06/05, 11:00am
TiVo protects rights to patents by using them to countersue DVR maker Cisco
Very soon after Cisco sued TiVo to challenge TiVo's claims to patents used in DVRs, TiVo has gone ahead and sued Cisco back. According to a Tuesday report, there are four patents in contention and TiVo is involved in several lawsuits against a number of companies that bought the allegedly offending DVRs from Cisco. Cisco's Scientific Atlanta arm sells boxes to cable providers that include AT&T, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon Communications.
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08/02, 12:05pm
Agency sees big improvement since 2009 survey
A report issued today by the Federal Communications Commission shows broadband speeds in the U.S. are now significantly closer to what Internet service providers advertise than they were in 2009. The report found that actual download speeds provided by the majority of U.S. broadband providers were within 80 percent or better of companies' advertised speeds. In 2009, download speeds were more often around 50 percent of the advertised rate.
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05/11, 12:55pm
Shaw Cable brings back Moxi DVR as Arris Gateway
Moxi DVRs are now available yet again, but have unusually been confined to Canada. Shaw Cable is offering the device, now known as the Shaw Gateway, while the Moxi Mate is now called the Portal. The device has six tuners and a built-in 500GB hard drive.
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01/27, 3:20pm
Netflix ISP chart puts Charter top, Clearwire last
Netflix as it promised Wednesday posted a chart detailing which Internet providers were the best and worst at providing Internet movie streaming. In spite of its complaints about Comcast possibly double charging for access and objecting to Time Warner, it gave cable providers most of the top spots for performance between October and January. The top seven were dominated by leader Charter as well as Cox, Suddenlink, Cablevision and Cable One.
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01/24, 10:30am
Chater teams with TiVo to bring its set top boxes
Cable and telecommunications provider Charter Communications and TiVo kicked off the week with an announcement that they will cooperate on bringing TiVo's interface to Charter's set-tops. The hybrid platform will bring with it IP technologies in addition to the standard cable experience, and include both TiVo's newer HD user interface and TiVo Premiere boxes. Future TiVo platforms will also be used, adding new services and third-party apps.
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11/11, 7:00pm
Company considering dynamic throttling
Charter Communications is reportedly planning to strictly enforce data caps for broadband customers, sources have told DSL Reports. Despite executives' promises that data caps would only be enforced in extreme situations, unnamed support representatives suggest the company will give two warnings before suspending service for up to six months unless customers switch to a business-level agreement.
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03/27, 11:45am
Charter Files Chapter 11
Charter today said it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The anticipated move will see the cable and Internet provider restructure itself under a plan that it had already established ahead of the actual filing to recover its operations. Under the efforts, Charter expects to eliminate about $8 billion of debt and won't require that debtors finance the company to keep it running. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen will also maintain his stake in the company.
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02/12, 8:35pm
Charter bankruptcy
Cable and telephone provider Charter Communications has announced that it will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, after reaching an agreement with a debt holders committee that outlined the conditions of a financial restructuring. The company could see a reduction of approximately $8 billion in debt, with a formal filing to occur on or before April 1st. Charter currently has roughly $800 million in cash on hand to help with the restructuring and operations through the transition.
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01/29, 1:15pm
Charter 60Mbps Internet
Charter Communications recently announced it will launch the one of the fastest widely available Internet services in the US, capable of delivering 60Mbps download speeds and 5Mbps uploads. Called Charter High-Speed Internet Ultra60, the service will initially be released in downtown St. Louis before expanding to other, unnamed markets. At the same time, the Internet provider says it will upgrade its Charter High-Speed Internet Max service to give subscribers 20Mbps download speeds instead of the current 16Mbps without increasing their monthly rates.
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12/19, 11:30am
Paul Allen 700MHz Bid
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is one of those already confirmed as bidding in the upcoming FCC auction for the 700MHz wireless band, according to the list of accepted applicants (PDF). The former executive is using a proxy firm known as Vulcan Spectrum in an attempt to capture a slice of the soon to be free wireless spectrum, which has been eagerly sought after by telecom providers for its potential with long-range Internet and similar data. Neither Allen nor Vulcan has revealed the reasons behind the bid, though Allen is also a significant stakeholder in cable provider Charter.
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