Comcast sales reps to sell in Verizon stores, Bloomberg takes swing at NBC merger [Roundup]

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 email subscription for our weekly Comcast roundup or other news updates.

• If Comcast can’t make it in the wireless biz, who can? [Gigaom]
• New in Your Wireless Store: The Cable Guy [Media Decoder: New York Times] — “A pending $3.6 billion transfer of spectrum between cable companies and Verizon Wireless will give Comcast, the nation’s largest cable company, a presence in select Verizon retail locations. Comcast salesmen will offer Verizon customers special offers on cellphones and other deals if they sign up for Comcast’s Xfinity service.”
• Bloomberg jabs at Comcast on anniversary of NBC deal approval [LA Times: Company Town]
• Verizon, Comcast Send Marketing Deals to FCC in Airwaves Review [Bloomberg]
• VIDEO: Comcast Xfinity Commercials Interrupt Giants Vs. 49ers Game (UPDATED) [Half Smokes] — in D.C. market

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Comcast inks another 10-year content deal with Disney, launches NBC sports network [Roundup]

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 anemail subscription for our weekly Comcast roundup or other news updates.

• Disney and Comcast Link Up for Another 10 Years [All Things Digital] — “Comcast has re-upped its distribution deal with Disney, which means the country’s largest cable company will continue to pipe programming from ABC, ESPN and other channels into its subscribers’ homes for another 10 years.” More from Broadcasting and Cable and the announcement from the Comcast blog.
• Comcast and NBC launch sports network [Inquirer] — “The new outlet will boost programming and distribution of the former Versus. Costs could rise.”
• Comcast’s NBC Plans to Build West Coast TV News Headquarters [Bloomberg BusinessWeek]

Comcast-Spectacor sued for $2M over 76ers sale finder’s fee [ROUNDUP]

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 email subscription for our weekly Comcast roundup or other news updates.

• Pair sue Comcast-Spectacor over $2M finder’s fee in 76ers sale, say they brought in buyer [Associated Press via Washington Post] -  “Two sports executives have sued former Philadelphia 76ers owner Comcast-Spectacor seeking a $2 million finder’s fee over the team’s October sale.”
• Cable Providers to Offer ‘HBO Go’ Service [New York Times] — Comcast had offered to its customers earlier in the year, followed now Time Warner Cable and Cablevision
• Comcast exec named to bank board: Angelakis to remain at cabler while serving Federal Reserve [Chicago Tribune] — Comcast CFO Michael Angelakis

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Comcast to offer free wireless router for new Xfinity customers [Roundup]

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 email subscription for our weekly Comcast roundup or other news updates.

• Comcast to offer free wireless gateway [Connected Planet] — With Comcast subscription, more from the company’s blog here.
• Comcast shows off its new ‘Barcelona’ HD guide upgrade [Engadget]
• iPad, Xoom Get First Crack at Comcast’s AnyPlay [Light Reading Cable]
• Comcast content swap in Phila. nets high school sports [Philadelphia Business Journal] — “Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia’s CSNPhilly.com  site will provide the Calkins newspaper chain with pro sports coverage in exchange for high school sports coverage from Calkins reporters.”
• Comcast: Wait time for service appointments has shrunk from four hours to two [Boston Globe] — “Comcast Corp. said its initiative to shorten the waiting times for most scheduled service appointments to two hours is now in effect in the Greater Boston market.”
• Comcast’s GM resigns to become Knology’s GM [Augusta Chronicle] — Abu Khan, “The general manager of Comcast in Augusta has left to become the manager of Knology in Augusta.”
• Comcast policy on credits for interrupted service after snowstorm displeases Springfield City Councilor James Ferrera [Mass Live] — Springfield, Mass. “City Councilor James J. Ferrera III  told Comcast Cable officials Monday that he disagrees with the company’s policy of requiring customers to call Comcast if they are seeking a refund for interrupted service related to the major snowstorm on Oct. 29. “

Free Comcast XFINITY WiFi through July

Here’s some summer goodwill.

Comcast is offering XFINITY WiFi service for free to anyone during the month of July. Users will be able to log on for two complimentary 60-minute sessions in the city or at the Jersey shore.

Be sure to check out available locations here, and don’t forget: if you’re an XFinity Internet subscriber, WiFi access is always free.

[h/t Philadelphia Business Journal]

What if a tweet cost your nonprofit $18,000 in Comcast funding?: Roundup

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.

DEFINITE READS

• Comcast yanks funds for nonprofit after tweet about FCC Baker’s jump [Post Tech: Washington Post] — Seattle nonprofit Reel Grrls tweeted in opposition to the hire of former FCC chair Meredith Attwell Baker, which prompted a Comcast flack to threaten the organization’s funding, a stance that was then reversed by the company. Now the nonprofit has said it had decided to not take any Comcast funding anyway because the instance had ‘raised too many concerns.’ The funding in question was $18,000.
• Dick Ebersol Resigns From NBC Sports [New York Times] — “Dick Ebersol, who had defined NBC’s formidable Olympic presence since the mid-1990s and who was the last of the high-profile TV sports impresarios, resigned abruptly on Thursday after negotiations on a four-year contract collapsed. ” Ebersol profile by LA Times here.
• As New Owner of NBC Universal, Can Comcast Merge the Corporate with the Creative? [Knowledge@Wharton]

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‘We feel like part of the community:’ two sustainable-minded mobile developers choose Philly over Portland

Another in the Entrance Exam series, as part of the Why I Love Philly campaign from Young Involved Philadelphia and Indy Hall. Tell the world why you love where you live by tweeting #whyilovephilly.

