• Global mobile broadband spending seen up to $72 billion [yahoo.com]
• Suddenlink Widens DOCSIS 3.0 Rollout [multichannel.com]
• Spanish ISP Telefonica Claims Google Gets Free Bandwidth; Says Google Should Pay Up [techdirt.com]
• RealNetworks, Viacom to spin off digital music JV Rhapsody [totaltele.com]
• The Long, Slow Demise of WiMax [unstrung.com]
• Activists protesting censorship unleash Operation Titstorm on Aussie gov [theregister.co.uk]
• Thanks to telecommuting, snow days are no longer fun [usatoday.com]
• Bumper Patch Tuesday tackles multiple Windows flaws [theregister.co.uk]

• 4G: Moving from concept to reality [fiercewireless.com]
• Maine company to lay 1,100 miles of optic cable [adn.com]
• IEEE 802.16m to the Rescue: Meeting the exploding Mobile Internet Data Demand [wirelessweek.com]
• YouTube use makes up 10% of mobile data [theregister.co.uk]
• Broadband Forum Intros Certification Program [xchangemag.com]
• Wifi-N + Bluetooth 3.0 + FM + GPS = Texas Instruments WiLink 7.0 [devicemag.com]
• Flash will protect privacy [theinquirer.net]
• Is Unix on its way out? [theinquirer.net]

According to a new survey by stat farm Instat, the average U.S. broadband connection clocks in at 7.12 megabits per second, and speeds for everyone jumped 28% between the end of 2008 and 2009. That 7.12 Mbps average is higher than other, more comprehensive explorations of speed -- including Akamai's latest study, which stated the average connection speed in the States is closer to 3.9 Mbps. InStat proclaims that "broadband speed increase among cable modem subscribers was about double that of fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) subscribers." That's a somewhat silly data point, given cable modem speeds (which have ramped up in speed courtesy of DOCSIS 3.0 upgrades) usually start at a lower speed than FTTH connections to begin with. Hopefully those who shell out the full price ($1,995) for the study get a small refund for that particular nugget of wisdom.

A significant number of Fairpoint customers are owed refunds for some fairly horrific stretches of service last year, as the company struggled to integrate Verizon's New England DSL and landline networks (and more importantly, $2.3 billion in Verizon debt from the deal). At points, Fairpoint couldn't even answer the phone or provide working 911 service -- much less provide a good voice or data connection.

Many ISPs seem to think you absolutely must offer some kind of Internet video portal, or they'll lose valuable advertising revenue that could be going to other, better options. The problem is, many ISP Internet video portals simply aren't very compelling, so ISPs are losing that ad money anyway, but now they're out development costs (however modest) for the project.

Citing speculation from "a growing number of Wall Street analysts," The Denver Post insists that Qwest Communications is for sale, and argues that either Winstream Communications or CenturyLink are possible buyers. Including phone and broadband lines, core fiber and data centers, the Post speculates that Qwest is worth somewhere around $20 billion (Qwest bought much of their current infrastructure from U S West in 2000 for $45 billion). It's not clear where the renewed speculation is coming from, given Qwest has technically been on sale for years now, and Qwest executives have acknowledged as much for just as long. The problem has been that nobody's been interested in Qwest's aging, significantly rural copper networks (or their long haul network) at the price Qwest wants people to pay.

For some time now, Uncle Sam has been pushing for a law that would require ISPs retain all of their user logs for several years, with only a few ISPs thinking that's a particularly good idea given the added regulation and cost. While the push for log retention seemed to stumble since it began in earnest in 2006, CNET notes that the effort is seeing renewed focus in Washington.

You might recall that before snoopvertising agency NebuAD flamed out spectacularly, a number of ISPs tested the user-tracking technology on their customers -- in many cases without telling anybody about it. When asked by the press about the tests, many of these ISPs simply wouldn't comment.

