Post Tech - A Technology Blog from the Washington Post - November 29, 2009

Washington to Verizon Wireless: Can you hear us now?

The Federal Communications Commission sent a letter to Verizon Wireless Friday morning asking the company to explain why it has more than doubled its penalties for customers switching carriers. The inquiry follows pressure by lawmakers, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)...

By Washington Post editor | December 4, 2009; 11:42 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (29)

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Comcast-NBC hits first hurdle: Washington

Comcast, the nation's biggest cable and broadband Internet company, on Thursday announced plans to take over NBC Universal, creating a new kind of media colossus that would not only produce some of America's most popular entertainment but also control viewers'...

By Cecilia Kang | December 4, 2009; 9:53 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Update: Comcast-NBC Universal draws concerns by lawmakers, consumer groups

We'll be updating the Comcast-NBC Universal merger story throughout the day. Investors seem to like the deal, with shares of Comcast opening up 4 percent to $14.94. Lawmakers sent statements after the announcement, calling for hearings on the deal to...

By Cecilia Kang | December 3, 2009; 10:14 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (4)

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Cable strategy for online videos to draw new attention with Comcast-NBC merger

Customers of Comcast and Time Warner soon will be able to get their TV service in a new way: on their computers. In an unusual coordinated rollout involving many of the biggest competitors, the cable industry is embarking on a...

By Cecilia Kang | December 3, 2009; 6:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Comcast , Media , Online Video
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FCC probes broadcasters' use of spectrum

The Federal Communications Commission wants television broadcasters to explain just how much spectrum they use and what they plan to do with it. That's part of a notice sent today by the agency that attempts to explore the use of...

By Cecilia Kang | December 2, 2009; 2:41 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: FCC , Spectrum
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Google making it easier for publishers to block stories from site

Google and other news aggregators such as The Huffington Post have been called robbers, parasites and worse by some publishers and other critics who say those Web companies are getting a free ride off their content. Now, under increasing pressure,...

By Cecilia Kang | December 2, 2009; 12:55 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Google , Media
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In Comcast-NBC merger, companies will seek to ease regulator concerns

A merger between Comcast and NBC Universal, expected to be announced by Thursday, would probably come with concessions aimed at forestalling a drawn-out federal review of the deal, sources close to the negotiations said. In previous major media mergers, companies...

By Cecilia Kang | December 2, 2009; 8:20 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Comcast , FCC , FTC , Media , Online Video
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Arianna to Rupert: Stop with the whining already

The Huffington Post is one of those aggregation Web sites criticized by media titan Rupert Murdoch yesterday. And its response to his statement that practices by those sites amount to content theft: Enough of the whining and finger pointing. Here’s...

By Cecilia Kang | December 2, 2009; 8:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: FTC
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Post Tech links on Comcast-NBC merger

Frank Ahrens of The Post's Economy Watch blog writes about the Comcast-NBC Universal merger, taking a stroll down memory lane of big media acquisitions. Also check out Rob Pegoraro's Faster Forward column on the merger, where he poses questions about...

By Cecilia Kang | December 1, 2009; 2:45 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Cable industry proposes 50 percent discounts on broadband service serving middle school students

Getting high-speed Internet to American homes is just half the battle. Getting people to pay for the service and use it is the other part of the challenge facing federal regulators. As such, the cable industry Tuesday proposed a two-year...

By Cecilia Kang | December 1, 2009; 1:40 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)

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Murdoch: Future of newspapers in online payment, feds should stand back

Media titan Rupert Murdoch believes the government should stay out of the way of the news industry as scores of newspapers around the nation shutter or slash staff. Instead, the federal government needs to update arcane regulations such as a...

By Cecilia Kang | December 1, 2009; 10:55 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (23)
Categories: FTC , Google , Media
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Washington, business talk about America's innovation challenges

We created the light bulb, automobile, computer chip and Internet. But is the United States losing its innovative mojo? That’s the fear of 61 percent of Americans surveyed by Newsweek and Intel recently, who said they believe the economic recession...

By Cecilia Kang | December 1, 2009; 9:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)

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New blogger payola disclosure rules start

Starting today, bloggers must abide by the Federal Trade Commission’s new disclosure rules. That means, for example, that a blogger who’s getting paid by an advertiser to promote a brand of coffee needs to let readers know. Much confusion surrounded...

By Cecilia Kang | December 1, 2009; 8:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: FTC
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Post Tech: November 29, 2009 - December 5, 2009