January 2015

In the last three months of 2014, the Associated Press published 3,000 articles on the earning reports of US companies. Previously it could publish only 300.

With the exception of big banks, which have extremely complicated earnings reports, the AP is relying on automation software that scans company’s earnings and produces a narrative. Lou Ferrara, the AP Vice President and Managing Editor who oversees business news, said his customers have been happy with the increase in content. Ferrara mentioned sports leagues with smaller audiences as possible areas of expansion, such as Major League Soccer, the Women’s National Basketball Association, Minor League Baseball and Division II college sports.

Wireless network operator deployments of small cells will bring major changes to the way the operators architect their networks, said Iain Gillott, President of wireless research firm iGR.

In addition to triggering the deployment of fiber backhaul to small cell sites, iGR believes small cells needed to satisfy mobile broadband demand will drive wireless operators to establish local data centers that will resemble traditional Class 5 central offices -- an ironic twist for an industry that has been consolidating and decommissioning central offices. While traditional macrocell networks were designed for mobile users passing through coverage areas, mobile data often is consumed while users remain in specific locations for an extended period of time. Coffee shops become 4G hotspots at busy times as customers find on-site Wi-Fi to be overloaded and switch to 4G. The place where the baseband equipment will be housed could look something like a traditional central office, said Gillott, who expects a major wireless operator to have about 1,000 such locations nationwide, including several such locations in each metro area. These central office-like locations also could serve another important function -- housing content servers for offerings such as You Tube and Netflix, thereby minimizing latency and improving the viewer’s experience.

Comcast and Time Warner Cable have agreed to extend the end date of their merger agreement by six months to August 12, 2015. The companies had initially told the Securities and Exchange Commission they thought the deal would be completed by Feb. 12, 2015, a year from the deal's announcement -- but as is standard, the agreement also anticipated that an extension might be necessary given that neither company controls the vetting process by the Federal Communication Commission and Justice Department.

Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel of the Federal Communications Commission announced the departure of David Goldman and Clint Odom from her office. She also announced the promotion of Priscilla Delgado Argeris to the position of Senior Legal Advisor and the promotion of Valery Galasso to Policy Advisor. In addition, she announced that Travis Litman has joined her office as Legal Advisor and Jennifer Thompson has joined her office as Special Advisor and Confidential Assistant.

Goldman, who has served as Senior Legal Advisor for Commissioner Rosenworcel with responsibility for wireless issues, has been appointed Chief Counsel for communications policy for House Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ). Odom, who has served as Policy Director for Commissioner Rosenworcel with responsibility for media issues, has been appointed General Counsel of the Senate Commerce Committee under the leadership of Ranking Member Bill Nelson (D-FL).