Fierce Wireless asks a number of vendors who make a living off of billing systems their thoughts on metered billing in the wireless space, and unsurprisingly is told by each one that a shift to metered billing is "inevitable" in wireless. The article is full of the kind of talking points we're used to from an industry that desperately wants to foist higher per megabyte fees on consumers.

At launch, Google took heat for a number of things related to their "Nexus One" smartphone, including the fact that customers who canceled service early faced $550 in fees (a $200 ETF from T-Moble, and a $350 Google "Equipment Recovery Fee"), which was more than the phone even cost. Responding to these criticisms, sluggish Nexus One sales, and the FCC's recent inquiry into ETFs, Google says they're lowering the Nexus One "equipment recovery fee" from $350 to $150, and talks about the decision to the Wall Street Journal: story continues..

• Qwest seen as likely takeover target, analysts say [totaltele.com]
• Google cuts fee to break Nexus One contract [usatoday.com]
• Three firms battle for LTE patent pool [fiercewireless.com]
• Google now taking user phone calls about Nexus One [networkworld.com]
• Couple told to pay £45,000 for broadband [theinquirer.net]
• Groups Launch EBIF.TV Site To Support Enhanced TV Development [multichannel.com]
• BlackBerry Curve tops iPhone in Q4 smartphone sales [fiercewireless.com]
• BT UK Tops 1 Million Wi-Fi Wireless Broadband Hotspots [ispreview.co.uk]

• Google analyst: U.S. Internet needs to get faster [cnn.com]
• 72% Worldwide Growth in Mobile Data Bandwidth [cellular-news.com]
• NTIA May Dole Out More Broadband Stimulus Funds [multichannel.com]
• Mass. city becomes testing ground for boosting broadband adoption [networkworld.com]
• BelAir Weaves DOCSIS 3.0 Into Wi-Fi Access Point [multichannel.com]
• Acer: Android sales exceeding expectations [fiercewireless.com]
• FBI calls for two year retention for ISP data [theregister.co.uk]
• Symantec sued over subscription charge> [theinquirer.net]

(Updated with response from Verizon at bottom.) Last summer you might recall that 4Chan users collectively cried out that they'd been blocked by AT&T, and began firing their trademark digital barbs at the carrier's direction. As it turned out, the website had only been temporarily blocked as AT&T worked to resolve a distributed denial of service attack.

Back in the summer of 2008 Italian government officials demanded that broadband ISPs in the country begin blocking users from accessing popular BitTorrent website The Pirate Bay. Many ISPs obliged, but oddly decided instead to direct users to the website of the IFPI (the overseas equivalent of the RIAA). In the end the Pirate Bay managed to defeat the order with an appeal, and the end result was that all the publicity simply drove more user traffic to the website. However, the Italian Supreme Court has now ruled that forcing Italian ISPs to block BitTorrent websites is perfectly legal, so the government appears poised to try again. Of course Italian broadband users will find a way around the blockade, and the game of P2P cat and mouse will continue...

In what appears to be a promotion gone wrong, Cox Communications has accidentally offered free Playstation 3's to every Cox customer in Arizona that signs up for service or upgrades existing service. The deal was supposedly intended only to lure in new Cox customers, but Cox's marketing team accidentally sent the flyers out to all customers. Judging from posts in our forums, Cox did try pretty hard to honor the deal, which requires users sign a 12 month contract (and Cox's ETF is roughly equivalent to the cost of a PS3). Some users who tried to get in on the deal late (and via word of mouth from customers who got flyers) aren't getting PS3's, and have complained to the Consumerist about Cox shutting down the promotion.

Last week Comcast unveiled their plans to rebrand their Internet, VoIP and TV services all under the "Xfinity" monicker. While Comcast was hoping to create a modern brand that could do battle with AT&T U-Verse and Verizon FiOS, the decision to misspell infinity with "extreme" and painfully cliche 90's brand stylings wasn't a particularly inspired or creative choice.

