An Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) working group is recommending the start of efforts to standardize an ICT “Analytics Metadata Framework” to help users of big data analytics “understand and leverage operator-generated analytics insight.” That framework would simplify data use from multiple operators and would help analytics aggregators present a “broader, cross-operator perspective,” the ATIS working group said Thursday. “This initiative would involve coordination with other groups/bodies to leverage their work on data security and consumer privacy concerns.” Operators already exchange high volumes of data through traditional mechanisms, and these “could be leveraged for advancing telecom industry big data analysis initiatives,” ATIS said. The group said it plans to investigate if reusing these mechanisms would expedite implementation of their recommendation (http://xrl.us/bofgb6).
Charter agreed to acquire Cablevision’s Optimum West systems for $1.652 billion in cash, the companies said. The systems, which were formerly Bresnan’s, pass more than 660,000 homes in Colorado, Montana, Wyoming and Utah, where they serve about 304,000 video subscribers. “Optimum West is an ideal fit for Charter and we anticipate an efficient integration,” said Charter CEO Tom Rutledge, a former Cablevision executive. Cablevision said it expects the transaction to close in the third quarter.
Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) and the TV Music License Committee said they agreed on principal terms for new music license agreements. The agreements will let local TV stations use performances in BMI repertoire and run retroactively from Jan. 1, 2005, through Dec. 31, 2017.
Sprint Nextel has no plans to dump its unlimited data plan or other mobile plans in the near future, CEO Dan Hesse said Thursday during a conference call on the carrier’s Q4 results (see related item in this issue). Sprint’s plans “are priced at a good competitive level right now,” he said. “And we probably would not consider a price increase until we felt that we had a very strong network position and we of course are closing the LTE gap rapidly.” The carrier believes its unlimited plan continues to hold value, while shared data plans introduced last year by Verizon Wireless and AT&T “are fairly new,” Hesse said. “We of course always reserve the right to make pricing changes but we aren’t anticipating any currently. … I believe as usage begins to increase that our value proposition of unlimited will just begin to look more attractive.” Shared data plans proved successful for Verizon Wireless and AT&T during Q4. Verizon Wireless said 23 percent of its postpaid subscribers were on its “Share Everything” plans at the end of the quarter, bringing the average monthly bill up to $146.80 (CD Jan 23 p7); AT&T reported 6.6 million of its subscribers were on its “Mobile Share” plans by the end of the quarter (CD Jan 28 p19).
Charter will still support one-way CableCARD products and related FCC goals, despite a recent appeals court ruling that vacated the FCC’s plug and play order, it said in a letter supporting its request for a waiver from CableCARD requirements (http://xrl.us/boff9u). The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit tossed one of three FCC CableCARD orders last month (CD Jan 22 p4). “In light of that ruling, Charter voluntarily commits to continue support” for one-way plug and play devices, CableCARD self installation, M-Cards, switched digital video solutions and maintain uniform CableCARD fees, as well as bring-your-own-box discounts, it said.
Eutelsat’s revenue grew nearly 4 percent to more than $427 million in the second quarter period ending Dec. 31. It increased from about $412 million from the same period in 2011, it said in Q2 financial results (http://xrl.us/boff94). Overall revenue for the first half of fiscal 2012-2013 increased 5.2 percent to about $850 million, it said. Video applications were up nearly 7 percent to $577 million in the six months ending Dec. 31, compared to $540 million the previous year, it said. Growth at the orbital positions of 7 degrees west and 8 degrees west, and at 16 degrees east, was fueled by the takeup of new capacity added in 2011, Eutelsat said. Order backlog reached a record high of $7.2 billion, it said: This was driven “by strong commercial dynamic at some of the fastest growing video neighborhoods, particularly satellites addressing the Middle East and North Africa.”
Wireless backhaul provider FiberTower told the FCC its “post-Sandy assessment” indicates that systems making use of hardened fixed wireless backhaul infrastructure “proved more resilient and reliable during Superstorm Sandy than those that had not.” The company offered written testimony as part of the agency’s Sandy investigation. “Lives and the viability of businesses and institutions are on the line,” the company said (http://xrl.us/boff9s): “Before it can devise remedial policies or practices, the FCC must isolate vulnerabilities. ... Telecommunications systems that depend on reinforced backhaul that met certain specific standards, not only stayed up and running during Sandy but could be repaired and restored far quicker than those without such technology."
Nexstar said its WFFT-TV Fort Wayne, Ind., has again affiliated with the Fox network. The station will begin carrying Fox programming March 1, Nexstar said. Fox’s previous affiliation agreement with WFFT expired in June 2010, and the network reached an agreement with Granite Broadcasting a year later to distribute Fox on its WISE-TV Fort Wayne. Separately, Nexstar said it agreed to buy KSEE Fresno, Calif., from Granite for $26.5 million.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski was in the running to be the next ambassador to Brazil but has taken himself out of consideration, industry officials told us Thursday. A spokesman for Genachowski declined to comment but cited answers the chairman offered last week during a press conference (CD Feb 1 p11) that he is happy with his current job. “I'm working hard every day and we have a terrific agenda,” Genachowski said at the time. An ambassadorship would be “a good next move” for the chairman and Brazil is considered “the most dynamic country in South America,” said a top industry lawyer. The downside is that Brasília, the capital, is a planned city with few cultural highlights, located almost 500 miles from Rio de Janeiro, the lawyer said. Sources confirmed that while Genachowski had a shot at the Brazil posting he did not pursue it. Current Brazilian Ambassador Thomas Shannon said he will leave his post “in the middle of the year” in an article posted on the U.S. Embassy’s website (http://xrl.us/bofft6). However, a transcript from the interview quoted Shannon as saying: “I am staying until I receive other news.” A State Department spokesman confirmed Tuesday that Shannon had not made any formal announcement regarding his post.
The FCC Media Bureau urged the Division of Rate Counsel for the State of New Jersey to file “as soon as possible, but no later than Feb. 22,” any subsequent filings it wishes to include in the record in a series of requests by Comcast to be let out of local rate regulation in some New Jersey franchise areas. The letter from the Media Bureau (http://xrl.us/boff65), dated Jan. 22, said it could not extend the deadline in the proceeding as it was an informal one, agreed upon by the parties. However, “it is likely that in the interest of considering a full record, the Bureau would entertain additional pleadings in these proceedings to the extent those pleadings are focused on arguments regarding” certain data subject to a protective order, the letter said.