Every Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. EST, find all the stories you need to know about your friendly telecommunications giant in the Comcast Roundup. Get an e-mail subscription for our Comcast news updates.

• Comcast-NBC Deal Wins Federal Approval [Media Decoder: New York Times] — As we shared this week, paving the way for deal closure by month’s end.
• Comcast and NBC venture approved with bevvy of conditions [Washington Post] — Post Tech also did a round up of meaningful perspective on the approval.
• Comcast-NBC Deal: What’s Next? [Deal Journal: Wall Street Journal]
• Comcast’s Biggest Regulatory Win? What The FCC And DOJ Didn’t Do [paidContent] — David L. Cohen claims eight substantive victories H/T PTN
• Senator Al Franken: No joke, Comcast trying to whack Netflix [ars technica]
• Level 3 May Test FCC ‘Open Internet’ Rules In Comcast Fight [Multichannel News] — “Level 3 Communications could mount the first major challenge under the Federal Communications Commission’s recently adopted network neutrality rules, as the Internet backbone provider continues to accuse Comcast of improperly demanding payment to deliver content.”
• Comcast invests in online publishing consultant [Philadelphia Business Journal] — “Comcast Interactive Capital has led a $9 million, fourth-round venture-capital financing of Perfect Market Inc., a Pasadena, Calif., company that helps publishers make more money from their online content.”
• A Digital Niche for Indie Film [Media Decoder: New York Times] — Comcast invests in an indie film distribution company
• NBC-Comcast Merger Approved: What It Means For You [Wonkette] — Slightly NSFW, but worth a chuckle.

Springboard Media – Springboard Media is a certified Apple Specialist and retailer based in Center City and now, in Exton. They’ve got a ton of accessories and a great trade-in program that can score you up to $1,500 when you’re ready to upgrade.

Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce – Earlier this week, the Chamber of Commerce hosted an entrepreneurial event highlighting the fact that small businesses are the employers of the future. Check the organization’s website for future events.

Nonprofit Technology Resources – Fairmount-based NTR refurbishes used computers and peripherals for families and individuals in Philadelphia who may not otherwise be able to afford to buy a computer. We urge you to donate to this great local cause.

Towerstream – Our newest advertiser is the leading 4G service provider in the U.S. and is setting up shop in Philadelphia. Contact Towerstream to find out how, in less than a week, you can have first-class 4G service for your business.

Mogo Media – Web and Graphic design event planner Mogo Media will host an Adobe InDesign training seminar May 5th. Use discount code “TECHNICAL” to receive 10 percent off the admission fee. We worked with Mogo on its successful Adobe Flash seminar in March. Register today.

Interested in joining these organizations and individuals in supporting Technically Philly? Check out our ad packages and contact our Ad Sales Manager. Can’t find something that fits? We’ll customize a package for you.

A week ago today, Technically Philly co-sponsored its first event, BarCamp NewsInnovation Philadelphia.

We were all glad to see members of the Philadelphia community out, and we thank those of you who volunteered your time to help keep the event running smoothly. To see the world’s reaction to the event, head on over to the official BCNI Philly page for a running list of all of the blog posts, photos and videos.

Technically Philly presented on starting a community-based niche news site and offered tips on how attendees could start their own. We talk about why we love Philebrity, why being part of the community you cover is important, and our plans to make this our day job.

Roxbury News kindly video taped most of our session:

• Part One
• Part Two
• Party Three
• Part Four

Technically Philly also received love from a few other sources:

• Our very own Christopher Wink was interviewed about new vs. old media — CUNY’s full post on the event, including a ridiculous photo of Chris.
• Karl Martino mentions Technically Philly was his favorite session
• The Courier Post summarizes our presentation

Oh yeah, and we trended (click below):

And we promise, this is the last of our shameless plugs about BarCamp.

In which we link out to the tech news from Philly and elsewhere (when it matters) that slips through the cracks and make it way fun. See others here.

• The Philadelphia Business Journal reports that the city’s cell phone ban is for real now. After passing City Council last week, it seemed doomed from statewide angst for a municipality creating a varying driving standard. It seems some state funding is still in danger because of the move.

More:

• ReadWriteWeb helps make the case that Valley Forge-based search engine startup Duck Duck Go could actually garner market share. Seriously.
• The Inquirer reports that alleged excessive force by police was captured on video (watch at bottom) and then spread using social media, mostly by the involved party — largely members of the Philadelphia-based punk rock band Valencia, depicted above. And, yes, it all went down on South Street. More from Phrequency.
• The Associated Press reports that a survey shows 60 percent of Twitter users don’t return after a month of joining. Its flood of new users could be outnumbered by those abandoning the service. It’s a lesson in what a lot of active Twitter users know; right now it’s fashionable, but when it isn’t anymore, those active users will remain as a tighter community of users. Done.
• The Business Journal reports that Genaera, one of our region’s oldest biotechnology companies founded in 1987, is halting business. The Plymouth Meeting-based firm will seek the board’s approval for disilution. In its three decades of operation it never, and this is true, got a product to market. Oh yeah?
• Daily News tech columnist Jonathan Takiff comes up with another doozy: tech-related Mother’s Day gifts. We can only hope he doesn’t feel good about writing that in his tech column.
• The Business Journal’s Peter Key on his new technology blog reports that Lockheed Martin says they will likely be able to retain its 12,000 employees in the region. The only reason we’re accepting that the Business Journal has a new tech blog is because I have played air guitar with Peter Key, and, no, I’m not joking.
• The Inquirer’s Bob Fernandez reports that PhillyCareShare is adding a $15 monthly subscription fee to stabilize its capital. The pioneering car-sharing company has cut its fleet by 100 to about 325 and is tightening its belt in the economy.
• The Inquirer’s City Hall bureau says propositions for increasing the city’s wage tax are dead for now. Yeah — I already showed my disinterest in any city tax hikes. Stu Bykofsky agrees, so it has to be true.
• Valeria Maltoni on Social Media Today writes about monetizing online video. Valeria, will you go talk to newspapers then?

