Ars Technica
Comcast’s sneaky Broadcast TV fee hits $27, making a mockery of advertised rates
The Comcast "Broadcast TV" fee that isn't included in the company's advertised prices is rising again, tacking as much as $27 onto the monthly bills of cable TV users. Comcast's Broadcast TV and Regional Sports Network fees combined could add nearly $40 to a customer's monthly TV bill after next month's price hikes, all while Comcast advertises much lower prices than people actually pay.
Cable company’s accidental email to rival discusses plan to block competition
On October 17, 2022, Jonathan Chambers received an email that wasn't meant for him.
Broadband provider deploys fiber service with a wrinkle—the users themselves own each network
A recent article about Silicon Valley residents who formed a co-op Internet service provider might have people wondering what it would take to get the same thing in their hometowns. The most obvious obstacle is the price—in Los Altos Hills, California, residents have had to pay anywhere from $5,000 to $12,000 upfront for a fiber-to-the-home Internet connection. But the company that built the Los Altos Hills network says its model isn't just for wealthy people. "This is not the 1 percent solution, as people derisively call it to my face," Next Level Networks CEO David Barron said.
Apple’s satellite emergency service launches in the US and Canada (Ars Technica)
Submitted by benton on Wed, 11/16/2022 - 06:30Russia threatens a retaliatory strike against US commercial satellites (Ars Technica)
Submitted by dclay@benton.org on Thu, 10/27/2022 - 12:56Comcast’s new higher upload speeds require $25-per-month xFi Complete add-on
The availability of faster Comcast uploads has a catch—users can only get the higher upstream speeds by purchasing xFi Complete, which adds $25 to monthly broadband costs. According to the company, "As markets launch, Xfinity Internet customers who subscribe to xFi Complete will have their upload speeds increased between 5 and 10 times faster." Additionally, Comcast is deploying the speed upgrade in the Northeast US over the next couple of months. Plans with 10Mbps upload speeds will get up to 100Mbps upload speeds once the new tiers roll out in your region—if you pay for xFi Complete.
Biden looks to Musk’s Starlink to deliver promised Internet access in Iran (Ars Technica)
Submitted by dclay@benton.org on Fri, 10/21/2022 - 15:51GPS interference caused the FAA to reroute Texas air traffic. Experts stumped
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the cause of mysterious GPS interference that, over the past few days, has closed one runway at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and prompted some aircraft in the region to be rerouted to areas where signals were working properly. The interference first came to light on October 17 when the FAA issued an advisory warning flight personnel and air traffic controllers of GPS interference over a 40-mile swath of airspace near the Dallas-Fort Worth airport.