After announcing their bankruptcy plan last October, Fairpoint Communications has filed their bankruptcy plan. The company has issued a statement saying the plan "protects the commitments FairPoint made in 2008 when it assumed operations from Verizon," including expanding broadband penetration into under-served regions of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Fairpoint failed to meet these commitments after purchasing these networks for $2.3 billion in 2007, and ultimately collapsed under $2.7 billion in debt. Once again, the real winner in this whole exchange? Verizon, who got to offload unwanted networks, debt and union workers, and will just wind up winning many New England customers back with wireless LTE 4G service down the road anyway.

The wireless industry has a few bad habits. One, they like to advertise one thing, then go and do another -- including advertising services as "unlimited," when they have very clear monthly usage caps. They also like to bury clauses in user contracts that attempt to ban consumers from participating in class action lawsuits to settle complaints -- instead forcing them into binding arbitration, a faux-legal process governed by a company hired by your carrier that the majority of the time winds up with your carrier winning the dispute.

You might recall that last fall there were a flurry of rumors involving Deutsche Telekom either selling T-Mobile outright, or merging the company with a U.S. partner (Sprint was mentioned) in order to improve T-Mobile's fortunes in their battle against Verizon and AT&T. Now Business Week suggests that Deutsche Telekom is still looking at a number of options, including a T-Mobile IPO (which analysts in the piece say comes too late), or an acquisition or merger of a smaller prepaid operator like MetroPCS or Leap Wireless (which analysts believe is unlikely). The latest rumors originated in the Wall Street Journal.

• Just like "unlimited" broadband = "really, quite limited broadband"; Metro PCS: "No contract" = "Heck yes, there's a contract" [techdirt.com]
• BT to open up broadband tunnel network to rivals [Reuters UK]
• Google doppelgänger casts riddle over interwebs [theregister.co.uk]
• Apple's Bans Go Way Too Far [pcworld.com]
• Appeals Court Says Internet Content Should Be Held To Standards Of Strictest Jurisdiction [techdirt.com]
• Xbox Live tops $100 million in 2009 [gamepro.com]
• BlackBerry has spyware risk, too [cnet.com]
• Cox Accidentally Offers Everyone In Arizona A Free PlayStation 3 [consumerist.com]

• Cable Broadband Subs Top 105 Million Worldwide: Study [multichannel.com]
• Microsoft Exec Calls For 'Driver's License For The Internet' [techdirt.com]
• CTIA, Verizon, U.S. Cellular File Against Signal Boosters [wirelessweek.com]
• 3G networks cracking under strain - iPhone's fault? Nope. Facebook! [broadbandgenie.co.uk]
• Time Warner Cable To Increase in WiMax Investment [wirelessweek.com]
• Copyright Industry Responds To iiNet Ruling By Asking For Gov't Bailout; Aussie Gov't 'Studying' It [techdirt.com]
• 3D HDMI specification is set free [theinquirer.net]
• Mozilla overlooked malware-laced Firefox add-ons [theregister.co.uk]
• Nexus One on way to official faildom? [theinquirer.net]

The weekend is here, we're heading out to help DC-area residents shovel snow. Empty your thoughts into the comment section below. Just clean up after yourselves, you troublemakers.

As the broadband stimulus bill was being hashed out, you'll recall it was stripped of some very lucrative, carrier-lobbied-for tax credits that would have given companies like Verizon billions for doing absolutely nothing differently -- after the credits were exposed by the NY Times. With no cash giveaways, fears that taking funds could lead to additional regulations, and restrictions requiring that ISPs use the money on under-served areas, last summer found the biggest ISPs saying no thanks to $7.2 billion in stimulus funds.

It's clear to us there's a great number of highly skilled and fantastic employees who work directly for Comcast, and we speak to many of them every day (we like them even more when they provide scoops). But the quality of Comcast's subcontracted installers has always been a bone of contention, given their tendency toward winding up in the news for falling asleep, murder, digging in the wrong yard, blowing up laptops, dishwashers or homes, torturing kittens, robbery or running into children with vans.

