Cable industry news from across the Web:
> Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee's Consumer Protection subcommittee, is planning a Dec. 10 hearing on cable pricing and customer service. Story
> Video encoding specialist Envivio reported a 23 percent drop in third quarter revenue to $9 million. Earnings release
> Sling Media is about to launch an advertising campaign that pokes fun at the limitations of TV Everywhere. Story
> Netflix spent $90 million to produce the first 10 episodes of Marco Polo, making the period drama the SVOD service's most expensive original series yet. Story
> Controversial from the start after launching with a mandate not to cover net neutrality or NSA surveillance, Verizon's tech blog, SugarString, has been scuttled. Story
> Time Warner Cable has surpassed $3 billion in business service contracts in 2014, up from just $900 million in 2009. Story
> HBO has remastered into HD all 60 episodes of David Simon's acclaimed drama The Wire. Story
> Comcast EVP David L. Cohen met with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Tuesday to discuss concerns about the MSO's proposed merger with Time Warner Cable. Story
And finally … Merger and acquisitions activity among entertainment and media companies cooled in the third quarter, with overall deal-making down 10 percent, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. Story