Philly City Council approves Comcast franchise deal; Congress expected to nix state taxes on Internet access

More cable news from across the Web:

> The Philadelphia City Council has approved a new 15-year franchise deal with Comcast. Philadelphia Inquirer story

> Apple's Eddie Cue says there are now more than 2,000 apps for Apple TV. Buzzfeed story

> Congress is expected to pass a bill that would prevent states from taxing Internet access. The Hill story

Telecom News

> Another top executive in CenturyLink's cloud initiative has left the company. According to Fortune, John Purrier, formerly the CTO of CenturyLink's cloud innovation lab, left the firm in September and joined business automation company Automic as its CTO. Article

> A new study from Research and Markets estimates that service provider Software-defined Networking (SDN) and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) investments will account for more than $20 billion in revenue by the end of 2020. Article

Wireless News

> Dish Network said the 3GPP has approved the designation of Band 66, a move that essentially creates an official location and vendor support structure for much of the company's spectrum holdings. Just how Dish will use its highly valued spectrum is still unclear, however. Article

And finally… Thieves pried open a Comcast generator box in Newark, N.J., and stole three batteries. Newark Post story