GigaOM

I’m no fan of the phone companies’ tactics of stifling competition in broadband through the strategic deployment of lobbyists in Washington. Thanks to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, they have gotten what they needed. Perhaps that’s why I was struck by this Ars Technica headline: “Grab your wallet: Qwest wants release from line-sharing rule.”
The [...]

Broadband service providers looking for ways to upsell higher-speed (more expensive) connections now have the perfect come-on: same-day downloads on Apple’s iTunes store from most of the major Hollywood studios.
While the news doesn’t cover rentals, it’s good enough. Others, like VUDU, are already offering similar same-day download services. Given its history, the odds of [...]

U.S. demand for broadband has finally started to slow, but that means the carriers are looking for even more ways to squeeze money out of subscribers. One such way: speed boosts. Continue Reading

Verizon reported its first-quarter earnings this morning, with most things going as expected. Wireless is booming (1.5 million net additions, 13 percent revenue growth), FiOS TV’s demand seems to be picking up (263,000 new subscribers, putting the total at 1.2 million), and not surprisingly, the company saw accelerated decline in the number of wireline customers. [...]

It’s times like this I wish I still lived in Brooklyn. It looks like New Yorkers from Staten Island to the Bronx could eventually get Verizon’s FiOS TV service in their homes if regulators and city lawmakers approve. Verizon already offers its fiber to the home broadband service in portions of the five boroughs, but [...]

Verizon is suing Time Warner over what amounts to false advertising. Misleading ads, stretching the truth or just massaging the facts — it’s a case of incumbent hilarity taken to a whole new level. An ad from Time Warner Cable suggests that Verizon FiOS is just catching up with them when it comes to the [...]