CABL Bar Forum Feed

1 GHz Motrola gear

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:27:01 GMT

We're having problems with the Motorola 1 GHz mini-bridgers with the reverse path. The units will balance out fine in the reverse and then the levels will drop 2-3 dB. We'll redeuce the pad value and then the unit will drop another dB or so the next day. The reverse hybrid will fail 2-3 days later. This has happened on 40-50 units but not on all of them. Just wondering if anyone else is seeing this problem or has any ideals?

Comcast Chicago AGC Project

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:41:58 GMT

Just curious if anyone has information on who has been awarded the AGC project in Chicago???

Re: METHOD TO CROSS RIVER WITH STRAND IS THIS HOW?

Mon, 29 Jul 2002 18:50:00 GMT

Don't worry about it crybaby, I would never let any one as stupid as you olson's work around me

Tie a steel cable to yourself and jump in the water.....whew!! what is wrong with this thinking?!?!?!? You are more responsible for not raising a smarter son then the foreman is for letting Jeremiah do something so stupid. Please go read my other post to you and do like I told you.

Petergunn Lookstwice

Installer dies in attic

Thu, 08 Jul 2004 10:15:00 GMT

William Patrick Roberts, 38, of Minneola Fla, passed away June 17 2004 while installing cable in a home in Clermont Fla. He was doing work in the attic at the time.
This guy was working as a subcontractor for Brighthouse. The story in the local paper was brief but mentioned that the homeowner "checked" on Roberts several times while he was in the attic which I believe is B.S. He was in the attic for almost an hour before the customer realized something was wrong.

We as subcontractors here in Central Fla are not only REQUIRED to do attic work but we are REQUIRED to carry 5' flex bits on our trucks to drill through fire breaks or "cats" in walls...FOR NO ADDITIONAL PAY! Refuse a job because of attic work and you can count on repercussions if not termination.

The liability factor alone should warrant custom pay. Just having to carry a step ladder through a house is risky business not to mention that once up in an attic there's all kinds of crap and nonsense that can cause an accident. Insulation hides water lines, low voltage and telephone wiring etc., which can be easily damaged by stepping on them. Then there's shoddy woodwork that breaks under your weight sending a foot or sometimes an entire body through a ceiling which I've seen on numerous occasions.

After Mr. Roberts died, Brighthouse did not submit any statements to any of the contractors that I am aware of. Our office in particular had an informal "safety" meeting the brunt of which was just reminding us to drink lots of water!! There was NO mention that we as subcontractors have the RIGHT TO REFUSE work that we feel is hazardous. Tell a homeowner that you will not go in the attic because it's 98 degrees outside and the attic is probably 120 degrees or better and they'll have customer service on the phone so fast it'll make your head swim!

I realize that not all attic work is all that difficult, Mr. Roberts case is the rare extreme end of the issue. It's just the fact that it's taken for granted that we are expected to do work that other trades either refuse to do or get paid handsomely to do. Call an electrician or the phone company to run a line in an attic to an interior wall sometime just for grins....

Re: Subs sue Bright House & Knight

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:44:04 GMT

Nothings changed! The strong arming to sign contracts at first glance or leave attitudes. No time to review any of it. Knight has pushed the limit, time to face the music!! So true about the after 6pm call over pick up or not have a job.

7-29-10

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:30:55 GMT

Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty, open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.
Proverbs 20:13

Cspan: These guys want money for Afghanistan.

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 06:06:13 GMT

I am watching CSPAN and they are having a meeting awith thses guys sking for money to train Afghans for civil service. You know what trips me out, the senators are grilling thse guys and seem as though they are going to turn them dowm. I hope so, the U.S. needs that money to train Americans. I hope the deny thier request. They are aking some really tough qiestions/

Satellites Unlimited

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:24:27 GMT

Any info on Satellites Unlimited would be appreciated.

Judge blocks parts of Arizona immigration law

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:43:40 GMT

PHOENIX – A federal judge stepped into the fight over Arizona's immigration law at the last minute Wednesday, blocking the heart of the measure and defusing a confrontation between police and thousands of activists that had been building for months.

Coming just hours before the law was to take effect, the ruling isn't the end.

It sets up a lengthy legal battle that could end up before the Supreme Court — ensuring that a law that reignited the immigration debate, inspired similar measures nationwide, created fodder for political campaigns and raised tensions with Mexico will stay in the spotlight.

