Open thread for the masses!

Over the air streaming video provider Aereo won their second major legal victory against the broadcast industry yesterday when an injunction was denied and a court again declared the company's $12 a month broadband streaming service does not violate copyright. Obviously the fight is long from over, and according to the Wall Street Journal, the company has been holding talks with pay TV operators including AT&T and Dish Network. Publicly, Aereo will only say the company is looking at developing partnerships related to content, devices or distribution that will "help increase the choice and flexibility for the consumer."

"After more than two weeks of dismemberment, disembowelment, and all-around good family fun, this year’s Worst Company In America tournament nears its finale, with only four contenders remaining with a chance at claiming the ultimate victory and clutching the Golden Poo," proclaims the Consumerist website. The site's Worst Company in America award has come down to Comcast, Ticketmaster, EA, and Bank of America. For the second year running, AT&T has caught a break by being matched up against the even-more-disliked EA, who could be propelled to victory this year on the back of their SimCity DRM launch debacle. AT&T's decision to hang up on DSL users and con several states into becoming broadband backwaters apparently isn't quite the same headline grabber as crappy game DRM and obnoxious in-game microtransactions.

A group of annoyed users have recently launched a Time Warner Cable spoof website that takes aim at the company for poor customer service. Videos posted to the website (like this one) involve the folks behind the website going around New York asking locals what the company can do worse -- as well as rather concise fake letters from Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt (whose $17.4 million in 2012 compensation likely dulls the blows received from such critics substantially).

The last few months have seen several leaks that suggest the next Xbox will require an "always on" broadband connection as a way to counter both piracy and used game sales. Microsoft isn't commenting, but the news -- if true -- is angering a lot of possible customers with they botched launches of Diablo 3 and SimCity (both requiring always-on connections) freshly in mind.

While Google's principles may have slid sideways in recent years (their selling out on net neutrality being exhibit A) the company does appear to be putting up a good fight against the government's use of national security letters (NSLs). We've covered for several years the growing use (or in a significant number of proven cases, the abuse) of NSLs, which allow the government to obtain personal user records from ISPs (or banks and other companies), then involve a gag order against the company preventing them from ever mention it -- all with no judicial review.

AT&T's video streaming services have been decidedly "me too" affairs, ranging from a video portal that was effectively a Hulu clone to the U-Verse Screen Pack, which was touted as a "Netflix killer" but suffers from a limited catalog and is only available to U-Verse users for an additional $5 a month. However, a new survey being sent to U-Verse customers indicates AT&T is pondering expanding these options. Variety notes that the survey hints that the service might not be directly run by AT&T:As we noted recently, U-Verse users currently aren't being charged for overages but AT&T DSL users are. AT&T's curiosity in such a project comes after Verizon recently launched a streaming video service in conjunction with RedBox.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Apple is getting ready to fire up production of two new iPhone models: an updated successor to the iPhone 5, and a smaller, cheaper iPhone to be aimed squarely at more cost-conscious users. Details are scarce, though sources tell the Journal the iPhone 5 successor (iPhone 5S?) should start production in the second quarter for a summer launch. The less-expensive iPhone also being produced may come in a variety of colors but will likely use "a different casing from the higher-end iPhone" and possibly come in a variety of colors.

• Another Internet is Possible [counterpunch.org]
• AT&T Ponders Life Outside the U-verse with Broadband TV [variety.com]
• LightSquared showdown looms [bizjournals.com]
• France Telecom CEO: iPhone too pricey for Europeans [cnet.com]
• For labels, Apple's iRadio deal could be sweeter than Pandora [cnet.com]
• Google Fights U.S. National Security Probe Data Demand [bloomberg.com]
• Defending Honor of Web, Rackspace Sues ‘Most Notorious Patent Troll’ [wired.com]
• Charter Communications Refuses To Air Antenna Manufacturer's Ad [techdirt.com]
• T-Mobile USA Opens Pre-Orders For iPhone 5 Starting At $99.99, Shipping April 12 [techcrunch.com]

• FCC releases broadband survey form to seek info on prices, including usage-based, speeds and more for urban broadband service to establish benchmark for rural subsidies [broadcastingcable.com]
• Massachusetts lights first section of statewide broadband connection [bizjournals.com]
• New York testing way to lay more fiber cable for broadband services without tearing up streets and disrupting traffic [informationweek.com]
• T-Mobile debuts data plan specifically for Audi connected cars [fiercewireless.com]
• AT&T has small cells in the lab that combine 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi; gearing up for nationwide launch of technology [lightreading.com]
• Tablet shipments to outstrip PCs by 72% in 3 years [networkworld.com]
• Wi-Fi Above 10,000 Feet: Which Airlines Provide Best Connection? [readwrite.com]
• Verizon Considering Dropping Contracts Following T-Mobile’s UnCarrier Plans [ubergizmo.com]
• Are You Ready For The Wireless Revolution? [tmcnet.com]
• Apple increases lead as top US smartphone maker, Samsung gains; Android down second month in a row [thenextweb.com]
• Investor Offers Clearwire $240M Alternative to Sprint’s Money [wirelessweek.com]

Our friends over at TMONews point out that T-Mobile will be sending out an over-the-air update from Apple that will provide LTE connectivity for unlocked iPhones on T-Mobile's network starting on April 5. According to the leaked internal screenshot, the over-the-air update will also provide those users with other awaited functionality like visual voicemail and MMS.

Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam today stated the company is watching T-Mobile's no contract pricing with great interest, and that Verizon will offer no contract wireless if consumers start clamoring for it. T-Mobile is offering users less expensive data plans but no phone subsidies -- users for example paying $100 down for the iPhone 5 and an additional $20 per month for 24 months.

According to documents obtained by CNET, the DEA is upset because the encryption used by Apple's iMessage foils their ability to snoop on those communications. Even with a warrant (increasingly seen as optional these days by law enforcement and intelligence agencies) and the fact that carriers let the NSA snoop on everything in real time, "it is impossible to intercept iMessages between two Apple devices."

Well not entirely impossible; the memo notes that sometimes interception is possible, but it would require the government to conduct man in the middle attacks using spoofed cell towers, something the feds just got busted for using for years without properly informing Judges.

The FCC still has around $185 million out of the $300 million broadband funds available from phase one of their Connect America Fund, dedicated to shoring up broadband coverage gaps. While companies like Frontier took $71.9 million to wire some 92,000 homes, other companies like Windstream balked at taking full funding, saying that getting $775 per install wasn't enough for their liking.

Time Warner Cable hasn't been exactly what you'd call a hero when it comes to furthering national broadband deployment. The company was behind bills in both North and South Carolina banning or hindering towns and cities from deploying their own broadband, even when nobody else will.

According to a new survey by the Fiber to the Home Council, running a fiber to the home network isn't just great for consumers and businesses looking for more bandwidth, but it can save a medium or small scale telco up to 20% in savings annually. "On average, respondents estimated those savings to be 20.4 percent, largely because of a decrease in ongoing repair and maintenance," says the group.

According to the Council (which is comprised of companies selling fiber gear), the number of homes that can access FTTH networks has jumped 17.6 percent over the last year to 22.7 million. Granted most small to mid-sized telcos aren't installing fiber -- not because they don't realize potential cost savings, but because they either don't have the funds to do so, or there's such pathetic competition across their footprint there's simply nothing driving them to.

Every so often we see a carrier get the bright idea to use modern network technology to inject their ads into website content -- and once publicized they become very short-lived affairs. You might recall that Mediacom got busted for this back in 2011, when they started using deep packet inspection and Javascript injection technology to insert ads into numerous websites -- even those traditionally without ads (like Apple or Google).

A post over at the Skype blog proudly proclaims that Skype users are collectively using the communications platform for more than 2 billion minutes each day. "That’s enough time to travel to the moon and back over 225 thousand times, walk around Earth more than 845 times or travel to Mars more than 5,400 times," proudly proclaims the company. The total of course includes voice, video, and people staring at the screen using instant messaging, so it's likely a very generous number. Skype has certainly had help on numerous fronts, from the death of the PSTN to Microsoft's announcement that they'll be closing Windows Live Messenger.

• The Big Bet at Intel Corp. That Could Change TV [variety.com]
• Online music licensing revenues pass radio for first time [guardian.co.uk]
• In wake of gTLD security criticism, ICANN announces emergency back-up registry operators [computerworld.com]
• Building the actual real internet simply doesn't pay [theregister.co.uk]
• Samsung Decides to Build Its Own Stores — Inside Best Buy [allthingsd.com]
• Vertical wireless charging means cool things for your phone [cnet.com]
• Huawei Says Security Concerns Will (Surprise!)Hinder U.S. Growth [techcrunch.com]
• 6 reasons the mobile music industry is in flux [fiercewireless.com]

• Clearwire Shareholder Makes Own Offer to Provide Funding [wsj.com]
• Time Warner Cable bids to provide high-speed broadband in N.C. [bizjournals.com]
• BlackBerry Z10 users can Gogo to Delta for free in-flight WiFi [engadget.com]
• After a delay of more than a year, FreedomPop's iPhone Sleeve could finally be released [fiercewireless.com]
• Why some U.S. homes and businesses still don't have cellular service [infoworld.com]
• Facebook Home offers a fresh take on Android UI [9to5google.com]
• It’s an App World. The Web Just Lives in It [flurry.com]
• Who Are the Enemies of the Internet? [huffingtonpost.com]
• Dealing With Spam and Cyberattacks: Control vs. Openness [huffingtonpost.com]
• Telcos see 20% operational savings with all-fiber networks, says FTTH Council [fiercetelecom.com]