Consumer Reports: Fiber-Optic Providers Are Leading Choices for Internet, TV, Phone Service

Consumers looking to cut costs without sacrificing satisfaction for Internet, television, and telephone service should consider bundling with Verizon FiOS or AT&T U-verse. In Consumer Reports' latest survey of major telecom providers and bundled services, featured in the February issue, Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse, whose networks are fiber-optic based, were the most consistently satisfying providers for their Internet, television, and telephone services.

Because Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse are not available everywhere, many consumers must consider other options for Internet, phone and TV services. The Consumer Reports article also includes ratings of these three services, which are typically bundled, from various providers.

In areas where telco-delivered service is not available, a highly-rated cable company is the next-best choice for many households. Consumers may not have an option when choosing a cable provider because a majority of homes only have one cable company available in their area. According to Consumer Reports' survey, better cable companies include Cox, Cablevision and the smaller Bright House and Wow, which are fine alternatives to fiber-optic service providers for all three services in areas that they are available and also offer Internet and telephone services.

If television service is a priority and fiber-optic service isn't available, satellite service may be a fine option. Consumer Reports suggests opting for a bundle that includes DirecTV. It scored higher than all the major cable companies and Dish Network, the other major provider of satellite service, for TV picture, sound and channel selection. It is also offered in hybrid bundles along with DSL Internet and landline phone service from some telephone providers.


Bundling Prices Decline


Intense competition for cable and satellite customers between AT&T U-verse and Verizon FiOS high-speed fiber providers has driven down rates for Internet, phone and TV service and is likely the reason that companies allow these savings to continue past the promotional period. In the past year, bundles of the three services have dropped in price by up to 20 percent, to as low as $80 a month.

Bundling makes sense for many households, especially for those consumers who are served by one of the fiber carriers or one of the better cable companies. Consumer Reports' latest survey found that subscribers were very satisfied with Internet, phone and TV from the best telecom providers. However, bundling doesn't come without some problems. The survey revealed a high incidence of complaints about billing, and fees with some providers' triple-play packages. Despite its high marks overall, Verizon FiOS was below average for customer service to its triple-play customers. Cable companies that bundle services had fewer customer-service problems overall.

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32-Mile Cable Installed for 1st Deep-Sea Observatory

Oceanographers have completed an important step in constructing the first deep-sea observatory off the continental United States. Workers in the multi-institution effort laid 32 miles (52 kilometers) of cable along the Monterey Bay sea floor that will provide electrical power to scientific instruments, video cameras, and robots 3,000 feet (900 meters) below the ocean surface. The link will also carry data from the instruments back to shore, for use by scientists and engineers from around the world.

The Monterey Accelerated Research System (MARS) observatory, due to be completed later this year, will provide ocean scientists with 24-hour-a-day access to instruments and experiments in the deep sea. The project is managed by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Currently, almost all oceanographic instruments in the deep sea rely on batteries for power and store their data on hard disks or memory chips until they are brought back to the surface. With a continuous and uninterrupted power supply, instruments attached to the MARS observatory could remain on the sea floor for months or years.

"MARS represents the first step in a long-planned process to transform the way the oceans are studied," says Julie Morris, director of NSF's Division of Ocean Sciences. "Marine scientists will no longer be required to go out to the ocean for their studies. The ocean is about to come into their offices."

If something goes wrong with the instruments, scientists will know immediately, and will be able to recover or reprogram them as necessary.

Slightly thicker than a garden hose, the MARS cable is buried about three feet below the sea floor along most of its route, so it will not be disturbed by boat anchors or fishing gear.
The cable itself contains a copper electrical conductor and strands of optical fiber. The copper conductor will transmit up to 10 kilowatts of power from a shore station at Moss Landing, Calif., to instruments on the sea floor. The optical fiber will carry up to 2 gigabits per second of data from these instruments back to researchers on shore, allowing scientists to monitor and control instruments 24 hours a day, and to have an unprecedented view of how environmental conditions in the deep sea change over time.

"After five years of hard work, we are thrilled to bring the age of the Internet to the deep ocean, so we can understand, appreciate and protect the two-thirds of our planet that lies under the sea," says MBARI Director Marcia McNutt. "We are grateful for the help of our talented partners and visionary sponsors. MARS has truly been a team effort."

At the seaward end of the MARS cable is a large steel frame about 4 feet (1.2 meters) tall and 15 feet (4.6 meters) on each side. This "trawl-resistant frame" will protect the electronic "guts" of the MARS observatory, which will serve as a computer network hub and electrical substation in the deep sea. The researchers hope to install these electronic components into the trawl-resistant frame in the fall of 2007.

After the electronics package is installed and tested, scientists from around the world will be able to attach their instruments to the observatory using underwater extension cords. These instruments will be carried down from the surface and plugged into the science node using MBARI's remotely operated vehicles.

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Tech, Media Organizations, Non-Profits Launch Project Online Safety

Technology companies, media organizations, trade associations and non-profits joined together to announce their collaboration in launching Project Online Safety, an educational campaign focused on promoting Internet safety for children.

The initiative is designed to provide parents and children with a centralized online resource of Internet safety tools and educational materials and supports and encourages the broadcast of a series of related national public service advertisements (PSAs) being sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and the Ad Council.

Organizers say Project Online Safety is part of an ongoing, industry-wide effort working with leading advocacy organizations to educate parents and childrenabout the importance of online safety. The partners of the initiative thatare investing resources to support online safety programs are AT&T, BlogSafety.com, Cable in the Classroom (CIC), Charter Communications, Comcast, Cox Communications, Facebook, Fox Interactive Media (MySpace), Internet Education Foundation, National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), Network Solutions, News Corp., Qwest Communications,Time Warner Cable and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).

"The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is pleased to be a partner in Project Online Safety," says Ernie Allen, president and CEO of NCMEC. "By offering one point of access to our collective Internet safetyresources, we can more effectively equip parents and their children with the tools they need to have safer experiences online."

The PSAs direct parents, guardians, and teens to visit http://www.cybertipline.com/ to learn about safe and responsible use of theInternet, as well as how to report threats. Administered by NCMEC, theCyberTipline is a reporting mechanism for child sexual exploitation. Reports can be made on the website or by calling 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678). The PSAs will run on cable, broadcast and Internetproperties, including being accessible through links on the web sites of participating companies and organizations.

"As the leading high-speed Internet service provider, we are continuing to provide a superior Internet experience, and that includes providingtools and information to make that experience safe," says David Cohen,executive vice president, Comcast. "We're especially pleased to be working with our long-time partners at the Ad Council, our good friends at NCMEC, and other leading organizations on this important broad-based initiative."

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Internet Access Revenue for Cable, Other Program Distribution Reaches $11B

Internet access revenue for cable and other program distribution increased 18 percent, from $9.4 billion in 2004 to $11.1 billion in 2005, but access revenue for Internet service providers decreased 13 percent, from $14.1 billion in 2004 to $12.2 billion in 2005, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau report.

Revenue for Internet publishing and broadcasting increased from $8.7billion in 2004 to $10.3 billion in 2005, a 19 percent rise, according to the 2005 Service Annual Survey (SAS): Information Sector Services.

The report is one in a series on economic activity in several service industries, the Census Bureau says.

Also from the report on taxable firms with employees, revenues from cellular and other wireless telecommunications rose from $126 billion in 2004 to $141 billion in 2005, an increase of 12 percent.






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