Private equity firm Grain Management has closed on its purchase of Nebraska-based Great Plains Communications, a closely held triple-play provider to more than 90 communities in the state. Great Plains also operates a 9,500-route-mile fiber network in the Midwest.
Apple has chosen PlayStation Vue to provide the first batch of streaming TV for its TV app, which will harness content from multiple providers into one platform. The subscription service will allow customers to use iPhones, iPads and Apple TVs to view on-demand or live programming.
Spokane, Wash., is partnering with Verizon to use the telecom's technology to monitor air quality and provide smart streetlights. The city also has initiated other smart technology projects, including one involving solar panels installed on university facilities.
Communications service providers are still contending with how to convince customers of the business value of network functions virtualization, finds a small industry survey of 160 people from 66 service providers.
Panelists at the TVNewsCheck's TV2020's "Technology Shaping Business Models" discussion noted broadcasters' overall progress on transitioning to Internet Protocol but said they needed to improve their metrics and advertising technology to more effectively compete with companies such as Facebook and Google.
Florida's "Kick'n 103.5" radio hosts Tiffany "Flip" Dunning and Sean Streeter are using Facebook to give their listeners community updates in the wake of Hurricane Michael, despite parent company Powell Broadcasting's decision to close down its Panama City operations. "This is what we signed up for as broadcasters, to get information any way we can," Streeter says.
Disney is said to be preparing to auction off 22 regional sports networks, as part of its deal with 21st Century Fox, by providing bid books to banks and distributors. Those companies reportedly include Sinclair Broadcast Group, Amazon and Google.
The Justice Department will have a chance to defend its opposition to the AT&T-Time Warner merger Dec. 6, when oral arguments are to be presented before the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The DOJ contends that the merger violates antitrust laws, while AT&T rejects the idea that the acquisition will stifle competition.
Clippers CourtVision, a feature of the Fox Sports app for pay-TV customers in the Los Angeles market, lets viewers choose among three ways of watching a Clippers game. They include "mascot mode," which adds graphic elements such as lightning bolts, and "player mode," which shares real-time stats about players on the court.
It's time for the FCC to take a fresh look at the 5.9 GHz band. After two decades and millions of dollars in wasted government subsidies, the Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) experiment in the 5.9 GHz band has clearly failed. The growth of Wi-Fi over the last two decades and the potential of this spectrum to deliver better Wi-Fi only amplify this failure in policy. The time is now for the Commission to open all or a substantial part of the 5.9 GHz band to unlicensed innovation and consider flexible options for addressing the spectrum needs of automotive technologies. Read more.