It's Fine to Disagree with Google-Verizon Net Neutrality Agreement, But Disagree with the Actual Agreement

Many critics are wrongly deriding the Google-Verizon agreement on network neutrality as a "two-tiered Internet," which he called "dead wrong," says Tom Tauke, Verizon's executive vice president of public affairs.

Tauke pointed out the the deal explictly prevents Verizon from offering anything other than "best effort" Internet, with no packet prioritization, on its fixed network.

Internet access then would remain a simple best effort access, with no "better" tiers of service allowable on Verizon's part. If application providers decide that is something they want to do, all initiative rests with them.

On the other hand, one can imagine many useful managed services that would benefit from quality-of-service measures. Broadband, in other words, is more than simple Internet access. It also is the platform for "tele-work, health-care monitoring, smart grids, smart transportation" and other services, Tauke said.

Some will argue the rules need to extend to wireless networks as well. It's fine to disagree with that part of the agreement. But it isn't correct to label the deal some sort of "tiered access" regime where it comes to the fixed network. That just isn't correct.

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Hulu Serves Up Most Video Ads

Hulu is where the most video ads are viewed, according to comScore. In fact, all of the top-10 sites where the most video ads are delivered feature professionally-produced content.

Dedicated Mobile TV Networks Losing to Web Delivery?

Disappointing adoption levels of existing mobile TV services, in large part because of competition from streamed mobile services, might indicate that special-purpose mobile TV networks do not have the appeal mobile Internet services and applications do, say researchers at Juniper Research.

The Juniper Research report found that the number of paying subscribers to networks based on standards such as DVB-H, DMB, CMMB and MediaFLO were not expected to exceed 10 million globally until 2013 at the earliest, by which time more than 180 million mobile customers will be subscribing to 3G/4G/WiFi enabled mobile TV services.

Press Release: Dedicated Mobile TV Networks Face Uncertain Future, Reaching only 5% of 190m paid mobile TV Users by 2013

Kickstand for Smartphones

No kickstand on the back of your smartphone? Use a pair of glasses. It works if you are near-sighted. It probably won't work for the far-sighted unless the kickstand uses a separate pair.

New technology and applications require new physical capabilities. This helps when watching video. Or you could buy an HTC with a kickstand. A bit more elegant, but this is a great impromptu "retrofit."

How Many Screens Now are Relevant?

Not so long ago, "three screens" were the foundation of consumer multichannel video strategy, those screens being the TV, the PC and the mobile device. With the advent of the e-book reader, perhaps one can add a fourth screen. One can argue that the tablet PC now becomes a viable fifth screen.

There are probably other ways to conceive of "screens," some based on behavioral metrics or applications, rather than devices. Right now, though, it is virtually every other screen than the TV that is getting most of the attention, and rightly so.

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Virgin Mobile USA Aims Prepaid Mobile Broadband at Self Employed Workers

Virgin Mobile USA is aiming its new nationwide prepaid service at self-employed and independent workers.

The Broadband2Go family of mobile broadband products now includes a new $40 unlimited mobile broadband plan. The new offer replaces the previous $20, $40 and $60 plans, allowing consumers to access unlimited internet use at home or on-the-go for $40 per month. The $10 option for 100 MB, good for 10 days from purchase, remains for less frequent internet users.

A recent study from the U.S. Department of Labor shows that the self-employed and independent workers represent approximately 30 percent of the nation’s workforce, Virgin Mobile USA notes. The study determined that this segment of the self-employed population, consisting mainly of small business owners and freelancers, represents a large market of consumers who need to stay connected, mainly with email and internet browsing, without the constraints of a contract.

That's one way to segment a market.

Virgin Mobile USA

Multichannel Video Entertainment Business Loses Subscribers

Is it time to start talking about "plain old television" service, as we talk about "plain old telephone service"?

It might be just a bit early to say. We will need several more quarters of reports until we can say for sure.

But is seems likely something has changed. Multichannel video has been a legacy service for some time, as has POTS, but video has continued to grow subscriber counts, while landline voice lines have been contracting since about 2000 or 2001.