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The Other Side of Net Neutrality

There’s always two sides to a story – right? Well on the topic of net neutrality, that is exactly what Time Warner Cable is claiming. Up until recently, the focus has been primarily on Internet service providers (ISPs) for accepting deals with companies like Netflix where, in exchange for payment, Netflix’s website would receive greater bandwidth than companies who haven’t made such deals. This, of course, would give these companies a step-up on their competitors and other services in general. Here is where Time Warner Cable says we’ve got it all wrong. In fact, the cable company says it is the exact opposite – consumers should place their concern with companies such as Netflix as they are the ones who are doing the extorting. It sounds like a case of the blame game, but they bring up a good point; if Internet “fast lane” deals continue to be made, what type of consequences could result? Time Warner Cable says, “…Google or Netflix could demand payments from Internet providers. Customers expect access to the most popular websites, and an Internet provider may have little choice but to pay up.” However, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has rejected this claim saying that, “such conduct is beyond the scope of this proceeding.” Although it may be outside of this proceeding, the FCC will undoubtedly have to take all sides of net neutrality into consideration when producing laws regarding the issue – including the consequences. Read more on net neutrality here.

A Simpsons World is Becoming Reality

FXX sure knows how to please their target audience. This August, the network is launching an entire “world” dedicated to The Simpsons – what else could a young adult ask for? All 552 episodes will be accessible on the digital platform as well as a TV marathon, which will take place August 21 to September 1, 2014. If you have service from a participating cable provider, the platform gives you access to watch all 25 seasons, any time you want online and through the FXNow app. Other features of Simpsons World include viewing episode scripts, build playlists or have them suggested for you, and searching for episodes based on quotes, themes, and characters. Finally, you can get your fill of every “d’oh!” and “Eat my shorts” moment ever! The only thing that stands in between you and all of The Simpsons glory is making sure you are subscribed to AT&T, Cablevision, Comcast, Cox or Time Warner Cable. Make sure your cable TV subscription includes FXX – find packages from the providers here.

DISH Network Multi-Sport Pack Offer

Just in time for football season, DISH Network is offering to include the Multi-Sport Package to new DISH Network customers who order America’s Top 120 and above, Latino Dos or Latino Max. The Multi-Sport Package includes all the football coverage you need – NFL RedZone from NFL Network, Big Ten Network, over 25 local sports networks and more! Plus, if you order today, you will also be eligible to save up to $420 on qualifying DISH Network packages. When you order qualifying packages from DISH Network, the Multi-Sport Package will be included through December 31, 2014, so if you order today, the Multi-Sport Package will be included for over 5 months! Make sure you take full advantage of this offer by ordering DISH Network today. The Multi-Sport Package gives you access to everything football at no extra charge. It is an affordable way to get all of the programming you need!

Looking For New Shows to Watch?

Whether you are looking for new shows to watch this fall or are just curious which shows to watch, DIRECTV, Hulu and Amazon all have potential contenders. Here are some highlights each network shared with TV critics on Digital Day during the Television Critics Association press tour. If you’re looking for action, DIRECTV’s Kingdom will probably appeal to you. The show is surrounded around the typical topics that make a show worth watching; family, loyalty, ambition, glory, lust, and betrayal. And then add Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) to the storyline played by actors such as Jonathan Tucker (Parenthood, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hostage), Matt Lauria (Friday Night Lights, The Chicago Code, Parenthood) and Nick Jonas (Hawaii Five-O, Smash, Last Man Standing) who all trained at an MMA boot camp. You can catch Kingdom on DIRECTV’s Audience Channel starting October 8. Starring Jeffrey Tambour (The Hangover, There’s Something About Mary, Tangled), Amazon Studio’s Transparent takes on the timely and controversial topic of changing one’s gender. It approaches the topic from a point of view of a man who decides to transition into a woman and how it affects his family, including his three children who are played by Gaby Hoffman (Girls, Field of Dreams, Uncle Buck), Amy Landecker (Revenge, Dan in Real Life, Clear History) and Jay Duplass (wrote and directed Cyrus, Baghead, The Puffy Chair). The series will premiere in September. Although South Park isn’t a new show, it has found a new home on Hulu. New episodes will be immediately posted to SouthParkStudios.com after airing on Comedy Central. The 250th episode is on the horizon and creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone said they envy the Hulu player and wanted to steal the technology years ago. Make sure you don’t miss any of these shows – get the perfect TV and Internet packages that give you access to all the networks you want here.

