With coming augmented and virtual reality services driving a need for greater upload capacity, CableLabs finished its Full Duplex DOCSIS 3.1 specification, blogged Belal Hamzeh, vice president-research and development, wireless technologies. It would allow for upstream and downstream traffic flowing at 10 GB concurrently, the group said Wednesday. The specification will be released later this month.
Fox's planned buy of Sky wouldn't bring news providers "under common material influence" because it doesn't affect either the ownership or degree of control the Murdoch Family Trust has over Fox or News Corp., Fox said in a submission Tuesday to UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). It said the deal isn't a full combination of Fox, Sky and News Corp., since the affected Sky News and News Corp. news outlets would stay under the ownership of separate companies -- Fox and News Corp. -- with separate, majority independent boards. Fox said there can't be an adverse finding unless CMA concludes the transaction would lead to insufficient plurality, but the rise of online news sources and intermediaries has resulted in big pluralities in the news market. Fox said the alleged Murdoch Family Trust influence isn't a basis for finding insufficient plurality because increased influence isn't the same as insufficient plurality and there's no reason to believe the deal would materially enhance the Murdochs' influence over the news agenda. U.K. Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Karen Bradley last month referred Fox/Sky to CMA for a full, six-month investigation (see 1709140020). CMA said provisional findings are due in December.
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision last month affirming a lower court's overturning of a jury's decision that Cox Communications illegally tied cable services to set-top box rentals (see 1709200027) conflicts with previous 10th Circuit decisions, appellant Richard Healy said Tuesday in a docket 15-6218 petition (in Pacer) for rehearing en banc. The cable operator didn't comment Thursday.
The stand-alone price of Comcast's Performance Starter broadband package, offering speeds of 10 Mbps/2 Mbps, is $49.95 a month in all the major metropolitan markets where it operates, but pricing of its Performance plan -- offering speeds up of 25 Mbps/5 Mbps -- can vary, according to the latest annual broadband pricing the company posted Wednesday in FCC docket 10-56. Comcast said its Performance pricing can be from $64.95 a month -- in markets such as Indianapolis and Nashville -- to $74.95 a month in markets such as metro Baltimore and Pittsburgh. The report also showed different pricing in different markets for some other broadband service offerings, such as its Gigabit service -- 1 Gb/35 Mbps -- ranging from $104.95 to $159.95. The report is required as a condition of Comcast's buy of NBCUniversal. Comcast didn't comment Thursday.
Altice and Disney reached a distribution agreement for Disney content to Altice's Optimum video customers, Altice said Thursday. Under the multiyear deal, Disney content including various ESPN channels would remain accessible to Optimum customers who also would have access to additional multiplatform, digital and expanded on-demand content, Altice said. It said Optimum will add ESPN’s SEC Network in late 2018 and launch ACC Network in August 2019. It said the two would partner on ESPN’s direct-to-consumer product, set to launch early next year.
The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology gave Charter Communications special temporary authority for 5G testing in the 28 GHz band. The approval Wednesday was for several test stations in Clarksville, Tennessee, with the testing to start next week and run through April, according to Charter's application.
Cable operators filing FCC Form 1210 can raise the non-external portion of their rates by a factor of 1.0159 percent for Q2 to account for inflation, and those filing Form 1240 can use an inflation factor of 1.0101, a Media Bureau public notice said Monday.
Charter Communications will break ground early next year on a new headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, it said Tuesday. The 500,000-square-foot, 15-story building will be ready for occupancy in 2019, it said. Charter said it contracted with Connecticut developer Building and Land Technology for construction, with an option to expand the site into a two-building campus. Charter moved headquarters from St. Louis to Stamford in 2012 (see 1210040052). It said it's receiving $10 million in loans and $10 million in tax credits from the state in return for a pledge to add 1,100 headquarters jobs.
Disney and Altice reached a carriage agreement in principle and extended a deadline as they finalize terms, Altice said Sunday. The previous deal was to expire Saturday. MoffettNathanson analyst Michael Nathanson emailed investors Monday that the pact is "a very bullish sign for Disney" and should be a template for an array of ABC/ESPN affiliate agreements between now and 2022: The deal points to ESPN still having negotiating clout "and that the doom and gloom could be lifting," he said.
Legislators left little doubt Congress believed violation of the Video Privacy Protection Act would be a concrete injury, as it created a statutory damages provision that is triggered by VPPA violations, the Electronic Privacy Information Center said in an amicus brief backing a plaintiff suing ESPN over treatment of his Roku device viewing data. Judges Susan Graber, Mary Murguia and Morgan Christen of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Friday approved (in Pacer) EPIC's request for leave to file the brief, saying the plaintiff has standing under Spokeo to sue ESPN, which the network disputes (see 1709250050). EPIC's docket 15-35449 brief (in Pacer) said a VPPA disclosure provision violation is a per se concrete injury, and any court that demands a plaintiff prove harm atop the concrete injury Congress deemed actionable is substituting its own judgment.