Protesters who gathered at the state Capitol and outside the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City cheered when they heard the news. The governor, the law's authors and anti-illegal immigration groups vowed to fight on.

"It's a temporary bump in the road," Gov. Jan Brewer said.

The key issue before U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton in the case is as old as the nation itself: Does federal law trump state law? She indicated in her ruling that the federal government's case has a good chance at succeeding.

The Clinton appointee said the controversial sections should be put on hold until the courts resolve the issues, including parts that required officers to check a person's immigration status while enforcing other laws.

AFP
In her preliminary injunction, Bolton delayed provisions that required immigrants to carry their papers and banned illegal immigrants from soliciting employment in public places — a move aimed at day laborers.

The judge also blocked officers from making warrantless arrests of suspected illegal immigrants for crimes that can lead to deportation.

"Requiring Arizona law enforcement officials and agencies to determine the immigration status of every person who is arrested burdens lawfully present aliens because their liberty will be restricted while their status is checked," Bolton wrote.

The ruling came just as police were making last-minute preparations to begin enforcement of the law and protesters, many of whom said they would not bring identification, were planning large demonstrations against the measure.

At least one group had planned to block access to federal offices, daring officers to ask them about their immigration status.

"I knew the judge would say that part of the law was just not right," said Gisela Diaz, 50, from Mexico City, who came to Arizona on a since-expired tourist visa in 1989 and who waited with her family early Wednesday at the Mexican Consulate to get advice about the law.

"It's the part we were worried about. This is a big relief for us," she said.

At a Home Depot in west Phoenix, where day-laborers gather to look for work, Carlos Gutierrez said he was elated when a stranger drove by and yelled the news: "They threw out the law! You guys can work!"

"I felt good inside" said the 32-year-old illegal immigrant, who came here six years ago from Sonora, Mexico, and supports his wife and three children. "Now there's a way to stay here with less problems."

Opponents argued the law will lead to racial profiling, conflict with federal immigration law and distract local police from fighting more serious crimes. The U.S. Justice Department, civil rights groups and a Phoenix police officer asked for Wednesday's injunction.

Lawyers for the state contend the law was a constitutionally sound attempt by Arizona to assist federal immigration agents and lessen border woes, such as the heavy costs for educating, jailing and providing health care for illegal immigrants.

They said Arizona shouldn't have to suffer from a broken immigration system when it has 15,000 officers who can arrest illegal immigrants.

In her ruling, Bolton said the interests of Arizona, the busiest U.S. gateway for illegal immigrants, match those of the federal government. But, she wrote, that the federal government must take the lead on deciding how to enforce immigration laws.

The core of the government's case is that federal immigration law trumps state law — an issue known as "pre-emption" in legal circles. In her ruling, Bolton pointed out five portions of the law where she believed the federal government would likely succeed on its claims.

Justice Department spokeswoman Hannah August said the agency understands the frustration of Arizona residents with the immigration system, but added that a patchwork of state and local policies would seriously disrupt federal immigration enforcement.

Federal authorities have argued that letting the Arizona law stand would create a patchwork of immigration laws nationwide that would needlessly complicate foreign relations. They said the law is disrupting U.S. relations with Mexico and other countries.

About 100 protesters in Mexico City who had gathered in front of the U.S. Embassy broke into cheers when they learned of Bolton's ruling. They had been monitoring the news on a laptop computer.

"Migrants, hang on, the people are rising up!" they chanted.

Mexico's Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinoza called the ruling "a first step in the right direction" and said staff at the five Mexican consulates in Arizona will work extra hours in coming weeks to educate migrants about the law.

"None of this is very surprising," said Kevin R. Johnson, an immigration expert and the law school dean at University of California at Davis. "This is all very much within the constitutional mainstream."

The federal government has exclusive powers over immigration to ensure a uniform national policy that aids in commerce and relations with other countries, Johnson said.

A century ago, differing policies among states led to problems that prompted the federal government to adopt a comprehensive immigration policy for the country, Johnson said.

Supporters took solace that the judge kept portions of the law intact, including a section that bars local governments from limiting enforcement of federal immigration laws. Those jurisdictions are commonly known as "sanctuary cities."

"Striking down these sanctuary city policies has always been the No. 1 priority," said Republican Sen. Russell Pearce, the law's chief author.

The remaining provisions, many of them revisions to an Arizona immigration statute, will take effect at 12:01 a.m. Thursday.

