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FCC CHAIRMAN KEVIN MARTIN is proposing open access requirements for a 22 MHz block of the 700 MHz spectrum. In an interview on Tuesday, Martin pushed for a “truly open broadband network” available to any device and any application. He said that the current standard of bundling cellphone service with specific devices hinders innovation and Continue Reading →

TIVO will allow users to order and download digital movies and TV shows directly from their television sets, starting today. The new “Buy on TV” functionality connects TiVo DVR’s directly to the Amazon Unbox download service. The TiVo-Amazon partnership formerly required users to log onto Unbox.com to initiate downloads. NIELSEN/NETRATINGS will officially announce its transition Continue Reading →

 GOOGLE is working on a “next generation” social-networking site called SocialStream. SocialStream aggregates many different online networks, allowing a user to manage their many online affiliations. The service has the ability to post photos and comments to multiple blogs and photo-sharing sites with one click. SocialStream is part of a Google-sponsored project at Carnegie Continue Reading →

As I have often said, Steve Jobs is the world’s foremost expert in making me buy stuff I don’t need with money I don’t want to spend. In this regard, the 8GB iPhone is his ultimate achievement. It is, by far, the most viscerally exciting, aesthetically pleasing piece of technology I have ever held in Continue Reading →

MICROSOFT has unveiled LiveStation, a peer-to-peer television broadcasting application. Built on the Silverlight platform, LiveStation will offer a major feature that Joost currently lacks: live TV. Microsoft is testing the application now, and a final version is due this October. NBC may stop creating original programming for Friday evenings, according to co-chairman Marc Graboff. In Continue Reading →

APPLE is on the verge of partnering with Telefónica’s O2 to bring the iPhone to the UK. The phone will operate on O2’s 2.5G network, not the faster 3G standard. Reports circled earlier this week claiming that Apple will partner with Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile to release the phone in Germany. CABLE PROVIDERS are preparing to Continue Reading →

LG is partnering with YOUTUBE to bring full YouTube services to its handsets. Users will be able to record and upload short films directly to the site, as well as view content from YouTube’s vast library of videos. The YouTube-enabled phones will be available by the end of the year. eMARKETER estimates that ad-spending on Continue Reading →

NBC UNIVERSAL will shutdown NBBC, and merge its intended features into “NewSite,” the tentitive name for the new venture with News Corp. NBBC allowed content owners to upload videos for web syndication, and was expected to launch later this year. It had signed around 150 partners, including A&E and CNET. However, NBCU contacted the partners Continue Reading →

YAHOO will announce Yahoo Smart Ads today. Smart Ads will utilize behavioral targeting to create more relevant advertisements. Using the new technology, ads will be created on the spot, utilizing several known factors about a user — including recently-visited sites, location, age, and income. THE FCC issued waivers for the July 1st ban on integrated Continue Reading →

FCC Commissioner, Deborah Taylor Tate gave an interesting speech at the 46th Annual New York State Broadcasters Association Conference in Lake George the other day. She was sandwiched between David Rehr, president and CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters and Governor Eliot Spitzer, so her remarks were shorter than planned. She has posted the Continue Reading →