@FierceCable RT @xpangler Even a math-challenged journalism graduate can see there's something wrong with these figures. The NCTA said, in a filing to the FCC, that only 536,000 standalone CableCARDs-including 5,000 in the last three months-have been installed in over 25 million CableCARD-enabled set-tops rolled out since July 2007. Story | Follow @FierceCable
> Perhaps it's just part of the chest-thumping going on these days in South Carolina as the Civil War sesquicentennial approaches, but a U.S. senator from that state is promising a revolt of his own against the FCC--of Fabricating a Crisis Commission, as he calls it--and its net neutrality order. Railing against "centralized government planning," DeMint promised to "prevent the FCC or any government agency from unilaterally burdening our recovering economy with baseless regulation." Story.
> Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Mobility, soon to be a standalone company, has apparently flexed its muscles a bit from its parent by acquiring Zecter, a California tech firm specializing in delivering music and video-on-demand. Story.
> Here's a random thought: rather than figuring ways to see 3DTV, perhaps service providers and CE manufacturers can figure a way to see reasonable SDTV on HDTV sets. This might be a good thing as 61 percent of American households now have at least an HDTV that shows great pictures in high def and 1950s blurriness in standard. Story.
> Speaking of watching TV, a trend is emerging where the strongest cable TV shows are beating the weakest big network rivals. Of course, this could be a case of cable dropping to the level of its competition as the biggest gainers this year include cable shows like Pawn Stars, American Pickers and everyone's all-time least favorite, Jersey Shore. Story.
And finally ... it may not mean anything to the cable industry but News Corp. (Nasdaq: NWSA)--a name that causes heart palpitations within the industry--has sold its Fox Mobile Group wireless entertainment service to a real estate investment firm. According to the news, Jesta Group, the new owner, also "dabbles in technology." Story.