> A wag might suggest that there's a taint to being a cable TV company. Northland Cable Television, on the other hand, would argue that it's not a taint; it's a restriction that doesn't tell the company's whole story, and that's why Northland Cable TV is now Northland Communications--a "full service communications provider." Story.
> Shaw, Rogers and Videotron should be on the alert. An especially ebullient John Malone has suggested in a rangy Wall Street Journal article that he might step over the border at any time. "We own 18 miles on the border, so we can cross. Anytime we want we can get away. It would probably be illegal but we could go. Actually, our snowmobile trail goes right on the border," said Malone. And who would have thought the Liberty Media chair would sound like a 1960s draft dodging hippie? Story.
> It's always a good idea to keep an eye on companies that operate in "stealth mode," if for no other reason than it sounds mysterious. Mandelbrot, a Boulder, Colo. start-up, has raised $4.1 million in financing. So what? So the company's founder is Pete Steinbaum, most recently boss of DailyCandy, a company purchased by Comcast Interactive Media. That's what. Story.
> Video hogs, rejoice. Netgear has upgraded its desktop data storage line to include capacity and software to store and stream HD video recorded by TiVo. Story.
> That Netgear equipment might come in handy in Boston (and isn't this a great segue) where RCN has launched TiVo Premiere service. Previously the cable competitor launched TiVo Premiere in Washington, D.C. and New York City. Story.
And finally... While everyone in the cable industry was busy with the FCC's activities on the Comcast-NBCU merger and indecency, the agency's Chief of Staff, Edward Lazarus, met with representatives from Google, Skype and the Open Internet Coalition to talk about the FCC's possibilities of regulating broadband. Story.