CenturyTel was ranked the highest among Telecommunications providers in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom in online customer service, according to a study conducted by the Customer Respect Group and reported in their "First Quarter 2007 Online Customer Respect Study of the Telecommunications Industry."

The Customer Respect Group studied the Web sites of 54 leading Telecommunications companies, focusing specifically upon ease of use; communication; how well the company responded to specific questions through one-on-one communication; and trust (whether the site could be trusted with personal data) to compile a Customer Respect Index (CRI) for each company.

CenturyTel earned a CRI rating of 8.1 (out of a possible 10), well ahead of the industry average of 5.9. The closest American competitors were AT&T, scoring 7.1, Verizon Wireless, scoring 7.0 and Cablevision, scoring 6.9.

"I am pleased with this achievement and the special recognition we have received," said CenturyTel Chairman and CEO, Glen Post. "I am confident that we will continue to serve our customers well and meet the challenges of this dynamic industry."

A full industry scorecard and further explanation of the criteria can be found at www.customerrespect.com.

Fifty-three percent of Internet users would replace their cable and satellite TV with broadband TV, if they could get the same TV channels, according to a new Zogby poll, sponsored by Redback Networks, an Ericsson company.

The Zogby poll asked 1006 Americans how they use broadband services, Internet-connected mobile devices and what video and mobile services they would pay for in the future. 53 percent of Americans would replace cable and satellite with broadband TV. Other findings included 55 percent who said that parents and individuals are responsible for making broadband technology safe and 29 percent who felt parents have primary responsibility to make Internet devices safe for kids.

"These findings help illustrate how people use broadband and mobile devices today and what they anticipate doing in the future. This poll makes it quite easy to imagine a world where all TV and movie content is portable and two billion cell users become 2 billion TVs or 2 billion TV broadcasters," said Alan Lippman, chief video architect of Redback Networks. "Within five years, broadband will be as video-centric as your cable or satellite service, and telephone and high-speed mobile networks may emerge as alternative platforms for triple-play services, delivering greater choice to consumers. There also are emerging revenue opportunities for broadband carriers who meet increasing demand for parental control services."

To read more about the survey, check out the press release.

A local newspaper in Buffalo, New York is reporting that Time Warner Cable is preparing to change the e-mail addresses of more than 100,000 high-speed Internet subscribers. The change only affects customers who were subscribed to the Adelphia "Power Link" e-mail and high-speed Internet service before Adelphia was purchased by Time Warner.

According to the report, Internet subscribers' addresses ending in the adelphia.net address will switch to the Time Warner Cable Road Runner High Speed Online domain name roadrunner.com sometime in May. Time Warner plans to forward e-mails sent to the old address for six months after the changeover.

News Corporation, NBC Universal and Comcast recently announced a comprehensive distribution agreement in which Comcast's Comcast.net and Fancast.com will serve as key distribution sites for News Corp. and NBCU's recently announced online video venture. Under the agreement, Comcast will also provide available non-exclusive content for domestic distribution on NBCU and News Corp's site from Comcast Networks, including E!, Style, G4, Versus and Golf Channel and will become the venture's first non-equity content provider.

In addition, the companies announced the new online video venture will utilize media management and video distribution technology from thePlatform, Inc., a Comcast subsidiary and a leading provider of broadband and mobile video publishing solutions.

"We're delighted that the nation's largest cable provider will be a major player in this new venture," said Peter Chernin, President and Chief Operating Officer of News Corporation. "News Corp. and NBC have long histories with Comcast and we're committed to expanding our relationship in this new media universe. We believe there is a wealth of opportunities to exploit broadband distribution to benefit both our businesses."

"We are very excited by the positive response our new venture with News Corp. has generated," said Jeff Zucker, President and CEO, NBC Universal. "Comcast's participation is yet another affirmation of our strategy to place top-quality, protected content in as many places as possible."

"We are pleased to have the best of NBC and Fox's TV content available to our customers on Comcast.net and Fancast.com," said Steve Burke, Chief Operating Officer, Comcast Corporation, and President of Comcast Cable. "Making TV content available on multiple devices will enable our customers to view their favorite shows on television, online and on video-on-demand."

Distribution across Comcast sites will include Comcast.net, and Fancast.com, a new entertainment site launching this summer that will enable users to view video as well as search, discover and manage both TV and movie content.

