The Federal Communications Commission would raise the definition of broadband service to 25 megabits per second, up from the current regulatory threshold of only 4 mbps, under a proposal by Chairman Tom Wheeler. Raising the broadband standard has implications for Comcast’s (CMCSA) proposed acquisition of Time Warner Cable (TWC), though the FCC’s shift is unlikely to derail the deal, analysts say. Wheeler says U.S. households need faster Internet
The National Football League has handed off video clip rights to social networking giant Facebook (FB) as the NFL continues to expand media distribution deals. Facebook will post short video clips starting next week, the Wall Street Journal reported. Terms were not disclosed. The NFL garners licensing revenue from Walt Disney’s (DIS) ESPN sports channel as well as TV broadcasters CBS (CBS), Comcast (CMCSA)-owned NBCUniversal and 21st Century Fox
The 17 largest cable and phone companies in the U.S. added more than 700,000 new broadband Internet subscribers in the third quarter. The net gain helped cable companies offset losses of video subscribers during the same period. The largest broadband provider in the U.S., Comcast (CMCSA), added the most new high-speed Internet subscribers in Q3, Leichtman Research Group reported this week. Comcast added 315,000 net new subscribers, bringing its