Yesterday AT&T received a significant amount of media attention for a announcing that they would be unblocking the Sling player for the iPhone so it worked over AT&T's 3G network. In their press release, AT&T proclaimed that Sling "was willing to work with us to revise the app so it was more bandwidth sensitive," adding that Sling "made important changes to more efficiently use 3G network bandwidth and conserve wireless spectrum so that we were able to support the app on our 3G mobile broadband network." Except, to hear Sling tell it, they didn't change a damn thing: story continues..

According to Billboard Magazine, the average broadband ISP loses about 1.4% of their customers per month (aka churn), 14.5% annually, or over 2.1 million customers each year. Comcast for example, with their average customer paying $43 per month, stands to lose $1.1 billion lost from churn every year.

Apple recently went to bat for AT&T, Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook defending AT&T repeatedly against complaints of poor 3G network performance and in the process ignoring a huge chunk of the year 2009. "iPhone customers are having a great experience from the research we've done," stated Cook on a recent conference call.

• Apple Says No Location-Based Ads or Android References in App Store [maclife.com]
• Ericsson: World's first with 84Mbps [msn.com]
• T-Mobile USA could be sold off to the public [gomonews.com]
• Facebook could sell own brand phones by 2011 [v3.co.uk]
• Feds Worry iPad Could Clog Wireless Networks [yahoo.com]
• VC money still flowing to wireless [fiercewireless.com]
• Microsoft planning major security update [v3.co.uk]

Comcast yesterday spent yesterday tauting the supposed benefits of their merger with NBC, while lawmakers worried about the competitive impact of an increasingly massive Comcast. Representative Edward Markey, D-Mass., a senior member of the House Commerce subcommittee on communications and technology, made a bit of a funny, stating that issue "really boils down to the seven C's." "Will this combination of communications colossi curtail competition and cost consumers?," he asked.

On Monday we were the first to report how Bell Canada was launching a new VDSL-based service named "Fibe"; the name chosen to apparently try to make you think the technology was fiber to the home, not copper based. Yesterday Bell's official Fibe announcement arrived, noting that in addition to non-fiber Fibe, the company is actually deploying some fiber to the home service at speeds up to 100 Mbps.

• LTE: Don’t Expect to Roam Soon [lightreading.com]
• Sony 'actively thinking' about PSN access fee [reghardware.co.uk]
• Usage-Based pricing inevitable and necessary consequence of the rise of mobile data [fiercewireless.com]
• Survey: Alvarion Top-Ranked WiMAX Vendor [wirelessweek.com]
• Another setback for UK Digital Economy Bill as MP in charge of leading Bill through parliament to step down [broadbandgenie.co.uk]
• Could cable lose its grip on TV business? [cnet.com]
• AT&T expected to keep iPhone for 2010, analyst says [marketwatch.com]
• Comcast CEO: We Won’t Block Rivals [lightreading.com]

If you thought 100 Mbps was little more than an impractical marketing gesture on the part of ISPs, then what about 200 Mbps? Canadian ISP Novus issued a statement today saying they would begin offering 200 Mbps fiber to the home service starting February 12 for $279.95 per month ($261 US). That officially gives Novus, which has been engaged in a marketing battle with Shaw in Canada, claim to the fastest residential service in Canada.

The other day we noted how Qwest seems to be ramping up a program whereby they kick users off the Qwest network if they receive multiple DMCA warnings. Such warnings are generated by intelligence companies who work for the entertainment industry, then forwarded by ISPs to the end users.

In addition to blocking Skype from working over 3G (a block that was recently lifted) you might recall that AT&T also blocked the iPhone Slingbox app from working over their 3G network. In May of last year, AT&T issued a statement saying that the application was blocked because it "could create congestion and potentially prevent other customers from using the network." Of course that congestion was happening anyway due to iPhone users, and many users felt AT&T was involved in selective reasoning, given they banned Slingbox, but allowed the streaming of Major League Baseball games.