Brewer spokesman Paul Senseman said the state will appeal Bolton's ruling to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco on Thursday, asking the appellate court to lift the injunction and allow the blocked provisions to take effect. The appeal will ask the 9th Circuit to act quickly, Senseman said.

Whatever way that court rules, Bolton will eventually hold a trial and issue a final ruling.

Wednesday's decision was seen as a defeat for Brewer, who is running for another term in November and has seen her political fortunes rise because of the law's popularity among conservatives.

Her opponent, state Attorney General Terry Goddard, pounced.

"Jan Brewer played politics with immigration, and she lost," the Democrat said. "It is time to look beyond election-year grandstanding and begin to repair the damage to Arizona's image and economy."

Some residents in Phoenix agreed.

"A lot of people don't understand the connection between, 'Yes, we have a problem with illegal immigration' and 'We need immigration reform,' which is not just asking people for their papers," said Kimber Lanning, a 43-year-old Phoenix music store owner.

"It was never a solution to begin with."

_

The Importance Of Strand Brakes

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 23:09:35 GMT

Strand Brakes are a pretty inexpensive tool and they help save lives. I spoke to people who were there and they were doing pole transfers and a highway crossing over a 4 lane major highway and adjacent 4 lane road. For being a major utility, Verizon has a pretty shitty safety program IMO, I'm not sure if strand played a factor in this accident but this is what can happen:

WEST WHITELAND TWP., Pa. (CBS 3) ?

The death of a utility worker on Route 202 in Chester County caused major delays on the busy roadway.

A Verizon worker fell to his death onto Route 202 in East Whiteland Township overnight.

Officials said northbound Route 202 was closed at State Route 401 after a worker was killed just before midnight.

PennDOT officials said 53-year-old Thomas Hetrick, of Norristown, fell from a utility pole after a passing car struck a hanging wire near Swedesford Road.

Investigators said Hetrick was handling the cable at the time and was thrown over an embankment, falling to his death. Hetrick was pronounced dead at the scene.

Hetrick was reportedly working on moving utility poles in the area prior to the start of a project to widen several overpasses along the roadway.

Verizon said Hetrick was a local manager who worked for Verizon for the past 26 years. The company released a statement that read in part: "This was a tragic and unfortunate accident. Our sympathy goes out to his family, friends and co-workers."

The tragic incident remains under investigation.
http://cbs3.com/local/utility.worker.killed.2.730033.html

OSHA Fines Verizon in Fatality

April 21, 2008
After a five-month investigation into the death of a Verizon technician in Plymouth, Mass., the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued three citations and proposed $13,500 in fines for "serious" violations of federal occupational safety and health laws.

Gary Gibbons, a 53-year-old splice service technician, was killed on the job last October while attempting to repair a problem on Verizon lines. He was electrocuted while working in an elevated bucket near high voltage electrical wires. He was a member of Middleboro Local 2322 and had worked 34 years for Verizon.

Gibbons' death -- the fifth Verizon workplace fatality in two years – follows safety concerns raised by workers at the huge telecommunications company. Two of the fatalities were in Massachusetts and one was in Rhode Island.

"It's no surprise there has been so many serious accidents and fatalities," said Gene McLaughlin, business manager of Local 2322 and chairman of System Council T-6 which covers Verizon's New England operations. "Management has begun stressing productivity over safety. This is just the tip of the iceberg."

OSHA cited Verizon on April 9 for not ensuring that Gibbons maintained a safe working distance from overhead energized power lines. Verizon was also cited for failing to deploy traffic warning signs and improper inspection of personal protective gear, tools and equipment.

"These tragedies were preventable. Yet management continues to maximize profit at the expense of safety to satisfy the corporate greed of the top brass and their Wall Street investors," added McLaughlin. "We are doing everything we can to educate our members about safety so that this never happens again."

Just days after Gibbons' death, Verizon fired five IBEW FiOS technicians for failing to meet production quotas. The "FiOS Five" were new hires with less than 12 months on the job, just short of the one-year service requirement that would have called for a neutral arbitrator to decide on the merits of their dismissals.

Each year, thousands of workers are killed and millions more are injured or diseased because of unsafe working conditions. Local 2322 and the System Council T-6 will participate in Workers Memorial Day on Tuesday, April 29 on the stairs of the State House in Boston to honor Massachusetts workers who lost their lives in 2007.

http://www.ibew.org/articles/08daily/0804/080421_OSHAfine.htm

looking for chip

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:28:28 GMT

does anybody know a splicer/lineman named chip that was around mo. area? he had a dog named hooch,that ran like hell on three legs. we were good friends but lost track of each other after a power supply gig in st.louis.

