Device-toting residents of some major metro areas will start seeing...
Device-toting residents of some major metro areas will start seeing a new Wi-Fi network in range in coming months called “CableWiFi.” Bright House, Cablevision, Comcast, Cox and Time Warner Cable said they'll begin letting each other’s broadband customers access their…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
local Wi-Fi networks under that name. “We believe WiFi is a superior approach to mobile data, and that cable providers are best positioned to build the highest-capacity national network,” said Kristin Dolan, senior executive vice president-product management and marketing at Cablevision. “WiFi technology, coupled with our agreements with Verizon Wireless, are two significant ways we are executing our strategy to deliver the best in- and out-of-home communications experience for our customers,” said Dave Watson, Comcast Cable’s chief operating officer. Already those five cable operators have more than 50,000 Wi-Fi hotspots in and around New York, Los Angeles, Tampa, Orlando and Philadelphia, they said. They plan to add to that number in those markets and in new cities, they said. The announcement was not a surprise, Sanford Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett wrote in a note to investors. In fact, many investors thought these cable operators had already agreed to take these steps, he said. But “the strategic implications are profound,” he said. “The unique usage characteristics of wireless networks leave the door firmly open for a potentially very-disruptive Wi-Fi-first service,” he said. Public Knowledge Legal Director Harold Feld said the announcement was disappointing. “Wi-Fi offers the opportunity to compete with wireless providers such as Verizon Wireless, using Wi-Fi roaming to build a rival footprint that could offer a cheaper alternative to consumers,” he said. “But rather than compete, the cable companies want to include Verizon as part of the footprint,” he said, pointing to the marketing agreements the companies reached as part of their proposed AWS license transfer.