Cable Tv Service

IPTV to the aged

Dan O'Shea — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:04:16 -0400

There are some who bemoan IPTV as still being nothing more than a me-too cable TV service, but U.K. company Broadband Capital is working with the U.K. City of Hull on a unique market opportunity--or at least one we haven't seen any other IPTV operators pursue. The company's Stream IPTV is delivering an IPTV service package aimed at residents who are 55 years old or older, with funding from the Hull City Council.

The program is intended to encourage independent living by presenting a TV package that includes local information, e-mail, low-impact exercise programs, crime prevention advice and other applications. It is available now in about 100 households in Hull, with expansion to as many as 5,000 home expected over the next 12 months.

Telephony notes that Hull has now had IPTV service for about 10 years. U.K. telco giant BT only has just begun in the IPTV business, but Hull is among a very slim percentages of the country that isn't served by BT.

For more:
Check out this coverage at Telephony

DTV transition getting dicey

Dan O'Shea — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:41:30 -0400

The February 2009 digital TV transition is a little more than six months away, and things are starting to get kind of confusing. The Federal Communications Commission reportedly is almost ready to issue an order that would grant small cable TV providers--who are also rural telcos in many cases--an exemption from the "must carry" rule. That is the rule, passed by the FCC almost a year ago, saying cable TV operators who don't go all-digital by next February must carry both analog and digital channels on their networks.

Doing so requires more network capacity than many of the smallest providers have, so it appears the FCC is now set to grant companies with less than 552 Mhz of activated capacity and fewer than 2,500 subscribers a three-year exemption. The National Association of Broadcasters opposes the exemption, and it does raise the concern that what was supposed to be an industry-wide transition could fall apart at a time when many programmers have made the commitment to digital programming. Many of the big cable TV service providers are moving forward too, including Verizon Communications, which has been gradually shutting off analog service in some of the markets where its cable TV-like FiOS TV service is offered.

The small market providers may not have the money to meet the must-carry mandate, but the exemption would help create an environment in which TV customers in small markets are left out of the rapidly evolving advanced TV age. Also, while the markets that the smallest cable TV operators serve are not necessarily the most competitive, an exemption would give the IPTV providers who might be eying those markets more time to perfect their own advanced services. It seems we are about to have yet another kind of digital divide on our hands.

-Dan

For more:
- see this story at Light Reading's Cable Digital News

AT&T expands IPTV in Florida, shuts down cable in Alabama

Dan O'Shea — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:08:45 -0400

AT&T continues to expand into new IPTV markets, already announcing this week that it is rolling out U-verse TV service in South Bend, Ind., and in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jacksonville launch is of particular note, as its one of the few former BellSouth markets to get AT&T's IPTV treatment--Atlanta and the South Florida area around Miami being the others.

As the carrier tries to lure 1 million IPTV customers by year's end, it will not be surprising to see more markets in the former BellSouth region get access to the service. Meanwhile, AT&T also reportedly has shut down a cable TV service that originally had been operated by BellSouth in one Alabama community, following up on an intention it announced earlier this year. The affected Alabama municipality of Vestavia Hills, however, already has approved AT&T as an IPTV provider, so expect a launch there sooner rather than later.

For more:
- read this post at DSL Reports
- see this report at DSL Reports

Related articles:
AT&T is aiming for 1 million U-verse TV subs this year. AT&T report
AT&T added 148,000 U-Verse TV subs in the first quarter. AT&T report

AT&T appeals Connecticut ruling

Dan O'Shea — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 09:13:25 -0400

AT&T has formally appealed the U.S. District Court in Connecticut ruling that designated the company's U-verse IPTV service as a cable TV service. Perhaps you thought this saga was already over, and who could blame you, since AT&T has already received a state-wide video franchise from the Connecticut state legislature. However, while the franchise does not specify if the service is defined as cable TV or something else, being legally defined as a cable TV service in Connecticut could complicate matters as AT&T looks to take U-verse to others.

The Federal Communications Commission could potentially resolve this issue, but it is not clear if or when the agency would consider the matter. Meanwhile, AT&T is trying to gloss over this issue, as it looks to maintain a strong adoption pace for U-verse TV services.

For more:
- see this coverage at Multichannel News

Related articles:
U-verse was left with cable TV designation last month. U-verse report
AT&T was given a state-wide franchise last fall. AT&T report