Lmao

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:03:09 GMT

Just saw a t-shirt that said Give Tiger a break Obamas screwing the whole country.

Bear in net in Alaska

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:50:04 GMT

http://www.adn.com/

click on the picture of the bear if it is still up. This is in Anchorage.

7-28-10

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:39:30 GMT

Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Revelation 22:14

suzy and her kittens

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:44:55 GMT

A pretty little girl named Suzy was standing on the sidewalk in front of her home. Next to her was a basket containing a number of tiny creatures; in her hand was a sign announcing FREE KITTENS.

Suddenly a line of big black cars pulled up beside her. Out of the lead car stepped a tall, grinning man.

"Hi there little girl, I'm President Obama. What do you have in the basket?" he asked.

"Kittens," little Suzy said.

"How old are they?" asked Obama.

Suzy replied, "They're so young, their eyes aren't even open yet."

"And what kind of kittens are they?"

"Democrats," answered Suzy with a smile.

Obama was delighted. As soon as he returned to his car, he called his PR chief and told him about the little girl and the kittens.

Recognizing the perfect photo op, the two men agreed that the president should return the next day; and in front of the assembled media, have the girl talk about her discerning kittens.

So the next day, Suzy was again standing on the sidewalk with her basket of "FREE KITTENS," when another motorcade pulled up, this time followed by vans from ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN.

Cameras and audio equipment were quickly set up, then Obama got out of his limo and walked over to little Suzy.

"Hello, again," he said, "I'd love it if you would tell all my friends out there what kind of kittens you're giving away."

"Yes sir," Suzy said. "They're Republicans."

Taken by surprise, the president stammered, "But... but... yesterday, you told me they were DEMOCRATS."

Little Suzy smiled and said, "I know. But today, they have their eyes open"

Importance Of Safety Training

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:40:32 GMT

This is more for the aerial construction guys but is somewhat universal:

I helped start this section because when I first started in cable there was no safety, no hardhats, signs, cones, anything and think it's important to pass on some information that I've learned to help save lives. We all have heard at least 1 story of a person dying on the job, probably a lot more. The most important thing about safety is training and being able to adapt to the situation at hand. It doesn't take much time or money to get CPR/BLS training from the Red Cross and it may help save someone's life. OSHA 10 and 30hr courses are also a good investment to help prevent accidents.

The AED or Automated External Defibrillator was actually first designed for lineman to help restart the heart after a major electric shock and now has help save tens of thousands of lives. We are in one of the most dangerous jobs in the world and every little bit of training can help reduce the number of accidents and deaths. The AED is a great tool to have on a truck, as is burn gel blankets, fire ext, hot stick with cutout/disconnect puller, first aid kit and anything else that that can help save lives.

A lot of people don't know what to do when a boom contacts power. We may not have the time to wait for a electric company to come and turn the power off, more so in remote areas than in urban areas. One thing we can do is pull the cutouts/disconnects and stop the flow of power to the injured person or object that is at risk. THIS MUST ONLY BE DONE IN AN EMERGENCY, DO NOT MESS WITH POWER OTHERWISE. Say you have a guy that is in the bucket that contacts power, try to drive him out of power line. If unable to move the truck and the truck is on fire, DON'T EVER STEP OFF ON TO THE GROUND, jump with both feet off of the step and as far away from the truck as you can. Try to keep a hot stick, hot gloves and dielectric overshoes in the cab so you may be able to hit the lower switch and get him out of power.

On every job you should identify where power is feeding from and where the disco's are. Check the insulator and wire size to better understand the amount of power overhead, the more there is, the farther you need to be away from it. Traveling grounds should be used at every 1000', they only take 30s to install. On uninsulated booms, whenever your jigging strand, try to isolate it from the truck with rope or a fiberglass link stick. I've seen strand 3' away from power get sucked into primary and help in place like a magnet. Also strand brakes are a great tool to have at road crossings, they are very inexpensive ($20) and will help prevent a tractor trailer from pulling a poleline down.

A lot of guys tape nuts to the top of the T40 stick, while it may be easier to to get around, it may help kill you. Everyone knows that trucks in general can do weird shit so removing a simple safety device like that can cause a major catastrophe if a tree branch gets caught in it. Companies should have monthly training on such things like:

CPR/BLS
Aerial Rescue
Pole Climbing Safety
Confined Space Rescue
Basic Grounding and Isolation
ALS

This forum is new but the issues are old, if you guys ever have any questions about where to get training or equipment please feel free to email/PM me.

