High Speed Internet Service Providers Reviewed

Online San Diego reported today that ViaSat has posted sales and earnings that exceeded the expectations of Wall Street. The report also offered a few more details regarding the introduction of faster Internet speeds which will be possible because of a new, high-capacity Viasat-1 satellite which was launched on October 19. The communications company, marketing under the name WildBlue Internet in the United States, is now conducting tests on its new satellite as it orbits the earth. Service is scheduled to begin sometime within the next six weeks. In a discussion with analysts, CEO Mark Dankberg said that WildBlue will be able to offer customers 12 megabits per second of download speed — more than ten times the current speed available with older satellites. Cost to the customer, however, is expected to stay about the same — around $50 per month.

According to a report in today’s online edition of Time Magazine, the United States Senate has rejected a GOP bid to overturn new federal rules designed to keep Internet service providers from unfairly discriminating against anyone sending content and services over their networks. Both the arguments and final vote followed party lines. Republicans maintained that net neutrality rules, announced by the FCC in December, are just another example of federal regulations that will stifle Internet investment and innovation. Democrats argued that repealing the rules would endanger freedom and openness on the Internet. In an official White House statement, President Obama said: “It is ill-advised to threaten the foundations of innovation within the Internet economy as well as the democratic spirit that’s made the Internet a force for strong social progress worldwide.” The final vote was 52-46

HomeMedia Magazine reports in today’s issue that consumers cannot get enough premium movies and sports, but are mixing paid video services such as Hulu and Netflix with their subscriptions to services such as Comcast, Verizon, AT&T Uverse, Dish Network and HughesNet satellite Internet.  25% of all cable & satellite subscribers also purchase programming from other sources. Nearly half pay for premium channels featuring movies or sports. Nearly one fourth purchase video on demand offerings from their cable or satellite providers.  As an interesting side note, of all of the major cable & satellite services, Comcast sold the most video on demand — followed by Verizon and Time-Warner cable.  The information found in the article was gathered from an online survey taken during the months of July & August.  Over 10,000 people responded.

Online TV programming is going to be one of the most profitable additions to the Internet in many years. Insiders believe it will change the entertainment industry forever. Online TV viewing has grown steadily, particularly since Hulu, NetFlix, & Blockbuster have added television shows to their online content. Well, you can now add video giant YouTube to their number.  Owned by Google, YouTube just announced it is launching 100 new online TV channels over the next twelve months. With an investment of $100 million, YouTube is working with principal Hollywood studios, major Hollywood stars and prime media outlets, to put together a line-up of programming that will appeal to a large and diverse audience. If you are not sure if your Internet connection is fast enough to allow you to watch streaming TV shows online, try doing a search for “Internet service providers in my area” and you should be able to find out quickly.

When my wife and I first met it was in the 1970s. I was living in Brooklyn, New York and Carol was in Peoria, Illinois.  Even though we fell in love and decided to get married, we both had a year to finish at our respective schools.  For the next 14 months, or so, we carried on what is commonly referred to as a “long-term relationship.”  Back then that meant writing letters and making very expensive long distance phone calls.  I would call Carol every Sunday night from a pay phone in my dorm and we would talk for about an hour. The cost was about $25.00 a week — back then!  How different things would have been if we would have had the worldwide web and Internet service providers. We could have been in constant contact via email, instant messaging and Skype — and it wouldn’t have cost a penny.  I think couples in long distance relationships have it much easier today. The only thing I feel bad about is that they will probably never know the joy of receiving a letter from the person they are in love with.

Semillitas, a 24 hour animation channel, is now available on Verizon FiOS TV.  The show, which targets Hispanic pre-schoolers is part of the La Conexion package which offers over 155 channels — eighteen in high definition. The show is designed to preserve Hispanic language and roots, an important goal of most Latino parents.  These same parents recognize that TV watching is an essential way of transmitting a cultural identity. Semillitas focuses on young children from ages 1 to 5. According to the recent Census, Hispanics are the demographic group most responsible for the growth of the American population.  Hispanic children, aged five years or younger, currently make up 27% of that total age group inside the U.S. That figure jumps to over 50% in Southwestern markets like Texas, California, Arizona and New Mexico.

Last year at this time the TV industry was filled with concern about cable cutting — folks dropping their cable subscriptions because they were watching television on the Internet. Perhaps you heard this concern from the Internet service providers in your city. Today’s NY Times reports, however, that cables remain connected and recent earnings reports show that satellite and cable subscriptions are doing better than industry insiders forecast. While video viewing via the Internet is increasing, most American households still pay for TV subscriptions and seem to prefer watching programs in that way. The cancellations that have come in seem to be due to poverty, not technology.  The affects of the difficult economy on American families has become evident because many families are eliminating premium channels such as Showtime and HBO or are dropping their land line telephones or the digital video recorders they first signed up for before the economy went south.

The Los Angeles Times reported yesterday that the new Droid Razr from Motorola became available to pre-order from Verizon on Thursday.  The new smart phone, named Razr after the prominent flip-phone from the early part of the last decade, is extremely thin — just 7.1 millimeter thick, the thinnest 4G phone available in the marketplace. As a result it is also very light weight. The backing of the phone is covered in kevlar, giving it the necessary strength despite being so thin. The device comes with a 4.3 inch touch-screen and a 1.2 gig dual core processor. The new smart phone is scheduled to hit stores sometime in the early part of November — a Verizon spokesman said an official launch date has not yet been set.  The unit has a price tag of $299 with a two year Verizon contract.

