair-bonded very high bit-rate DSL (VDSL) in the last-mile, copper portion of its fiber-to-the-node (FTTN) network.
The technology — which bonds two copper wires together – extends the network’s reach an additional 1,000-2,000 feet in a neighborhood. The variety of DSL that AT&T is using, VDSL, has a useful range of around 3,000 feet from the video-ready access devices (VRADs) that are the fiber-fed nodes in the U-verse network.
AT&T initially announced its intention to deploy pair-bonding back in 2007, but was faced with unexpected delays along the way, including modem chipset issues. The technology was supposed to help AT&T compete head-on with the broadband speeds offered by DOSCIS 3.0 cable systems. However, AT&T now reports that pair bonding won’t increase the bandwidth the telco can deliver over the network. Instead, the telco plans to use the technology to enhance its reach, offering video to more subscribers.
Location-Based Thermostat Management
Posted by Kevin McGuire on Saturday, July 17, 2010 · ·
There’s been quite a bit of buzz about the Smart Grid recently (look for a New Edge series on Smart Grid coming in a few weeks), but I’ve often wondered how consumers will benefit. Allure Energy has finally opened my eyes to what is possible with a smart home system.
Imagine this: once you leave your house in the morning, your smartphone sends location information back to your thermostat allowing the temperature to increase. As you are on your way home, the closer you get, the closer to normal your thermostat is set — thereby ensuring you have a nice, cool home when you arrive. Sounds like science fiction, right? Wrong… Read more
Google Launches ‘Fiber for Communities’ Website
Posted by Jesse Ward on Friday, July 16, 2010 · ·
Back in February, Google announced plans to build experimental, ultra high-speed networks in communities across the U.S. chosen from public submissions. More than 1,100 communities and 194,000 individuals submitted requests, representing all but three U.S. states (Delaware, Florida and South Dakota). Google is still busy plowing through the applications, and it won’t be announcing the winners until year-end.
In the meantime, the Internet titan is capitalizing on the public and media interest in its project. Google has launched a Web site called Google Fiber for Communities to inform the public about fiber networks and Google’s project. The site also will serve as a communications and advocacy platform to encourage federal and local support for “changes designed to bring ultra-fast broadband to more communities.” Read more
Government Awards $795 million in Stimulus Round 2
Posted by Jesse Ward on Tuesday, July 6, 2010 · ·
President Obama announced the first 66 winners in the second funding round of the ARRA broadband stimulus program. The awardees include municipalities, educational institutions and tier 2 and 3 telcos, many of which will fill in fiber “middle mile” gaps in rural communities.
The Obama administration reports that the investment will create 5,000 construction and installation jobs. The release touts these additional benefits: Read more