Comcast recently unveiled their "Xfinity" Internet video service, which the company offers for free to existing TV customers in the hopes they won't cut the cord as more and more content is made available online. While the project is in beta, early impressions have been somewhat mixed, given the limited catalog and some wonky authentication and GUI issues.

The entertainment industry clearly wants ISPs to become content nannies, implementing everything from copyright file filters to kicking copyright infringers from the Internet. Given these systems are expensive to implement and support, may not work, and are being created essentially to protect the entertainment industry's outdated business models, many people (including ISPs, obviously) think the entertainment industry should pay for it.

You might recall that iiNet, one of Australia's largest ISPs, was sued by seven Hollywood studios for failing to stop the transfer of pirated content across their network. Company CEO Michael Malone said the industry's demands for iiNet to play traffic cop were unreasonable if not impossible, and that "these guys are asking us to be judge, jury and executioner." After an eight week trial, the Sydney Morning Herald reports that iiNet has won their case against Hollywood, with Justice Dennis Cowdroy finding that iiNet is not liable for the downloading habits of its customers: story continues..

• Comcast adds $2 to fee for leasing cable modems [denverpost.com]
• Australian Court Says ISPs Not Responsible For Infringing Users [techdirt.com]
• The iPhone has sparked a consumer rebellion - What can Ma Bell do? [businessweek.com]
• Republicans: Don't Let Regulators, Others Sidetrack Comcast/NBCU [multichannel.com]
• Canadian Regulator may require Internet providers to improve rural access [theglobeandmail.com]
• Darker side to the net as depression linked to web usage [samknows.com]
• Fugitive VoIP hacker admits 10 million minute spree [theregister.co.uk]
• Microsoft warns of new flaw in IE [v3.co.uk]

• Broadband Internet Keeps The American Dream Alive & Accessible [huffingtonpost.com]
• Comcast's profit climbs; demand increases for broadband [marketwatch.com]
• Broadband Wireless — the future is 5 GHz [newswireless.net]
• Hughes Named Frost & Sullivan 2009 North American Company Of The Year In Satellite Industry [thestreet.com]
• Amazon Buys Touchscreen Startup: Touchscreen Kindle? [gigaom.com]
• Will The Recording Industry Pay For ISP Monitoring In The UK? [techdirt.com]
• Comcast To Launch Xfinity Rebranding Campaign [multichannel.com]
• Analysis: Mac OS X is less secure than Windows [theinquirer.net]
• Verizon MiFi Owned By Simple Attack [slashdot.org]
• Report: Netbook market grew 79% last year [fiercewireless.com]

If you recall, legal experts have already stated that the FCC's proposed network neutrality laws -- as currently worded -- are so murky they might not be of any substantive use. Just as with the FCC's current guidelines, which Comcast is challenging in court, the rules leave the term "reasonable" undefined -- leaving the door wide open for heavy-handed behavior by ISPs who can claim that essentially everything is "reasonable." More specifically, the EFF is claiming the loopholes are going to come in very handy as the entertainment industry pushes ISPs to become content police:The EFF has subsequently launched a letter writing campaign aimed at getting the FCC to tighten up the wording of their proposed neutrality rules.

Cox Communications and CenturyLink (formerly Embarq and CenturyTel) have been battling for customer share in Las Vegas, where Cox just launched 50 Mbps DOCSIS 3 service, and is even exploring limited FTTH and IPTV. CenturyLink, in response, is cooking up a bonded ADSL2+ service at speeds up to 25 Mbps, according to posts in our forums.

After a number of reports, complaints, and a few FCC inquiries -- AT&T announced in October of last year that they'd no longer be blocking VoIP programs like Skype from working over 3G. Then, for whatever reason, AT&T and Apple again announced last week they'd no longer be blocking VoIP programs like Skype from working over 3G. With the strange, multi-belated announcement finally becoming real, Skype now says they'll be releasing a new version of Skype for AT&T 3G that features "CD quality sound," according to the Official Skype blog. Of course cheap (or free) wireless VoIP and long-entrenched carrier minute bundle pricing models don't really see eye to eye -- (neither do smartphone push IM clients and SMS, for that matter) -- so neither AT&T nor Apple were exactly in a rush to make Skype more useful.