NBC Universal and News Corporation's recently-announced video site will launch in the summer with thousands of hours of full-length TV programming, clips and movies, representing premium content from more than a dozen networks and two major film studios. The new venture's content will be distributed via some of the most-popular sites on the Web, including AOL, MSN, MySpace and Yahoo. The new NBCU/News Corp. joint venture will have offices in Los Angeles and New York.

For more information, check out the press release.

RSA, The Security Division of EMC, recently announced that it has broadened its strategic relationship with EarthLink.

The companies started working together in 2005 when EarthLink joined the RSA FraudAction^SM Blocking Network in order to enhance its phisher blocking tools and services further. With today's announcement, EarthLink has also joined the RSA FraudAction worldwide detection network, a move the companies say will augment RSA's ability to counter more attacks faster, and provide end-users with greater protection against online threats such as phishing.

"Consumers live in an 'always on' world; most have a constant broadband Internet connection and are 'always on' the lookout for threats that can compromise their computers," said Jonathan Young, EarthLink's vice president of security software, subscription and services. "Similarly, EarthLink is always on the offensive to make sure consumers have the tools they need for a safe online experience. Working with RSA and deploying products like EarthLink's ScamBlocker are only a few examples of our commitment to provide all Internet users with features that keep them safe from online threats."

"We are committed to helping organizations accelerate their online businesses and boost consumer confidence through enhanced security. Working with forward-thinking, customer-facing companies like EarthLink helps both parties achieve their aims in this regard," said Marc Gaffan, Director of Marketing, Consumer Solutions at RSA. "When dealing with online threats like phishing, speed is critical—the faster we can detect attacks, the faster we can block access to them and shut them down. By expanding our relationship with EarthLink to include both detection and blocking, our customers and consumers everywhere will benefit from added protection and peace of mind."

The RSA FraudAction service includes a detection network that is designed to allow RSA's 24x7 Anti-Fraud Command Center to be quickly aware of unfolding attacks. RSA's fraud analysts then proceed to block and shut down the attacks to mitigate any potential damage. EarthLink, which encourages its users to report phishing attacks, sends RSA a feed of phishing attacks and the copies of phishing e-mails that are provided by its users; this additional source enhances RSA's detection capabilities and assists in mitigating attacks as soon as possible.

Since mid-2005, the RSA 24x7 Anti-Fraud Command Center has provided data to enhance ScamBlocker—EarthLink's consumer application designed to help protect Internet users from insidious phishing site scams. RSA sends EarthLink and its other blocking partners a feed of confirmed fraudulent sites. EarthLink's ScamBlocker then warns users before they access known or suspected phishing sites, and redirects them to an EarthLink-generated Web page that provides additional information about phishing and similar online scams, and details on the actions subscribers can take to further protect themselves. ScamBlocker is available to all Internet users, not just EarthLink access subscribers.

For more information, check out the EarthLink press release.

According to the latest research by Cable Digital News, U.S. phone companies signed up at least 100,000 more high-speed Internet subscribers than cable companies during the fourth quarter of 2006.

CDN says that for the ninth time in the last 11 quarters, the phone companies topped cable companies as together the industries added more than 2.5 million subscribers for high-speed Internet service. The nation's largest phone companies added more than 1.3 million broadband subscribers during the quarter, compared to fewer than 1.1 million customers for the biggest multi-system operators and more than 1.2 million subscribers for all cable operators.

As the total number of U.S. high-speed customers hit 53 million at the end of December, the two rival industries finished the year with cable companies reporting more than 29.4 million subscribers, more than 55 percent of the market, and phone companies accounting for about 24 million subscribers, around 45 percent of the market.

Comcast reported the largest growth with a pickup of 488,000 cable Internet customers. Although down from its gain in the third quarter, the total is still one of Comcast's highest increases ever. Time Warner Cable followed next with 246,000 new subscribers.

The top two phone companies were Verizon and AT&T, with 409,000 and 383,000 new broadband subscribers respectively.

For more, check out the full Cable Digital News article.

Comcast recently announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire Fandango, a site dedicated to movie information, showtimes and ticketing, and one of the Web's top entertainment sites. The company also announced plans to launch Fancast.com, a new national online destination that will enable consumers to search, discover, manage and enjoy their entertainment experience across many devices and channels, including television, computers, DVDs and wireless services.

Comcast has a major Internet presence, through Comcast.net, which is now a top 10 site with more than 2.5 billion page views, more than 80 million videos viewed and 15 million unique visitors per month. Comcast says it will leverage its experience as the nation's largest buyer of video content, serving nearly 25 million cable customers and 11.5 million broadband customers, to expand its existing video-centric Web sites and create a new online destination, Fancast.com.

