Cable operators, incumbent telcos and network overbuilders are increasing broadband speeds to meet rising consumer demand for video streaming, content uploading, multiplayer gaming and social networking, executives told us. Prices at most companies we surveyed generally stayed the same or rose slightly as ISPs have promoted higher speeds in recent years to lure new customers and keep current ones. But analysts said few broadband subscribers seem to need the companies’ fastest broadband packages, because computers in some homes can’t process information quickly enough to make use of them and few people use online applications needing the speeds.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Dingell (D-MI) and the Chairman of its Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Stupak, announced that the Committee is expanding its food safety investigation following the recent outbreak in China involving contaminated milk products. (Press release, dated 10/02/08, available at http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_110/110nr361.shtml)

Public interest groups led by Public Knowledge fired back at CTIA and wireless carriers opposing their petition asking the FCC to declare that short codes and text messages come under anti-discrimination provisions of the Communications Act’s Title II. The groups fear resistance could stall action on their petition and thought the time right to re-engage on the issue, said a supporter of the petition.

Adoption of Verizon’s plan to revamp intercarrier compensation would “almost certainly” trigger litigation at the state and federal level, CompTel and NCTA said. In a late Monday letter to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, the competitive local exchange carrier and cable associations said Verizon’s Sept. 12 plan (CD Sept 15 p2) could decimate competitors’ interconnection rights. “Facilities-based competitors are beginning to have an impact in this marketplace,” but only as a result of the current interconnection regime, CompTel and NCTA said. Adopting Verizon’s proposal “would erode substantially the statutory and contractual rights and obligation[s] upon which facilities-based competition depends.” But though CompTel and NCTA rejected Verizon’s interconnection ideas, they supported unifying terminating access rates for all traffic. They didn’t opine on Verizon’s proposal to set a uniform $0.0007 rate. “At this time, we're not taking a position on specific rate levels,” a CompTel spokeswoman said. The competitors’ support for unifying rates “is good news and demonstrates the broad public interest appeal of that approach,” a Verizon spokesman said. “Verizon plans to reach out to the parties to find workable solutions to the interconnection issues raised.” CompTel and NCTA said the Verizon plan would give incumbent local exchange carriers “control over key decisions affecting CLEC networks,” and permit incumbent local exchange carriers to avoid “obligations under existing agreements” and “state arbitration of future disputes.” The plan is too vague, they said. Verizon proposes default compensation and interconnection rules, but doesn’t explain how the rules would be implemented between two interconnecting carriers, nor how carriers may obtain different arrangements, the groups said. Verizon’s proposal to require terminating carriers to “establish at least one [point of interconnection] per LATA” clashes with the 1996 Telecom Act, CompTel and NCTA said. The Act required ILECs to interconnect with requesting carriers at “any technically feasible point,” they said. The Verizon rule would permit ILECs to dictate where competitors should interconnect, and their choice of network technology, CompTel and NCTA said. For example, if an ILEC designated only circuit-switched facilities as interconnection points, competitors would be forced to convert IP traffic to a circuit-switched format, they said. Also, because the Verizon rule doesn’t distinguish between CLECs and ILECs, CLECs too would have to designate interconnection points, the competitors said. That’s wrong, because Congress only imposed interconnection requirements on incumbents, they said.

The FCC should reject CTIA’s petition to impose deadlines on state and municipality action on celltower and wireless facility siting applications, said the National Association of State Aviation Officials. The NASAO said a revised siting process could harm aviation safety. The Electromagnetic Radiation Policy Institute also urged the FCC to reject CTIA’s petition, as did numerous municipal and state groups. CTIA’s bid has backing from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), Alltel and a few other wireless industry filers.

Minority owned and targeted radio stations could fail if Arbitron proceeds with its Portable People Meter electronic audience measurement device rollout plans before PPM ratings receive accreditation from the Media Ratings Council, minority broadcasters said at the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters conference. Arbitron’s rollout schedule calls for stations to begin using PPM ratings in New York and Los Angeles next month, shortly after reply comments are due on a petition for the FCC to investigate Arbitron’s ratings methodology. Arbitron CEO Steve Morris said the PPM ratings and methodology are solid and ready for commercializing.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin circulated orders for a planned Oct. 15 FCC meeting on the low-power TV digital transition and requiring Sprint Nextel to leave so-called 800 MHz interleaved spectrum by March 31, 2010. The FCC also might meet Oct. 30, a date Martin asked colleagues to keep open.

With financial markets enduring their biggest upheaval in decades, GHL Acquisition Corp.’s takeover of Iridium is seen as a validation of Iridium’s business strategy, said industry sources. “This deal proves they can survive,” Tim Farrar, president of Telecom Media and Finance Associates, said.

Online game company Trion World Network raised $70 million in a “Series C” funding round, it disclosed Tuesday. Since its 2006 formation, the company has raised more than $100 million, a tally it calls “one of the largest amounts raised by gaming companies in recent history.” The latest infusion helps position the company “as an emerging leader in the publishing and development of server-based games,” it said. The funding round was led by an unspecified “large global financial institution” and Act II Capital, Trion said. All previous investors also participated, including first- round participants DCM and Trinity Ventures, and B-round investors Bertelsmann, Time Warner, Rustic Canyon and Peacock Equity, a joint venture between GE Commercial Finance’s Media, Communications & Entertainment business and NBC Universal, Trion said. Trion has announced two titles in development that it plans to publish in North America and Europe: Its first title -- a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game -- and a massively multiplayer online game developed in partnership with NBC Universal’s Sci Fi Channel.

Online game company Trion World Network raised $70 million in a “Series C” funding round, it disclosed Tuesday. Since its 2006 formation, the company has raised more than $100 million, a tally it calls “one of the largest amounts raised by gaming companies in recent history.” The latest infusion helps position the company “as an emerging leader in the publishing and development of server-based games,” it said. The funding round was led by an unspecified “large global financial institution” and Act II Capital, Trion said. All previous investors also participated, including first- round participants DCM and Trinity Ventures, and B-round investors Bertelsmann, Time Warner, Rustic Canyon and Peacock Equity, a joint venture between GE Commercial Finance’s Media, Communications & Entertainment business and NBC Universal, Trion said. Trion has announced two titles in development that it plans to publish in North America and Europe: Its first title -- a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game -- and a massively multiplayer online game developed in partnership with NBC Universal’s Sci Fi Channel.