January 22, 2013

What You Need To Know Now...

Is Your City A Gigabit City?
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski threw down the gauntlet late last week at the U.S. Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting, calling for at least one “gigabit community” in all 50 states by 2015. Dubbing it the “Gigabit City Challenge,” he cited the need to push next-gen apps and services that will drive economic growth and global competitiveness. The FCC will hold future workshops on the challenge bringing together broadband providers, and state and municipal leaders, who will work to evaluate barriers, increase incentives and lower the costs of gigabit network deployment. Information from those meetings will be posted as part of the clearinghouse. Already, 42 markets in 14 states boast ultra-high-speed fiber Internet connections, but that leaves 36 states lagging behind.
 
Global Operators Cite Content Deals As Pay-TV Buzz Kills
Multiscreen services are critical for pay-TV operators worldwide, but successful rollouts still face barriers, according to Infonetics Research. Its survey of operators worldwide suggested that their top headache is the signing of secure licensing deals so integral to both content developers and providers, and vital to any upcoming a la carte talks. Purchase decisionmakers also cited the need for churn reduction and increased customer loyalty, calling for more Android and iOS content compatibility to help achieve those goals.