Is AT&T's VDSL pair bonding enough to compete with

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:42:25 GMT

http://www.fiercetelecom.com/story/will-att-vdsl-pair-bonding-be-enough-compete-cable/2010-07-23

Is AT&T's VDSL pair bonding enough to compete with cable?

After three years of delays and various unintentional setbacks, AT&T (NYSE: T) finally revealed last week that it would start rolling out pair bonded VDSL to extend the reach of its U-Verse service.

But if you're an existing U-Verse customer and think you'll be able to access higher speeds, well think again. By leveraging VDSL with bonding, AT&T will be able to reach more customers because they will be able to extend its U-Verse service an additional 1,000-2,000 feet from the Video Ready Access Device (VRAD). In other words, they want to find a way to bring U-Verse video to more people.

And while theoretically AT&T could use the VDSL bonding technique to get higher speeds, if the majority of the bandwidth is going to be allocated for video, it's more likely the VDSL speeds will continue to be offered at 24/3 Mbps range.

Even if it's just for video, there are a number of obvious obstacles here. For one, the technician installing the service will have to make sure if you are eligible for the service, and even if you are eligible, they'll have to make sure there are two available copper pairs at the premises.

What I find interesting is that Ma Bell's bonded copper drive comes little more than a month after a report emerged that it would deliver 80 Mbps over copper that was buried in a discussion focusing primarily on wireless services.

While I don't doubt that the AT&T Labs gurus and network planning executives don't have advanced copper boosting techniques such as Dynamic Spectrum Management and VDSL with vectoring in their future roadmaps--two technologies that can up bandwidth speeds to not only 80, but even into the 100 Mbps range--the near-term reality of what they are rolling seems to just be more of the same.

Some financial analysts may love the fact that AT&T took the safer hybrid fiber/copper router versus Verizon's (NYSE: VZ) more risky all fiber drive that it decided to dial down on by focusing on existing markets, but my question is bonded VDSL going to be enough to compete with cable as a long-term strategy?

Putting aside the fact that I am a cable subscriber, AT&T's VDSL bonding drive comes at a time when cable operators such as Comcast and Cablevision are already are delivering 50 and even 100 Mbps over their existing HFC infrastructure. Not only can cable offer higher speeds, but Comcast by comparison has 24 million video subscribers versus AT&T with 2.5 million U-Verse video customers.

In announcing its Q2 earnings this week, AT&T admitted that the decline in its wireline broadband connections is indeed the result of having to deal with strong cable competition. To help battle cable, AT&T said it will start sending counter promotions in non-U-Verse market.

To overcome these subscriber challenges, AT&T could go out and buy a satellite company--a proposition that AT&T's CEO Randall Stephenson recently admitted would not be supported by U.S. regulators--or figure out that maybe they'll need to bite the fiber bullet.

I can't completely fault AT&T or say they haven't grown their video and overall U-Verse base with their existing FTTN architecture. In Q2, the service provider saw its video base grow to 2.5 million subscribers, a 60 percent increase of where it was just a year ago.

And while AT&T's VDSL bonding came long after it starting to tout the technique over three years ago, I agree with Stacy Higginbotham in a recent GigaOM post: Maybe "this upgrade is better late than never."--Sean

Cable expands its lead over phone companies in the

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:39:26 GMT

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/technologylive/post/2010/07/cable-expands-its-lead-over-phone-companies-in-the-race-for-broadband-customers/1

Cable expands its lead over phone companies in the race for broadband customers

You hate your cable company? You've got lots of company. But when it comes to broadband, it seems that plenty of consumers are willing to give those rascals another chance.

Cable's poised to report startling figures for high-speed Internet subscription gains in the second quarter, some analysts note today. Indeed, the period could go down as the first ever in which cable's biggest competitors, the phone companies, lost ground, says Richard Greenfield, an analyst at brokerage firm BTIG.

AT&T's and Verizon's earnings reports this week show that they collectively lost 64,000 broadband customers in the quarter, and Greenfield doesn't expect to see the loss turn into a gain when Qwest reports its data in early August.

The problem is that the vast majority of phone broadband customers get DSL. That technology "is simply not fast enough in today's broadband world," Greenfield says. Cable "has no such issues."