Fandango, which is a top online brand and destination where millions of people visit every month to learn about movies and purchase theater tickets, will be an integral component of the Fancast user experience. Fandango.com is already a top entertainment site and one of the nation's largest movie sites with between 4 and 5 million unique visitors each month. Fandango has long-term, exclusive relationships with many national theater chains that provide it a consistent, unique and dedicated audience of entertainment-oriented consumers. Working closely with these exhibitor partners, Fandango will continue to pursue its core mission of being the leading online destination for movie theater information, showtimes and ticketing at Fandango.com.

Fancast, which will launch this summer, will be a national entertainment site where people can search and discover television and movie content, while managing their viewing experience across multiple devices. With Fancast, consumers will be able to search for their favorite shows, movies, actors and actresses, as well as enjoy the video content on the site. Fancast will provide consumers with a place to discover when their favorite shows or movies are "on," and where they can view them via television, video-on-demand, online or on other devices.

Both Fandango and Fancast will be managed by Comcast Interactive Media (CIM), a division of Comcast which develops and operates Internet businesses focused on entertainment, information and communication. Fandango will provide key commerce capabilities for CIM sites and will be an additional source of traffic and revenue. CIM sites, including Comcast.net and Fancast.com, will prominently feature Fandango, which will significantly expand Fandango's current audience.

"Fandango is one of the strongest entertainment brands online as well as a dynamic, profitable business with a superb management team and rapidly growing advertising revenue," said Amy Banse, President of Comcast Interactive Media. "Adding Fandango to Comcast Interactive Media and creating Fancast.com will enable us to leverage our combined assets to offer consumers an outstanding entertainment experience."

"Comcast will enable us to expand our reach with moviegoers, enhance our product, and grow Fandango into an even bigger brand and stronger business," said Chuck Davis, Chairman and CEO of Fandango. "Fandango is all about helping consumers with their entertainment decisions - and we're excited that Comcast will enable us to deliver our content and services to an even wider audience."

For more information, check out the CNET News article Comcast to acquire movie tickets site Fandango.

EMBARQ has begun moving existing residential EMBARQ™ High Speed Internet and EMBARQ™ Business-Class DSL customers with EarthLink e-mail accounts to a new, enhanced EMBARQ-branded Internet portal. As part of the transition, embarqmail.com replaces earthlink.net e-mail addresses.

Benefits of the new MyEMBARQ™ portal include an innovative e-mail service with unlimited mailbox storage and award-winning online security tools providing advanced virus and anti-spyware protection. The new myembarq.com and biz.myembarq.com homepages offer instant access to e-mail, search, news, weather, sports, financial information, 20 channels of commercial-free radio and more.

"We want to make this transition as simple and convenient as possible," said Mark Kenyon, EMBARQ vice president-consumer marketing. "An easy, three-step process enables customers to upgrade to their free MyEMBARQ™ homepage, e-mail account and security services. Through Oct. 31, we will help make it seamless by forwarding e-mail received at the customer's old EarthLink e-mail address to their new embarqmail.com address."

The migration process automatically moves customers' stored e-mail, contact lists and folders to their new embarqmail accounts. Customers also can choose to have their entire contact list automatically notified about the upgrade to their new embarqmail account. Customers with earthlink.net e-mail addresses also will be given the option to keep their existing usernames. EMBARQ™ technical support is available to enhance the customer's online experience.

EMBARQ partnered with Synacor, a leading provider of Internet tools and portals, to create a robust new homepage environment, and Zimbra, the leading provider of open source collaboration and messaging software, to launch a creative and powerful e-mail tool.

"With the new MyEMBARQ™ portal, customers will receive a completely new level of access to their content and personalization that will only continue to improve as new value-added services roll out," said Ron Frankel, president and CEO of Synacor. "Synacor's portal platform and proprietary ID authentication technology enables EMBARQ customers to have an enriched online experience each time they log in."

Migration-eligible customers will be prompted to make the upgrade when they log on to their earthlink.net portal. They can see the new portal page and e-mail features by going to myembarq.com and clicking on "Tour MyEMBARQ™" at the top of the page.

"We're excited to partner with EMBARQ and Synacor to provide EMBARQ customers a world-class messaging and collaboration solution." said Satish Dharmaraj, CEO of Zimbra. "The innovative capabilities offered by the new EMBARQ(TM) service position it as a clear leader relative to other service providers' offerings."

