AT&T joins HomeGrid Forum board; FCC's broadband plans could cost VoIP providers

Cable industry news from across the Web:

> AT&T has joined the HomeGrid Forum as a "promoter member" with a seat on the board of directors, providing a boost for the emerging G.hn home networking standard. News release

> The FCC's plans to phase out the PSTN in favor of an all-broadband network could be costly for VoIP service providers who could suddenly be charged to connect calls. Story

> Comcast is launching a new Internet safety solution, Constant Guard Protection Suite, a desktop application that enables customers to secure their personal and financial information. News release

> Remember all those claims that WiMAX would catch fire first in the international markets and then move to the U.S.? Well, Telecompaper is reporting that there are now 21,000 residential WiMAX subscribers and 1,500 business customers in France. And that's the good news. Story

And finally ... Speaking of claims not panning out, Hewlett-Packard has thrown in the towel and sold its video conferencing business to Polycom. Story