Philly mayor signs off on Comcast franchise deal; Programmers continue to cram in commercial loads

More cable news from across the Web:

> Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter has signed off on a new 15-year franchise deal with Comcast. NewsWorks story

> Programmers continue to cram more commercials into every hour of programming, with ad loads up slightly in November to 19.5 percent, according to Nielsen. Multichannel News story

> Cox Communications announced that it is rolling out public Wi-Fi hotspots in Arizona. CED Magazine story

Telecom News

> TierPoint has tapped ex-Suddenlink executives Mary Meduski as president and CFO and Tom McMillin as president and COO, starting a new chapter for the cloud and data center provider. Article

Online Video News

> Online video creators hunting for stock nature footage to add to their production, rejoice: VideoBlocks is adding royalty-free stock video from Discovery Channel's library of unused footage to its Marketplace section. Article

Installer News

> While most pay-TV operators are focused on high-volume residential sales, Dish Network has doubled down in recent months on the custom install niche. This channel, according to Frank DeFilippis, the former AV systems integrator hired by Dish to spearhead the effort, is made up primarily of small, independent companies that specialize in selling and installing integrated AV home entertainment, security and home automation systems. Article

Wireless News

> Nearly 40 percent of voice calls on T-Mobile's network are transmitted via Voice over LTE (VoLTE), illustrating how aggressively the carrier is pursuing the technology. Just last month, T-Mobile said roughly 33 percent of voice traffic was routed through VoLTE. Article

> Huawei's focus on higher-end customers and its push into foreign markets helped it ship more than 100 million smartphones this year, marking a new record for the Chinese manufacturer. The company said shipments increased 33 percent this year as it emerged as the world's third-largest smartphone vendor behind Samsung and Apple. Article

And finally… The Walt Disney Company is looking to sell its stake in Fusion, the multi-cultural media company it co-founded with Univision in 2013. Story