After Oct. 31, EMBARQ will discontinue support of the EarthLink product. Additional issues relating to business customers will be handled on a case-by- case basis. Customers can contact EMBARQ for more information.

"Our customers rely on us to provide common sense innovation," Kenyon said. "With this transition, they will experience significant Internet enhancements and value-added services that are among industry-leaders. Other companies may be able to offer one or two similar features, but we know of no others that offer all of these new features with high-speed internet in one package at a price that does not change for as long as you have it."

For more information, read the EMBARQ press release.

Vyyo Inc., a supplier of ultra broadband Internet access equipment for cable companies, announced today that it has been selected as a supplier of 3GHz taps and passive network elements by Cox Communications.

Cox will use 3GHz elements from Vyyo within its coaxial network as part of its newbuild architecture and for business services in its existing network. Vyyo has received initial orders for 3GHz passives from multiple Cox systems.

The inclusion of 3GHz passives enables cable companies to meet current and future bandwidth needs while not impacting current legacy 1GHz networks, and the ability to leverage Vyyo Spectrum Overlay active products in the future to achieve ultrabandwidth of up to approximately 3GHz for fiber- like broadcast or targeted service delivery to residences and businesses.

"The use of 3GHz passive elements in Cox's network mirrors the forward- thinking approach the cable industry took when it deployed 1GHz taps and passives well before they were required," said Wayne Davis, CEO of Vyyo. "Further, it will help ensure Cox's ability to add bandwidth capability as required to maintain its leadership position."

"Cox historically has taken an innovative and forward-thinking approach to system architecture," said Avner Kol, chief operating officer of Vyyo. "We appreciate Cox's early recognition of the ability of Spectrum Overlay to dramatically and cost-effectively increase the capacity of existing HFC plant, and we look forward to working with Cox to deploy solutions that help the industry to compete effectively in all of their markets."

Vyyo says its Spectrum Overlay solution is designed to allow cable companies to substantially increase bandwidth to fiber-like performance, leveraging their existing infrastructure and at a fraction of the cost to build new fiber networks. Spectrum Overlay leverages higher frequencies on the existing coaxial cable doubling downstream bandwidth and increasing upstream bandwidth by a factor of at least four. The company also states that, by using Vyyo Spectrum Overlay, cable system operators can create new bandwidth on a targeted basis for approximately 10 percent of the estimated cost per home of telcoommunication fiber builds, while maintaining their existing investment in their HFC networks and set-top boxes.

For more information, check out the press release Vyyo Selected by Cox Communications as Supplier for 3GHz Network Passives.

In 2006, the number of DSL subscribers worldwide grew by more than 30 percent to reach almost 185 million by the end of the year. Global broadband subscribers increased to more than 281 million, according to the latest statistics prepared for the international DSL Forum by industry analyst Point Topic. This meant that an increase of 67 million people subscribed to broadband in 2006—with almost two-thirds of new subscribers selecting digital subscriber line technology (DSL) to deliver their broadband services.

Worldwide, DSL remains by far the most popular Internet service technology with a 65.7 percent market share. DSL accounts for almost 88 percent of all broadband subscribers in the Middle East and Africa—the fastest growing broadband region—and 81 percent in the European Union (EU). The EU added more than 17.6 million DSL subscribers in the year to maintain its position as the world's number one broadband and DSL region.

In global terms, the United States is the world's largest broadband market at more than 57 million subscribers. China, the second largest market, is rapidly closing the gap and added 14.4 million broadband subscribers in 2006—more than three million more than the United States—to reach 51.9 million. Thirteen countries now have over three million DSL subscribers, with a further three—the Netherlands (at 2,957,000 subscribers), Turkey (at 2,935,900) and Mexico (at 2,725,683)—fast approaching. In total, 26 nations have more than one million DSL subscribers, with Denmark, Argentina and Russia passing the figure in 2006.

"These latest broadband subscriber figures clearly show that DSL is the preferred delivery method for efficient, high-speed broadband around the world," said George Dobrowski, DSL Forum chairman and president. "With the growing popularity of IPTV over DSL, we expect the DSL market to continue grow in two dimensions; more customers and higher bit rates. Through our Technical Reports and BroadbandSuite™ initiative, which expands our work well beyond our DSL roots, the DSL Forum is delivering the specifications needed to provide customers an excellent experience and service providers the tools for efficient operations and management."