He says cable now has about 56% of all broadband subscribers vs. 44% for phone.

And the gap may continue to widen. Thomas Eagan, an analyst at Collins Stewart, says in a note today that 90% of new broadband customers probably went to cable in the three months that ended in June -- a big change from his prediction of 43%.

We'll start to see if they're right on Wednesday: Comcast will be the first major cable company to report its second quarter results.

By David Lieberman

Like Voice, US Telcos Losing Broadband Subs Too

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:37:41 GMT

http://gigaom.com/2010/07/23/like-voice-us-telcos-losing-broadband-subs-too/

Like Voice, US Telcos Losing Broadband Subs Too

Let’s just face it — the US telephone companies are phone companies in name-only. They have been losing their grip on the voice business for a long time now, but now it is becoming clearer that the group collectively is starting to lose their traction in the broadband business as well. Instead, it is the cable companies who are cleaning up. Take a look at the numbers so far and what you see is the first ever collective quarterly decline in broadband subscribers at the top three telcos — AT&T, Verizon and Qwest.

From AT&T’s investor report (download PDF):

At the end of the second quarter, AT&T had 16 million total wired broadband connections, up 404,000 over the past year but down 92,000 from first-quarter 2010 levels. Total broadband connections, which include business and consumer wireline subscribers and wireless customers with 3G LaptopConnect cards, decreased by 93,000 in the quarter to reach 17.4 million.
Total consumer revenue connections at the end of the [second] quarter were 44.3 million, compared with 46.3 million at the end of the second quarter of 2009 and 45.0 million at the end of the first quarter of 2010.

Now let’s shift to Verizon. From its second quarter 2010 earnings release:

Broadband connections totaled 9.3 million at the end of the second quarter 2010, a 2.5 percent year-over-year increase. This is a net increase of 28,000 from the first quarter 2010, as the increase in FiOS Internet connections more than offset a decrease in DSL-based High Speed Internet connections.

Now 28,000 net new connections for a company the size of Verizon and AT&T’s decline tells me something isn’t going too well. Sure the operators are desperately trying to get their DSL customers to upgrade to U-verse and FIOS, but those conversions aren’t happening fast enough. Richard Greenfield, who follows the cable companies for BTIG Research in a note earlier this morning to his clients writes:

We estimate loss of 46K (including Q, which is yet to report) - a notable change for the RBOCs in broadband.

Compare this to the cable guys. They just keep ramping up the speeds and keep winning the consumer mindshare. Many view DSL as a laggard technology and are happy switching to cable broadband. Greenfield further notes:

We expect the top two cable operators (Comcast and Time Warner Cable) to report collective broadband additions of at least 150K, if not more (compared to 398K in Q1 ‘10 and 554K in Q2 ‘09). In addition, we expect positive broadband additions for other major cable operators such as Cablevision, Charter, Cox, Insight and Mediacom, which should lead to an even greater advantage for cable in Q2 2010 versus the RBOCs. Cable’s broadband market share appears to be around 56%, up 100 bps year-over-year, while the RBOCs have fallen to 44% from 45%. We believe cable industry market share could reach 58% by the end of 2011, as share gains are beginning to accelerate.

My quick take: phone companies are too busy chasing the higher margin wireless and wireless broadband revenues that they are leaving their core businesses open to attack.

BT broadband customers suffering at hands of cable

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:30:16 GMT

http://www.broadband-finder.co.uk/news/bt/bt-broadband-customers-suffering-at-hands-of-cable-thieves_800005539.html

BT broadband customers suffering at hands of cable thieves

By Brian Palmer (Mon, 26th July 2010)

BT Broadband customers could have experienced some disruption in the past 12 months as more criminals have been stealing the copper wires used by the company.

The telecommunications firm is launching a new initiative to tackle the number of incidents related to the crime, which increased nine per cent in the last year, using a technology called SmartWater.

According to the company, the solution stains thieves with an invisible forensic mark that remains for up to 60 days, and could help stop people taking the wires vital to keeping broadband services intact.

BT's Openreach division has been working with police and has so far succeeded in arresting up to 200 people.

Bernie Auguste, head of security at Openreach, said: "Cable theft affects not only us as a business, but the millions of people who rely on access to phones and broadband across the UK, and with the help of this technology we're fighting back."

He added that the new solution will help to "trace [criminals], and any stolen cable or equipment, back to the scene of the crime".

