Synacor announces GVTC deal; Philly City Council has franchise conditions for Comcast

More cable news from across the Web:

> Synacor announced that GVTC will deploy its full suite of video services. Press release

> Discovery Networks has launched the TV Everywhere app Discovery Go, which offers authenticated access to the conglomerate's nine channels. Multichannel News story

> Pac-12 Conference athletic directors have formed three committees to examine cost-cutting measures, game start times and how the Pac-12's media revenue compares to other collegiate conferences. Sports Business Daily story

> Raycom Media has completed its $160 million acquisition of Dreary Communications. Broadcasting & Cable story

> A Philadelphia City Council committee said it will grant Comcast a 15-year franchise agreement if the company raises wages and further expands customer service. Philadelphia Inquirer story

Telecom News

> AT&T, CenturyLink, Frontier and a number of other telcos have accepted a total of $1.5 billion in grants to expand 10/1 Mbps broadband services to hard to reach rural areas. Article

Online Video News

> Yahoo's board may end up taking the advice of an activist investor, and keep its stake in Alibaba -- while selling off the core Internet search and display advertising business that built the company. The move suggests that its current focus on mobile, advertising, online video and social media, aka Mavens, isn't providing fast-enough change to a profitable status. Article

Installer News

> Ten vendors have accepted a total of $1.5 billion in funding for the second phase of the Connect America Fund (CAF-II), an FCC reform initiative that promises to bring broadband to an estimated 23 million Americans in rural uncovered areas as the service has been deemed a necessity in today's technology environment. Article

Wireless News

> According to a new investor report from the financial analysts at Jefferies, AT&T plans to continue to engage in "rational competition" in an increasingly cutthroat market. Specifically, the analysts said that the AT&T executives they recently met with promised not to "chase" subscribers, "given the view that share losses are mostly lower-value postpaid subscribers, and prepaid." Article

And finally… Guggenheim Securities has published a memo to investors saying its "most concerned" about the ability of sports programmers like ESPN and MSG Network to continue to grow amid fast-rising sports licensing costs. Barron's report