The Daily Times in Salisbury, Maryland recently ran an interesting article about the importance of broadband Internet service to economic development in the local community.

The article profiles Ian McLaughlin, who says he is able to work from home is because he now travels to and from work via the Internet. He is able to call himself a telecommuter because he has fast, reliable and affordable Internet access—not something everyone in his area can claim. He feels so strongly about the importance of broadband Internet access, he frequently attends local government meetings regarding the subject.

Two separate but connected broadband initiatives are now underway in the area that are seeking to address rural broadband access. One is a $16-million project aimed at building a new fiber optic cable down the spine of the Shore from the Maryland line, past Wallops and south across the bridge-tunnel to Norfolk.

However, some feel that the initiatives will help business more than average Internet users.

"The project being funded from Richmond is not really aimed at domestic uses at all," McLaughlin said. "It is really aimed at putting lower cost high-speed applications here to allow existing business and entrepreneurial-type applications, but also to stimulate new business growth."

The article goes on to give a brief history of broadband Internet access, including the impact of Verizon and NASA on the issue. Also mentioned is the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative, a group responsible for funding, acquiring and building a broadband network in southside and southwest Virginia, including 700 miles of fiber to 20 counties and more than 60 business, technology and industrial parks.

For more information, check out the full article BROADBAND 101: Broadband important for economic development

Sprint Nextel , Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Bright House Networks parent company Advance/Newhouse Communications have launched the branding of Pivot, the integrated service that gives consumers the ability to link their mobile service with their digital home phone, and certain high-speed Internet and digital cable services. Pivot combines powerful wireline and wireless networks to bring more useful capabilities to customers, such as one-button access to the Internet, home and wireless e-mail and mobile TV.

"Pivot was designed to help customers connect to home with an easier, more convenient and more affordable way to keep in touch, stay informed and be entertained. We want to make technology work better and faster for the customer—and with our unique partnership, we can do things our competitors cant," said John Garcia, president Sprint/MSO Joint Venture. "Pivot links your wireless phone with the comforts of home. Our common vision is to give customers anywhere easy access to the entertainment, communications and information services that are already important to them."

Pivot provides customers with the ability to watch live and mobile TV, access home TV listings using a programming guide like the one they use at home, check home e-mail and voicemail from one source, access the Internet, make unlimited calls between their cable home service and mobile phones, and have the convenience of one point of contact for service and billing.

Pivot is now available in eight metropolitan areas: Raleigh, North Carolina.; Austin, Texas; Boston, Massachusetts; Portland, Oregon; San Diego, California; Phoenix, Arizona; Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio.

Pivot is expected to launch in 40 metropolitan areas in 2007. The capability to program your home DVR from your Sprint phone will also be available to customers in select areas in 2007. The service can be purchased at Sprint retail stores in those markets or by calling your cable company's call center. Currently, four handsets from the Sprint portfolio are featured in the Pivot offering, although the service is available on any Sprint handset.

For more information, check out the press release Innovative Wireless Service Gives Customers the Power to Feel at Home Anywhere.

EarthLink announced earlier this month the launch of the EarthLink Digital Future Program^SM, which is designed specifically to promote digital inclusion among citizens in municipalities across the country. In conjunction with the program's formal launching, the company also announced its first pilot at the Featherfist Homeless Shelter in Chicago, where a computer lab with Wi-Fi service has been established—the first of 17 to be established at homeless shelters throughout the city.

Digital inclusion is a key tenet in the booming growth of the municipal Wi-Fi marketplace. Cities, non-profits and companies are coming together to build wireless networks for citywide Internet service and to help people who have not had access to broadband—either due to availability or affordability—get access to the hardware, software, training, support
and service necessary to take advantage of high-speed Internet access.

"To EarthLink its clear and its simple—benefiting from what broadband offers shouldn't be based on the zip code you live in or your ability to pay for a myriad of overpriced services from one or two providers—that's why EarthLink has launched our Digital Future Program to help individuals and families cross the digital divide," said Donald Berryman, president of EarthLink's municipal networks unit. "We believe this program can make a difference because pervasive, citywide municipal wireless networks offer a tremendous opportunity for companies and non-profits to come together with cities to help reduce the gap between those who currently benefit from technology and those who do not."

The Digital Future Program's T.E.A.C.H. methodology enables partners to create and execute programs that are replicable and relevant for all metropolitan communities across the country, yet it is flexible enough to be customized to meet local needs and requirements.

For more information, check out the EarthLink press release.