New Interest in Acquiring Time Warner Cable?

Rumors are flying regarding allegations that Rupert Murdoch is attending this year’s Sun Valley conference with intentions to make a deal with Time Warner Cable. Both Time Warner and Fox spokespeople have yet to comment, but the speculation continues as a deal of this magnitude would make the list of Murdoch’s companies even more extensive than it already is. Granted, Murdoch would have to find a way to successfully buy Time Warner Cable first – which is exactly what Comcast is currently trying to do. Huffington Post put together a list of the potential catalogue of companies Murdoch would own if he successfully acquires Time Warner Cable, and it is a quite the list: Adult Swim, Boomerang, Cartoon Network, CNN Worldwide, HLN, Inside CNN Tour & Store, TBS, TCM, TheSmokingGun.com, TNT, truTV, Turner Sports, Fox Business Network, Fox News, Star India, YES Network, Twentieth Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox International Productions, Twentieth Century Fox Television, Fox Home Entertainment, Shine Group, Twentieth Century Fox Animation, The Sun, The Times, The Sunday Times, Times Literary Supplement, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, The Australian, The Daily Telegraph (Australia), The Sunday Telegraph (Australia), The Herald Sun, The Sunday Herald Sun, The Courier Mail, The Sunday Mail, The Advertiser, NT News, The Sunday Territorian, The Sunday Times (Australia), The Sunday Tasmanian, Mercury, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures International, New Line Cinema, Warner Home Video, Warner Bros. Advanced Digital Services, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Warner Bros. Technical Operations, Warner Bros. Anti-Piracy Operations, Warner Bros. Television Group, Warner Bros. Television, Telepictures Productions, Warner Horizon Television, Warner Bros. Animation, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, Warner Bros. International Television Distribution, Warner Bros. International Television Production, Warner Bros. International Branded Services, Studio 2.0, The CW Television Network, DC Entertainment, Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, HarperCollins General Books Group, HarperCollins Children’s Books Group, HarperCollins Christian Publishers, HarperCollins UK, HarperCollins Canada, HarperCollins Australia/New Zealand, HarperCollins India, FX, FXX, FXM, National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo Mundo, FSN, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2, FOX Soccer Plus, FOX College Sports, FOX Deportes, FOX Life, Baby TV, Fox Broadcasting Company, Sky 1, Sky Atlantic, Sky Living, Sky Arts, Sky Sports, Sky Movies, Sky News, Sky Deutschland, Sky Italia, MyNetworkTV, MundoFox, FOX International Channels, Fox Sports Enterprises, HBO, HBO On Demand, HBO GO, Cinemax, Cinemax on Demand, MAX GO, HBO2, HBO Signature, HBO Family, HBO Comedy, HBO Zone, HBO Latino, More Max, Action Max, Thriller Max, 5 Star Max, Max Latino, Outer Max, Movie Max, Barron’s, MarketWatch, Factiva, Dow Jones Risk & Compliance, Dow Jones VentureSource, All Things Digital, Amplify, News America Marketing, and Storyful. Read more about the recent development in the Federal Communications Commission’s progress on determining the future of the proposed Comcast / Time Warner Cable and DIRECTV / AT&T mergers here. Update: Murdoch’s company 21st Century Fox made an $80 billion bid to buy Time Warner Cable and the bid was denied.

Merger Decision-Makers Appointed by FCC

Meet two of the people the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has appointed to oversee the proposed AT&T / DIRECTV and the Comcast / Time Warner Cable merger deals:
  • Jamillia Ferris, former member of the Justice Department’s antitrust division during the first Obama administration
  • William Rogerson, economics chair at Northwestern University and served as the chief economist of the FCC during the Clinton administration
Thus far, all of the merger-talk has been rather abstract but with the FCC’s selection of who will actually be reviewing the deals, it seems that the general consensus among both consumer advocates and analysts is that the companies will have to tread cautiously. Especially when you consider the fact that Rogerson is a known critic of the 2010 merger of Comcast and NBCUniversal. Ferris will oversee the AT&T / DIRECTV merger and Rogerson will have a role in evaluating both potential mergers. In addition to these two merger decision-makers, others within the agency and the Justice Department will also take part in evaluating the proposed merger deals. Now that the decision-makers have been chosen, make sure to stay tuned for the inevitable future merge-talk to ensue.