ZDNet UK recently reported that Virgin Media is currently working on a future roll-out of a 400Mbps service, which would be the fastest speed available in the UK by four times.

The company said that every one of its customers will be eligible for the product, although hinted that it may not be offering the service for quite some time.

Are you having problems with BT's broadband service? Are you thinking of switching to cable broadband?

Comcast fastest fish in shallow US broadband pond

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:19:50 GMT

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/07/fastest-us-internet-provider-comcast.ars

Comcast fastest fish in shallow US broadband pond

Who's the fastest ISP in the US? According to well-known Internet metrics firm Ookla (which runs the Speedtest.net and Pingtest.net websites), it's Comcast, with an average speed of 16.23Mbps.

In the US, Comcast was followed by Charter and then by Cablevision; indeed, all of the top players are cable companies. Verizon comes in ninth, despite its FiOS deployments, in part due to its DSL lines.

Data source: Ookla

For the country as a whole, the average download speed is 9.87Mbps. This sounds fairly decent, but it actually puts the US in 27th place internationally. South Korea has a 31.4Mbps average, while Latvia has 24.1Mbps and the Netherlands clocks in at 22.7Mbps. Even the Republic of Moldova has 22Mbps average download speeds.

Data source: Ookla

And when it comes to ISP comparisons, Comcast's 16Mbps looks paltry alongside some others like South Korea's Hanaro Telecom (41Mbps), Korea Telecom (35Mbps), and Krnic (28Mbps).

Ookla drew the data from its own database of 1.5 billion speed tests (and it's making the raw data available to researchers who want it), but the results do suffer from selection bias; this isn't a random sample.

For an example of the problems, consider Moldova. Sure, the Internet is fast, but penetration is low. Only 5.6 out of every 100 Moldavians have broadband, compared to 26 out of 100 US residents (this according to the United Nations). Speeds may be fast in the capital, but broadband is not as widely deployed elsewhere.

Still, one wonders why no US city in Illinois tops 20.8Mbps while eight cities in Latvia (including a major city like Riga) can do so. Or why Seoul, South Korea gets 31.7Mbps and blows away every single city in both California and New York.

People have long complained that other broadband metrics rely on "advertised" ISP speeds, speeds which may be more marketing talk than reality. The virtue of the Ookla data, despite its methodological issues, is that it shows us that other countries can in fact hit much higher speeds in comparable urban settings.

Mission not accomplished

Many other studies, all with different methodologies, suggest a similar conclusion: US broadband might be good, but the world shows us that it could be better. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski agrees. In a speech this week (PDF), he appeared to take an unusually partisan dig at those who "said 'Mission accomplished' when it comes to broadband in America. Nothing more to do. I fundamentally disagree."

"According to multiple studies, the US is not in the top 10 globally when it comes to broadband speeds and penetration. We’ve got work to do," he added.

"An important study ranked the US 40th out of 40 industrial countries in 'the rate of change in innovative capacity.' We’ve got work to do. Consumers in Japan and France are paying less for broadband and getting faster connections. We’ve got work to do. Ninety-three million Americans—35 percent of our citizens—have not adopted broadband. We’ve got work to do."

U.S. Slips In Broadband Speed

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:16:03 GMT

http://www.informationweek.com/news/telecom/business/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=226300031&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_News

U.S. Slips In Broadband Speed

U.S. cities continue to fare poorly in broadband speeds compared to many cities in Asia, according to Akamai Technologies first quarter 2010 State of the Internet report.

Released Tuesday, the report found that Masan, South Korea, captured the top worldwide spot. The Cambridge, Mass., firm didn't break out Masan's actual figures, but it found that the average maximum connection speed in South Korea was an impressive 33 Mbps. Hong Kong and Japan placed second and third, respectively in Akamai's compilation.

The average U.S. connection was 4.7 Mbps. Alaska had the lowest average connection speed with 2.7 Mbps. Individual U.S. cities, however, captured 12 spots in the top 100 and 7 of the 12 were in California.

In the United States, broadband speeds are becoming an issue in the National Broadband Plan, because the Federal Communications Commission is alarmed that the country is dropping behind so many other nations in broadband speeds and access.

Comcast Profit, Revenue Top Estimates on Premium-P

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:11:29 GMT

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-28/comcast-profit-revenue-top-analysts-estimates-on-premium-product-sales.html

Comcast Profit, Revenue Top Estimates on Premium-Product Sales

Comcast Corp., the largest U.S. cable company, posted second-quarter profit and sales that beat analysts’ estimates as more customers elected premium services such as digital video recorders and high-speed Internet.

