• House Panel Approves Broadband Census Bill
• ESPN Hooks Rights to Masters Tournament
• Martin Backs Internet Tax Ban Extension
• Bresnan Starts Business Phone Service
• Lifetime Expands Reality Block
• SBE West Conference Canceled
• Style Rolls Fashion, Beauty Series

• Verizon Wins Braintree Franchise
• Sesame Pitches Global Citizenship
• ESPN Launches Moto X World Championship
• Cablevision Hires TBWA\Chiat\Day
• WildBlue Targets Commercial Subs

• Worth Watching
• Scranton Seeks ‘Office’ Zealots

House Panel Approves Broadband Census Bill
Washington – A House subcommittee controlled by Democrats approved draft legislation Wednesday afternoon that would require federal and state agencies to cooperate in accurately collecting data on the availability and penetration of high-speed Internet access across the country. The legislation isn’t expected to sail through with minority Republican support until agreement is reached on the use of subscriber data that cable and phone companies would need to report to a division of the U.S. Commerce Department. The bill is backed by telecom policy veteran Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), who has blasted the Bush administration for letting the U.S. tumble to 15th place in controversial world broadband performance rankings kept by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Among other things, Markey’s bill would require the FCC to conduct an annual survey that examines all broadband technologies that have been deployed, where they have been deployed and the number of consumers who subscribe and the data speeds they’re offered. The FCC would need to compare its findings with broadband developments around the globe. The bill, called the Broadband Census of America Act, is supported the cable industry largest trade organization, probably because any government survey would show that cable modem service is widely available and about to leap from top broadband speeds of 5 megabits to “wideband” speeds approaching 150 megabits. click to read more...
Back to top

ESPN Hooks Rights to Masters Tournament
After running for 25 years on USA Network, early coverage of pro golf’s Masters Tournament is moving to ESPN in 2008. While tournament organizers at Augusta National Country Club in Georgia will restrict ESPN to just three hours a day of live coverage, with a limited commercial inventory, it’s nonetheless a big score for the all-sports network to land the prestigious tournament. The Masters was one of the first major programming acquisitions for USA Network founder Kay Koplovitz. The network had run early round coverage from August since 1981. click to read more...
Back to top

Martin Backs Internet Tax Ban Extension
Washington -- FCC chairman Kevin Martin said Wednesday that he supports extending the federal law that bans taxation of high-speed Internet access service provided by cable and phone companies to millions of consumers. “I think that we need do whatever we can to extend the moratorium on Internet taxes for as long as possible,” Martin told reporters after testifying before the House Small Business Committee on FCC rules for a $10 billion spectrum auction set to begin Jan. 24, 2008. The Internet tax moratorium expires on Nov. 1 unless extended by Congress. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have been at work on a compromise for weeks, but no deals have been announced. click to read more...
Back to top

Bresnan Starts Business Phone Service
Bresnan Communications has launched Business Line, a voice over Internet protocol offering aimed at small to medium sized companies in the cable TV operator’s four-state region. click to read more...
Back to top

Lifetime Expands Reality Block
Lifetime acquired two new reality shows -- one with party planners and another with matchmakers -- for the second season of its new Friday night reality block, starting Jan. 4. Lifetime said It’s My Party, featuring party planner Brian Dobbin, and Matt Titus: Matchmaker will follow the previously announced How to Look Good Naked, with Carson Kressley, forming a 9-11 p.m. ET/PT block. click to read more...
Back to top

SBE West Conference Canceled
The SBE 2007 West conference that was to start in Reno today was cancelled, on short notice, stranding at least some potential attendees of this attempted extension of the Satellite & Broadband Expo. A notice on the three-day conference’s Web site said, “Due to circumstances beyond our control, SBE 2007 West has been canceled. Registered attendees and exhibitors please check your email for further information.” click to read more...
Back to top

Style Rolls Fashion, Beauty Series
The Style Network plans to keep viewers in the fashion know with its brand new weekly series Ultimate Style, set to debut Nov. 3. The 30-minute weekly series, starring model and designer Daisy Fuentes and lifestyle and culture guru Jai Rodriguez, will give viewers up-to-date info on the latest trends in fashion, beauty, home, travel, celebrity and more. click to read more...
Back to top

Verizon Wins Braintree Franchise
Posing new competition for incumbent cable TV operator Comcast, Verizon won a video franchise for its FiOS TV service in Braintree, Mass. click to read more...
Back to top

Sesame Pitches Global Citizenship
Move over Big Bird and Elmo. Sesame Workshop has a whole new cast of characters who speak five languages and are looking to take the world by storm with a program called “Panwapa.” Sesame Workshop, is teaming up with the Merrill Lynch Foundation on Panwapa, which means “here on this earth” in the Tshiluba language. Sesame said Panwapa “aims to foster the foundation for global citizenship and community participation in young children, ages 4 to 7.” Panwapa will debut on free video-on-demand in January via PBS Kids Sprout, and Panwapa games and information will be available at SproutOnline.com. Sesame Workshop also launched an interactive Web site Panwapa.com, which allows users to access content in five languages – Arabic, English, Japanese, Mandarin and Spanish. click to read more...
Back to top

ESPN Launches Moto X World Championship
ESPN said it’ll debut the Moto X World Championships motocross race April 12-13, with live coverage on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN360.com and EXPN.com. click to read more...
Back to top

Cablevision Hires TBWA\Chiat\Day
TBWA\Chiat\Day will provide marketing and advertising support for the expected launch, in 2008, of Cablevision’s expanded TV and online commerce, the companies said Wednesday. click to read more...
Back to top

WildBlue Targets Commercial Subs
WildBlue Enterprise Solutions will start providing an optional, larger satellite dish for use by business customers subscribing to its enterprise products starting late this month, officials said Wednesday. The new .98 meter dish is designed to provide greater network availability for WildBlue Enterprise Solution’s broadband Internet service for business and government customers on their next generation, ka-band, spot beam satellites. click to read more...
Back to top