Protect Your Home – ADT Authorized Premier Provider Offers ADT Pulse’s One of a Kind Recongnition App

Want to control your home security system by simply using voice commands? There’s a voice recognition app for that. On Tuesday, ADT announced a new app – ADT Pulse® Voice; the one and only voice recognition-enabled home security system technology. With this innovative app, ADT Pulse subscribers are able to access all of the smart home features by using voice commands with their mobile device. The app allows you to arm and disarm your ADT Pulse security panel, adjust the lighting, manage thermostats, even lock and unlock doors all from your mobile device. As ADT’s senior vice president and chief innovation officer, Arthur Orduña, put it, “It’s all about providing the best possible user experiences for our customers.” And that includes improving the user experience of visually-impaired customers as the voice recognition technology reduces the amount of screen interaction. It has never been easier to check the status of your home on-the-go and there has never been a better time to get ADT monitoring! Get the best deals on ADT monitored home security systems here.

2014 FIFA World Cup Update

Are you still feeling the sting from Portugal’s last-second, equalizer goal that prevented the U.S. from eliminating them from the next round? If you are, you’re not alone according to Nielsen data that shows a record-breaking 18.2 million viewers tuned into Sunday’s gut wrenching match. Next up, the U.S. faces Germany in a very important game, which takes place Thursday, June 26 at 10:00 AM (MST). At the time of this posting, Group G standings had Germany and the U.S. tied at 4 points each and Ghana and Portugal tied with 1 point each. The point system in this round is as follows: 0 points for matches lost 1 point (per team) for matches that end in a tie 3 points for matches won This means that the U.S. has to at least tie Germany on Thursday to move on to the next round as a Ghana or Portugal win would bring their total to 4 points as well. The top two teams from each group will move on. In the event of a tie, the team who has the best ratio of goals scored to goals allowed will move on. Make sure you don’t miss out on any of this fate-determining World Cup action! Whether you are at home or on the go, you can watch World Cup coverage with Verizon’s FiOS Mobile App that now includes ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes and Univision Deportes. Get the best deals on Verizon services here.

Verizon’s Interest in DISH Wireless Spectrum

DISH has purchased $17 billion worth of wireless spectrum since 2011 and is reportedly looking for a partner to build a wireless broadband network. But with the multiple merger deals being discussed, the number of potential partners is diminishing – quickly. Click here to find blogs on potential merging providers and other provider news. Before this year’s surge of merger talks, DISH attempted to purchase Sprint back in 2013. If the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approves any of the potential mergers, DISH could take another try at making the buy but it has been reported that Verizon Wireless is interested in purchasing some of the wireless spectrum from DISH. Perhaps in a move to try and avoid having to buy wireless spectrum through the government’s auctions that now have new regulations set by the FCC which makes it harder and more expensive to buy wireless spectrum, Verizon has expressed interest in DISH spectrum that compliments the spectrum the wireless company already owns. However, DISH has been rumored to be potentially placing a bid on T-Mobile so it would seem that Verizon may want to push for a deal before that happens. But why would DISH want to sell any of their wireless spectrum licenses instead of just building out their own wireless network? One reason is that the satellite TV provider only has until 2017 to start building out at least 40 percent of its available spectrum before the FCC recovers the licenses. So selling to a partner would help DISH out tremendously in achieving that 40 percent. Find deals for both service providers here.

NFL Blackout Rule/the Future of NFL Sunday Ticket

The FCC has proposed to drop its sports blackout rule which ensures that local broadcast stations carry local games despite insufficient ticket sales. In response, the NFL has launched a website asking fans to tell the FCC and Congress to leave the sports blackout rule as is and as it has been for nearly four decades. The site allows fans to enter their location which brings up an email form that can be filled out and sent to your local representatives in the US House and US Senate urging them to maintain the current rules. Supporters of the website include the National Association of Broadcasters as well as CBS and Fox. In related news, DISH has expressed interest in bidding on the rights to NFL Sunday Ticket. Rival satellite provider DIRECTV currently holds these rights, but a renewal of the deal is currently in negotiation. Another possibility of a failed contract renewal with DIRECTV is that the NFL could potentially split the TV from the Internet rights which would also be attractive to DISH as they begin offering online-only video subscriptions. No matter where you stand on the NFL Blackout rule, make sure you’re signed up for the sports package that’s right for you. Find the perfect sports package here.