Create your Benton.org account today. Registration is quick and easy. Creating an account gives you access to special features, click to learn more.
Todd Spangler
Americans Can't Live Without DVRs: Survey
Submitted by Benton Foundation on September 3, 2008 - 7:38amLast updated: September 3, 2008 - 7:38am
According to a survey commissioned by NDS, which sells DVR software, most Americans say a digital video recorder is indispensable -- and that it has improved their marriages by decreasing the likelihood of arguments over what to watch and allowing couples to watch shows of mutual interest together.
Cable Operators Eye Net Management Makeovers
Submitted by Benton Foundation on September 1, 2008 - 5:18pmLast updated: September 1, 2008 - 5:19pm
Cable-company engineers and lawyers are huddling to determine whether to change the way they treat Internet traffic that traverses their pipes. Virtually all large operators are re-examining their broadband network management practices, according to industry executives, after the Federal Communications Commission formally declared Comcast's practice of tearing down P2P links "unreasonable."
Comcast Sets Subscriber Bandwidth Limit
Submitted by Benton Foundation on August 29, 2008 - 9:03amLast updated: August 29, 2008 - 9:04am
Comcast will cap Internet usage of its broadband subscribers at 250 Gigabytes per month -- a very large amount of data, the equivalent of 62,500 digital songs -- starting Oct 1.
FCC Grants Small Systems Dual-Carriage Exemption
Submitted by Benton Foundation on August 28, 2008 - 11:18amLast updated: September 3, 2008 - 4:10pm
Last week, the Federal Communications Commission approved a waiver to its must-carry rules for certain smaller cable operators, under which those operators will not be required to retransmit digital broadcast signals for three years after next February's transition by full-power TV stations to all-digital broadcasts, according to the American Cable Association.
Comcast P2P Critic Launches Class-Action Bid
Submitted by Benton Foundation on July 24, 2008 - 8:17pmLast updated: July 24, 2008 - 8:18pm
Comcast faces a federal class-action lawsuit, led by an outspoken critic of the operator's peer-to-peer management practices, alleging the company cheated customers by surreptitiously "blocking" Internet file transfers. The lead plaintiff in the suit, Oregon resident Robb Topolski, has regularly spoken out against Comcast's efforts to curtail P2P traffic, including at a Federal Communications Commission hearing on providers' bandwidth-management practices.
Intel Wants FCC To Require Cable HD Set-Tops To Speak IP
Submitted by Benton Foundation on July 20, 2008 - 7:54pmLast updated: July 20, 2008 - 7:55pm
Computer chip manufacturer Intel wants the Federal Communications Commission to amend its rules to require cable operators to provide an Internet protocol networking interface, such as Ethernet, on their high-definition set-top boxes.
State Commission Approves Verizon's Video Franchise in NYC
Submitted by Benton Foundation on July 16, 2008 - 9:49pmLast updated: July 16, 2008 - 9:49pm
The New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) on Wednesday confirmed the agreement between Verizon and the City of New York for the telecommunications company to provide FiOS TV service to all five boroughs of the city.
Study: 44% Of Internet Traffic Is Peer-to-Peer
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 23, 2008 - 6:29pmAccording to a survey by Sandvine, a vendor of bandwidth-management systems, the three biggest overall generators of Internet traffic in May were: peer-to-peer file sharing (43.5%), Web browsing (27.3%), and streaming media (14.8%).
CEA Opposes Waiver For DTA Devices
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 22, 2008 - 3:18pmThe Consumer Electronics Association said Evolution Broadband’s digital-to-analog cable converters should not be granted an exception to the Federal Communication Commission’s separable-security mandate, alleging in a filing with the agency that such a waiver would “harm the public interest.” Evolution Broadband in May asked the FCC for a three-year waiver to the agency’s separable security mandate.
Policing The Bandwidth Pigs
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 8, 2008 - 7:58pmIt’s a tale of two trials. Time Warner Cable and Comcast last week each kicked off tests aimed at dealing with the small percentage of broadband subscribers who chew up the vast majority of capacity on their networks.