Our Most Trafficked Story of the Week: Friday Q&A: Chuck Sacco, CEO of PhindMe Mobile

Every Friday morning we make sure you didn’t miss anything if you spent the week recovering from BarCamp NewsInnovation, with Friday Tech Links.

One particular company in our region garners more news coverage than any other by far: Comcast, of course.

This is the Comcast Roundup, what may or may not become a regular department of ours.

• The Business Insider reports that as online video streaming develops, companies like NetFlix ought to pay less attention to user generated services like YouTube and more attention to diverse, robust cable and telecommunications giants like, oh, say Comcast. ‘The coming war,’ they call it, and not just to goad you into reading their story, although that worked on us.

• Gawker reports that since tech blog Boing Boing has taken sponsorship dollars from Comcast, they’ve pulled back from their once critical coverage. That ain’t gonna be good for BB’s authenticity.
• Broadcasting Cable reports that a three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court of Appeals asked some big questions of Comcast and the FCC in their contentious battle over data caps Comcast imposed in December 2007. This jawn might not be finished before July, BC reported, so we’ll go easy on the coverage.
• Gigaom writes on Comcast beefing up the content on its online FanCast service, where you can watch online video, once you authenticate your cable subscription. There’s a 250 GB cap of broadband service, and, as we just told you, people think caps are all icky.
• Multichannel News reports that the city of Springfield, Mass. is suing Comcast, alleging the cable operator ignored its franchise terms by passing some costs on to subscribers. Springfield, I suspected you least of all.
• The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a fine Point-Counterpoint from Comcast Vice President David Cohen and NFL Network CEO Steve Bornstein on their fight about how many Comcast subscribers get the football channel. Now that is citizen journalism right there — even if they are both from wire services. Ah.
• Wired reports on Comcast doubled speeds for many San Francisco and Silicon Valley broadband subscribers and adding a top tier of more than 50 mbps downstream. That connection speed, they say, could download a high definition move in less than 20 minutes, but really, think of how much fun you could have with Comcast Town!
• Reuters reports that Moody’s Investors Service upgraded Comcast’s long-term senior unsecured debt ratings last week and said balance sheet measures should bolster the cable company’s credit metrics in 2009. In English that means ’cause Comcast has continued to lessen its debt obligations — even if revenue growth will likely slow — and bring in more subscriptions, Moody’s is a bit more bullish on them, putting Comcast in their eighth-highest investment grade.

When there is just too much Comcast news to follow, the Comcast Roundup will be there to fill your every Comcast desire or fantasy.

One particular company in our region garners more news coverage than any other by far: Comcast, of course.

It isn’t the region’s largest employer, nor is it even the biggest or most profitable. It just makes a lot more noise. While we cover some of it and hope to do more, a lot of that noise isn’t worth much more than a sentence or two. But much of it is worth following, and we bet many of you readers would like to, so we’re going to sort everything you need to know.

This is the Comcast Roundup, what may or may not become a regular department of ours (we don’t make promises we can’t keep, except to our illegitimate children).

• The Philadelphia Business Journal reports that the Comcast Center, the tallest building in Center City, has garnered another distinction — the tallest LEED-certified building in the country.

Read more on the company’s continued battles with Verizon, NFL Network, how Comcast might be defending your right to not pay more for heavy Internet use and more.

• The New York Times reports that Time Warner Cable backed down from a plan to impose new fees on heavy users of its Internet service but that the debate over the price of Internet use isn’t done. But not everyone buys the need to charge more for heavier Internet users. “All of our economics are based on engineering for the peak hour,” said Tony Werner, the chief technical officer of Comcast. “Just because someone consumes more data doesn’t mean they drive more cost.”
• tweeted:
  to Comcast Cares day this Saturday. Oooh, free tour.
• The Courier Post reports that the telecommunications war between Comcast and Verizon is growing. Where are the hottest battlegrounds outside Philly? Dirty Jersey!
• The Inquirer reports that 13 regional companies are on this year’s Fortune 500 including, yup, the “ever-ballooning telecommunications giant,” Comcast.
• PC World reports that Comcast TV is coming to your laptop — for paid subscribers, of course.
• Corporate blog Comcast Cares featured an interview by Scott “BlankBaby” McNulty with Comcast founder Ralph Roberts.
• “The” USA Today reports that some say this dispute between Comcast and the NFL Network that we reported on won’t be resolved for “months.”
• A press release on Verizon’s expansion of its remote DVR management service for FiOS TV customers.

We’d like to share the best Comcast comment — seen anywhere online — of the week, so if you see one, tweet us @technicallyphl or contact us.

When there is just too much Comcast news to follow, the Comcast Roundup will be there to fill your every Comcast desire or fantasy.