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Google Fiber Spreads to Gladstone

Another Missouri City Embraces Google’s 1 Gig Network
By: Jeff Baumgartner May 14 2013 - 6:19am
Another Missouri City Embraces Google’s 1 Gig Network

Google Fiber’s march into the Kansas City area continued Monday evening as the Gladstone, Mo., city council voted in favor of bringing the company’s 1 Gig network to the community.

Approval clears the way for Google Fiber to string its network into Gladstone, a town located just north of Kansas City. Gladstone has a population of about 25,784 and roughly 12,148 housing units, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

Outdoor Sets May 16 Date For Shareholders Meeting

Will Vote on Kroenke Sports & Entertainment Offer
By: Mike Farrell May 13 2013 - 5:38pm
Will Vote on Kroenke Sports & Entertainment Offer

 

Outdoor Channel said Monday that it will hold a special meeting of shareholders at its headquarters in Temecula, Calif., at 2:30 PST on May 16 to vote on Kroenke Sports & Entertainment’s $10.25 per share all cash offer to purchase its outstanding stock.

Suddenlink Prices $750M Notes Offering

Will Use Proceeds to Refinance Some Debt
By: Mike Farrell May 13 2013 - 4:56pm
Will Use Proceeds to Refinance Some Debt

 

Suddenlink Communications said Monday that it has priced a $750 million of 5.125% senior notes due 2021 to replace earlier issued debt.

According to Suddenlink, the new debt will be used to retire the remaining $712.6 million of outstanding 8.625% Senior Notes due 2017 and pay related fees and expenses.

CableLabs Blesses Hitron’s 1-Gig DOCSIS 3.0 Gateway

Powered by Intel and MaxLinear Chips, New Device Can Bond 24 Downstream Channels
By: Jeff Baumgartner May 13 2013 - 2:12pm
Powered by Intel and MaxLinear Chips, New Device Can Bond 24 Downstream Channels

A gateway from Hitron Technologies quietly received certification from CableLabs earlier this year, making it the first confirmed DOCSIS 3.0-powered device capable of 1 Gigabit per second downstream speeds to achieve that distinction.

Commisso: McCain Is Right, Programming Problem Rests with Wholesalers

Mediacom Chairman Hopeful Sen.'s Bill Will Prompt Change, Though Short of Full-Blown A La Carte
By: John Eggerton May 13 2013 - 12:12pm
Mediacom Chairman Hopeful Sen.'s Bill Will Prompt Change, Though Short of Full-Blown A La Carte
 

Mediacom chairman Rocco Commisso isn't ready to embrace Sen. John McCain's proposal of full-blown a la carte, but has a pat on the back for the Arizona Republican's identification of wholesale distributors (programmers) rather than retailers (cable operators) as the cause of what both Commisso and McCain argue is a broken marketplace.

CableLabs Taps Lookabaugh to Head Up R&D

Cable Tech Vet Once Ran PolyCipher, the MSO-Backed Downloadable Security Joint Venture
By: Jeff Baumgartner May 13 2013 - 11:05am
Cable Tech Vet Once Ran PolyCipher, the MSO-Backed Downloadable Security Joint Venture

Cable engineering vet Tom Lookabaugh has been named executive vice president of R&D at CableLabs, where he will focus on platforms that enable high-speed access and next-gen services.

Lookabaugh is joining Louisville, Colo.-based CableLabs on June 10, according to a spokeswoman. He’s coming on board following a career with a variety of technology companies and joint ventures, including several that focused on cable.

Aereo Dumps Annual and Day Pricing Plans

Launches ‘Streamlined’ Pricing Structure, Which Includes a Free First Month, in Concert with Boston Debut
By: Jeff Baumgartner May 13 2013 - 9:10am
Launches ‘Streamlined’ Pricing Structure, Which Includes a Free First Month, in Concert with Boston Debut

Aereo has unveiled a new “streamlined” pricing plan for new customers that eliminates the company’s previous annual and day plans, and enters the picture as Aereo gets set to launch services in Boston on May 15.

Under the new plan, pricing starts at $8 per month for access to the company’s antenna array plus 20 hours of cloud DVR storage. Customers can upgrade to 60 hours of DVR storage for another $4 per month. As a carrot, new customers also get their first month for free, and they can cancel at any time, the company said.

Wochit Lands $4.75 Million A Round

Web Video News Startup Co-Founded by Ex-BigBand Networks CTO Ran Oz
By: Jeff Baumgartner May 13 2013 - 8:19am
Web Video News Startup Co-Founded by Ex-BigBand Networks CTO Ran Oz

Wochit, a startup that curates, licenses and syndicates video news footage for a variety of Web publishers, has closed a $4.75 million A round from Redpoint Ventures, Cedar Fund and Greycroft Partners.

The company, founded in 2012, said it will use the funds to “to accelerate go-to-market efforts, including new initiatives with its customers on producing, syndicating and monetizing videos about any topic as news happens.”

ABC Sets Live Streaming Service Launch

Marking a First for a Broadcast Network, Free Preview of Authenticated Service Watch ABC Starts in New York, Philadelphia on May 14
By: Andrea Morabito (Broadcasting & Cable) May 12 2013 - 7:52pm
Marking a First for a Broadcast Network, Free Preview of Authenticated Service Watch ABC Starts in New York, Philadelphia on May 14

Marking a first for a broadcast network, ABC on Sunday announced the launch of its Watch ABC app to allow pay-TV subscribers access to live, linear streaming of viewers' local ABC station programming -- including network, local and syndicated content -- starting in the New York and Philadelphia markets.

NCTA's Powell: Biggest Subscription Video Provider is Netflix, Not Cable

Will Tell Senate Communications Subcommittee Video Distribution Marketplace is Already Competitive, Innovating
By: John Eggerton May 12 2013 - 5:30pm
Will Tell Senate Communications Subcommittee Video Distribution Marketplace is Already Competitive, Innovating
 

In Michael Powell's view, a streaming service, not a traditional MVPD, is the top video provider in the U.S.

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