Comcast, which recently passed AT&T as the biggest broadband carrier in the United States, is also now the third largest phone company. Once they merge with NBC Universal, the company will be getting even more powerful.

Though they'd already essentially made this shift as builders of a network used by Sprint, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and others -- Clearwire is apparently making a harder shift away from the direct retail sector, and instead focusing its efforts toward being a wholesale broadband operator, according to Digitimes. The website (which has a good record of being, well, wrong sometimes) cites an anonymous source that claims Clearwire is also slowing their own hardware purchases, and companies like Comcast may be carrying a heavier part of the network build load moving forward:Based on Clearwire's history of poor fixed wireless reviews around here, and the early problems they've been having with their new mobile WiMax deployments, maybe that's not a bad idea? Clearwire's going to need all the help they can get as Verizon and AT&T slowly ramp up their deployment of LTE (long term evolution) wireless broadband technology over the next few years, given AT&T and Verizon's deep pockets and massive lobbying influence.

Apple's launch of the iPad arrived to mixed reviews last week, with the tablet costing a little extra ($130) if you wanted it to have 3G connectivity on top of embedded Wi-Fi capabilities. Unfortunately, the tablet was restricted to AT&T's HSDPA network (or T-Mobile EDGE, if you're not picky about speed).

By now most people are familiar with Time Warner Cable's failed efforts to implement low caps and high overages, and AT&T's continuing trials of a similar idea in two markets. It's only a matter of time before such models, which are loved by investors because they involve consumers paying more money for the same (or in some instances less) product, see another industry-wide push.

• Mark Cuban Tells Media “Google Is a Vampire” [gigaom.com]
• South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan have highest average broadband connection speeds [chinapost.com.tw]
• Mobile industry has clearly chosen LTE over WiMax [zdnet.co.uk]
• FairPoint, unions reach tentative agreement [wirelessweek.com]
• Comcast Acquires VoIP Provider NGT [multichannel.com]
• Adobe defends Flash, takes a jab at Apple [mercurynews.com]
• Stubborn trojan stashes install file in Windows help [theregister.co.uk]
• iPhone vulnerable to remote attack on SSL [theregister.co.uk]

• Clearwire Changing Business Plan [wirelessweek.com]
• FairPoint says Ch. 11 reorganization plan imminent [wirelessweek.com]
• ACA: New Stimulus Rules Are Not Fair, Balanced [multichannel.com]
• Once Again, Be Careful What You Wish For With Net Neutrality Once The Lobbyists Get Done With It [techdirt.com]
• FCC Worries That iPad Will Clog the Internet [yahoo.com]
• Cablevision's Optimum Lightpath Zooms To 40 Gbps [multichannel.com]
• Google to unveil Chrome tablet? [v3.co.uk]
• Femtocells wilt under attack [theregister.co.uk]

That Google Nexus One 3G coverage fix Google support told annoyed customers was coming has finally arrived. According to the Google Nexus One blog, users should start seeing a firmware update pushed to their phones today. The update does a number of things including providing multi-touch functionality, though Google also notes the update "will provide a general fix to help improve 3G connectivity on some Nexus One phones." If you're still having wireless broadband connectivity issues after you apply the patch, you'll just have to blame T-Mobile's HSDPA network.

We recently explored how AT&T is raising both regular DSL and U-Verse service prices as we enter 2010. They've also kicked off a "any speed, one price" promotion for DSL customers, which, as the name implies, allows users to sign up for Express (1.5 Mbps), Pro (3 Mbps) or Elite (6 Mbps) service for $24.95 if you sign a one year contract.