If you search for DSL providers by zip code, you may be fortunate enough to find that AT&T offers high-speed Internet service in your area.  AT&T is the nation’s largest provider of both wired and wireless broadband — and both will allow you to surf the net at lightning fast speeds either at home or when you are out and on the go. If you already have AT&T home telephone service, it is a simple matter to add high-speed Internet. But AT&T also offers the Internet without the need to sign up for any telephone service at all!  And one of the great things about dealing with AT&T is that you are dealing with a company that you have known for years and have come to trust.  Not only that, they make connecting to the Internet painless because they offer a number of different plans and price points — because they realize that every family has unique budget requirements.

According to a press release from Verizon dated today, FiOS is giving its subscribers more of what they want, both in high-speed Verizon Internet service, and additional Hi-Def television programming.  To prove the point, Verizon FiOS just launched the E! Channel in HD.  E! centers on the entertainment industry and celebrity lifestyles — all in glorious High Definition! “At FiOS our goal is to provide our customers with the programming they want. We are aware that numerous subscribers have been asking us for E! in HD,” said Verizon’s VP of Content Strategy, Terry Denson. “E! HD provides our customers with entertainment news, celebrity talk, reality programming and much more — all in Hi-Def!” E! HD joins a wide selection of programming available from FiOS TV. In all, FiOS offers more than 500 digital channels, more than 125 HD channels, and over 30,000 video-on-demand titles each month.

AT&T has recently announced the release of their Uverse IP platform.  This new application will allow customers to connect their ATT Uverse TV to their high speed Internet and to a qualifying smartphone or tablet. Doing so will allow customers to leverage different applications which will bring together real-time TV programming with other social features. Jeff Weber, AT&T VP of Mobility & Consumer Markets, was quoted as saying, “Our customers want their TV viewing to have a social nature, but they don’t want to be distracted from the show on their TV screen. They want a choice of applications for their smartphones or tablets that will work with their TV, thus enhancing their viewing experience. These new applications will let our customers share details and interact with others regarding the programs they are viewing. And they will be able to do this on devices they are holding in their hands or are sitting right next to them on the coffee table.”

According to an article in PC Magazine last Thursday, Verizon has been letting customers know via email of a change to their privacy setting.  Verizon plans to start collecting your browsing history, app usage and cell phone location for third-party marketing purposes.  You are able to opt out of the program, but Verizon has promised not to share any personal information that might identify you. Those who remain in the program will begin seeing ads that more personalized while using their mobile devices for web surfing or when they are using Verizon DSL or FiOS, said  Jeffrey Nelson, a spokesman for Verizon. If you would like to know if Verizon is available in your area, try searching for Internet providers by zip code.  These changes have to do with ads that are targeted, a new service Verizon is offering advertisers. The program will create marketing reports and Verizon plans to sell more ad space that is specifically targeted.  Nelson went on reassure customers, stating “safeguarding data and protecting our customers’ privacy are high priorities for Verizon.”

From dangerous hurricanes to devastating earthquakes, the area surrounding the nation’s capital has recently been reminded of the fact that disasters can happen virtually without notice. AT&T has just completed a study which indicates that approximately 89% of local companies have a plan to aid them in maintaining operations if, and when, a disaster strikes. Recognizing the need to prepare ahead of time for a crisis, AT&T is undergoing a Network Disaster Recovery simulation in Maryland during the October 13 through 19. These exercises, held many times each year, recreate the loss of a full network office and therefore refine, test and strengthen the company’s disaster recovery & business continuity services in an effort to minimize network downtime. “More than ever before, communities must to be ready for natural or manmade disasters, and have effective plans in place to respond,” said the president of AT&T Mid-Atlantic Division, Michael Schweder. “These types of exercises will ensure that AT&T Internet service is prepared for a disaster.  We hope the organizations and businesses in the D.C. metropolitan area also continue to realize the importance of investing in crisis preparation.”

According to a report posted earlier this week on Daily Finance, an AOL money and finance site, when CenturyLink merged with Qwest Internet in April, there was an immediate drop in broadband subscribers.  According to CenturyLink‘s CFO, Stewart Ewing, the drop was related to a number of special-priced promotional packages Qwest had offered its DSL users.  Today CenturyLink is actively going after broadband-only customers at the end of promotional cycles by offering additional product bundles.  Included among the products being offered is wireless service — utilizing their new relationship with Verizon.  Also being offered, in those markets where it is available, is Prism IPTV.  It’s interesting to note that CenturyLink‘s new RBOC partners, Verizon  and AT&T, have both seen gains in both broadband and video — a trend that will no doubt be reported in their earnings reports which are due out later this month for both companies.

More and more people are using the Internet to learn how to speak a foreign language. And, if you think about it, it really makes sense. Online language programs can flash pictures while simultaneously voicing the word that describes the image.  That is something no high school Spanish book or French book is able to do.  In addition, learning online lets you hear correct pronunciation, move along at your own pace, and repeat things as many times as necessary.  Also, most online language courses are much less expensive than the language schools that mail out huge volumes of audio files and/or DVDs.  Of course, to benefit from an online language program, you must have a high speed Internet connection.  Don’t worry, however, if your connection is a bit slow.  Just do a simple online search for the best Internet providers in your area — and include your zip code. You will quickly find a company that can upgrade your connection and have you learning a new language online in no time!