broadband

John McCain wants to make it easier for consumers to buy only the TV shows they want to watch.

On Thursday, the Arizona senator introduced legislation that would force cable operators and other TV providers to split up their so-called programming bundles and instead offer TV shows in smaller, more affordable packages and as a la carte channels. His legislation, called the Television Consumer Freedom Act, also would require sports leagues that use publicly financed stadiums to broadcast home games within their local markets. Now many home games are blacked out in an effort to encourage fans to go to … Read more

Believe it or not, there are still parts of the U.S. that don't have access to high-speed Internet. But that's looking to change with the onset of TV white-space broadband technology.

The first commercial application of this type of service in the U.S. is coming to a rural area of Northern California called El Dorado County, or Gold Country. Internet provider Cal.net is partnering with network equipment provider Carlson to bring this region's residents something more than dial-up.

"Over 59,000 residents in our rural service area have had little or no quality … Read more

Boxee's products along with devices from similar companies like Roku have become necessary pieces of equipment for so-called cord-cutters. But now the company is courting traditional TV providers, like broadcasters and cable operators.

Boxee was among the first companies to shake up the traditional TV market by offering a product that allowed people to stream movies and TV shows from Internet services directly to the TV.

In the years since the company launched, its product has evolved from a software platform to a dedicated box that provided access to content from Netflix and other streaming partners. And most recently, … Read more

LAS VEGAS--One major U.S. broadcaster upset with last week's court decision that upheld the right of Internet TV company Aereo to stream broadcast TV to its customers in New York without paying retransmission fees says his company will find new ways to monetize its content if the courts don't protect its copyright interests.

Speaking at the opening session of the National Association of Broadcasters' annual trade show here today, Chase Carey, chief operations officer of News Corp., said that his broadcast network, Fox, will change its business model to ensure it gets paid for TV content it … Read more

Google and Austin, Texas, have invited press and business leaders to a joint event in the city, which has some people speculating whether Austin might be the next place to get Google Fiber.

The event, which is to be held this Tuesday at 11 a.m., doesn't specify what will be announced. It simply says that "the City of Austin and Google will make a very important announcement that will have a positive impact on Austinites and the future of the city."

Austin city officials are mum on the news. And Google public relations representatives have declined … Read more

Hipsters rejoice. Amazon is adding vinyl records to its AutoRip service, which lets people store music in the cloud.

The company introduced the AutoRip service in January. In its original form, the service allows people who buy or have ever bought CDs on Amazon to also store a digital copy of that album in the Amazon Cloud Player. The company said today in its press release that the service has been extended to vinyl records. Customers should look for the AutoRip logo to know which vinyl records offer digital copies.

The way it works is that when customers purchase an … Read more

Nielsen Holdings, the company best known for tracking TV viewership, is taking its new online advertising measurement tool international.

The company said today that it plans to expand its service of measuring online advertising to countries outside the U.S., including Australia, Italy, Germany, and Canada, according to a statement sent to Bloomberg News.

The new tool will allow marketers to compare online advertising campaigns with TV commercials. Nielsen has been using the tool in the U.S. market for about 18 months.

The purpose of the new tool is to help online marketers better understand the effectiveness of their … Read more

Wireless operators would like to believe the pricing and terms of their services are straightforward and easy to understand. But when it comes to deciphering family plans or figuring out whether you can or cannot use your smartphone as a wireless hotspot, it's not always so clear.

In this edition of Ask Maggie, I explain to a reader who is confused about how wireless contracts work on a family plan. He complains that he was socked with a hefty early termination fee, and he wonders if it has something to do with the fact that he and his wife … Read more

I'm a big believer in the old Boy Scout motto: be prepared.

That's why I always pack a prepaid modem in my travel bag, just in case there's no Wi-Fi available wherever I end up. This happens more often than you might think.

Through tomorrow, and while supplies last, you can get the T-Mobile Jet 2.0 prepaid 4G laptop stick for $19.99 shipped. Props to reader Harvey for sharing this deal.

Like the aircards of old, the Jet 2.0 plugs into your Mac or PC, endowing it with high-speed Internet access -- in this … Read more