Profit, excluding costs related to the company’s pending takeover of NBC Universal Inc., was 33 cents a share, on sales of $9.53 billion, Comcast said today in a statement. That topped the 32-cent average of estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Analysts predicted the cable operator’s sales would be $9.28 billion.

Through promotions and system upgrades, Chief Executive Officer Brian Roberts has signed up bandwidth-hungry customers willing to pay more for the most advanced products available, such as high-speed Internet and digital video recorders. The company added 118,000 new broadband subscribers in the quarter and boosted its average monthly revenue per customer by 8 percent to $127.78.

“The share shift from DSL to cable is accelerating as people need and want more bandwidth,” said Todd Mitchell, an analyst at Kaufman Bros. LP in New York, who advises clients to hold the stock. “Cable just offers a superior product.”

Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc. reported declines in DSL, or digital subscriber line, customers in the second quarter, which bodes well for cable’s competitive edge and growth prospects, Mitchell said. AT&T lost 348,000 DSL subscribers in the second quarter, while Verizon shed 168,000.

Consumer Confidence

Confidence among U.S. consumers declined in July to a five- month low, according to a report from the New York-based Conference Board, raising concerns about customers’ ability and willingness to spend. Comcast’s results showed more of its customers are willing to spend extra on home entertainment and offerings like pay-per-view.

In the second quarter, 31 percent of Comcast’s 23 million video customers selected to purchase all three of the company’s offerings in a bundle: TV, Internet and phone. That’s up from 26 percent in the year prior. The company added 394,000 digital video customers as they continue to promote their all-digital rollout.

“They’re monetizing their subscriber base better than expected, aiming for profitable growth,” said David Joyce, an analyst at Miller Tabak & Co. LLC in New York. “They converted a lot more of their subscribers than we expected to digital video, so that’s good to create long-term growth and incremental revenue streams.”

Net Income

Comcast’s net income fell 8.6 percent to $884 million, or 31 cents a share, from $967 million, or 33 cents, a year earlier. The cable operator’s results were bolstered by a $137 million tax benefit in the year-earlier period.

Comcast rose 2 cents to $19.45 at 9:56 a.m. New York time on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The stock had gained 15 percent this year before today.

The company added a net 477,000 customers for Internet, phone and digital TV last quarter, compared with 1.02 million in the first quarter. The second quarter is typically light on subscriber additions as college students disconnect their service while on summer vacation.

By paring capital spending as a percentage of sales and making the most of limited subscriber gains, Comcast boosted its operating cash flow by 5.7 percent to $3.74 billion. The company used some of its cash to repurchase 17.3 million shares in the quarter at a cost of $300 million.

NBC Universal

Comcast expects to complete the regulatory review for its proposed majority takeover of General Electric Co.’s NBC Universal this year, said Roberts on the company’s conference call today. The $28 billion transaction is being evaluated by the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Communications Commission.

The cable operator is more optimistic about the deal’s prospects than when it was first announced in December, said Stephen Burke, Comcast’s chief operating officer. Comcast’s cable segment posted advertising revenue growth of 23 percent in the quarter. Comcast and NBC Universal will have about $10 billion annually in advertising sales combined, Burke said.

“Advertising has got to be the biggest headline,” said Burke on the company’s conference call. “We signed the deal when advertising was going backwards. Now we’re seeing it going up, and that’s a big deal.”

In addition, Comcast has been able to secure financing at “very attractive rates” for the deal, and NBC has had success on several projects, including the movie ‘Despicable Me,’ Burke said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Kelly Riddell in Washington at Kriddell1@Bloomberg.net

another brother has left this world

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:01:43 GMT

We've lost another brother!!His name was Dave Wilson,who went on this site under the name djwils.Dave was only in his 50's,way to young to leave this world.He leaves behind a family and a legacy of being a lineman and a kind loving family man.I worked with Dave and Timmy D'Anttonio for years building cable systems in CT. in the 70's.until he moved out West were I lost track of him.Just recently in the past year we started renewing our friendship thru the cable bar.Dave was a hard working wonderful person who always had a gleam in his eye and he will be sadly missed.

65 years later

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 06:20:32 GMT

65 years later ~~~...Just ask yourself... "who is BS'ing who" ???

http://snardfarker.ning.com/profiles/blogs/hiroshima-and-detroit-65-years