Whether hiking, cooking, or developing mobile apps, Jason Cox and Corey Leigh Latislaw live life with a sustainable, do-it-yourself mentality.

After their recent wedding in Hot Springs, North Carolina, the two jumped in the nearby French Broad River for a no-holds-barred trash the dress/suit session. But rather than toss the dirty garments, they re-used them as Halloween costumes – zombie bride and groom. The dress was then dry cleaned and cut down for use as a cocktail dress.

Jason is a Quality Assurance Engineer in the iPhone group at Oracle, and spends just as much energy trying to keep up with Corey. In addition to developing Android applications (such as the new Xfinity TV app) at Comcast Interactive Media, Corey also sits on the board of the Philadelphia chapter of Women in Cable Telecommunications and is organizing what will be a regular meetup of Android developers in Philadelphia, called the Android Alliance.

While they are planning for a honeymoon trekking through Europe in April, the couple is also in a honeymoon period with Philadelphia.

Coming from Knoxville – which has few options for software developers, the couple has found a home in our tech community. They’ve also wasted no time familiarizing themselves with the local farms and food options.

Below, the couple shares more of their adventures, in technology and out.

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Comcast wants to put Netflix out of business, says Al Franken

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 subscri ption for our Comcast news updates.

• Al Franken: ‘They’re coming after the Internet’ [Politico] — At SXSW “The real end for Comcast is to put Netflix out of business entirely,” Franken said
• NPD: Netflix handles 61 percent of streamed movies [Digital Trends] — “Cable operator Comcast managed a distant second place with an 8 percent share during” January and Feburary 2011
• Cable’s top lobbyist, McSlarrow, to lead Comcast Washington office [Post Tech: Washington Post]
• Plaxo gives up on social networking, refocuses on address books [Social Beat] — “Comcast-owned Plaxo used to have a straightforward goal: It helped users maintain their address books. Over time, however, the site has wandered into becoming more of a general social networking tool with its Plaxo Pulse service. Now, chief executive Justin Miller told me Plaxo is going back to its address book roots”
• Xfinity TV app enticing but limited [Boston.com] — With video demo
• Comcast Provides Free Calls to Japan [Comcast blog] — Following AT&T, Sprint and Verizon as PBJ reported.

“What used to be called ‘reruns’ on television is now called Netflix:” Comcast Roundup

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 subscri ption for our Comcast news updates.

DEFINITE READS

• Comcast CEO Brian Roberts Calls Netflix Streaming Service a Positive [Hollywood Reporter] “What used to be called “reruns” on television is now called Netflix,” he says
• Comcast’s Brian Roberts: The man who loves cable [Company Town: Los Angeles Times] — Brian Roberts was most concerned about transitioning Steve Burke from COO to NBC chief.

MIGHT INTEREST

• Peers or not? Comcast and Level 3 slug it out at FCC’s doorstep [ars technica] H/T PTN
• Comcast, NBC deal opens door for online video [USA Today]
• Cable TV In Pursuit Of Mobility [State of the Art: New York Times] — A funny faux internal Comcast memo on trends in the industry of TV.

Below, a big deal with Samsung, negotiating Manhattan real estate and more.

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Comcast joins Time Warner Cable over streaming content: Roundup

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 ane-mail subscription for our Comcast news updates.

• Two Hints at Stepped-Up Media Rivalry in Online Streaming [New York Times] — In addition to the rumored Netflix-themed Amazon product, “Comcast and Time Warner announced an unusually comprehensive pact on Tuesday that covers the online streaming of channels like TNT, TBS, CNN and the Cartoon Network.” More from paidContent and the Comcast blog.
• NBC Universal CEO Steve Burke Drops Comcast COO Title [The Hollywood Reporter] — A move to show his focus on NBC
• Comcast’s Xfinity TV now streaming video to iPads [CED Magazine]
• Comcast Spent $4.2 Million on Lobbying in 4Q [ABC News]
• NBC Sports Execs to take prominent role in combined operations with Comcast [AP: Winnipeg Free Pres]  More on sports restructuring from LA Times and Bloomberg
• Hoping Xfinity brand connects [Denver Post] — With regional customers there. H/T Philly Tech News
• Millions in Comcast Settlement Will Be Distributed to Customers [KEZI 9] — “As a result of a class action lawsuit settlement with Comcast, Oregon Comcast customers will be eligible to receive compensation for erroneous late fees.  It is estimated that 500,000 people will receive a notice on how to file a claim to receive a portion of the money.  Up to $23 million will be distributed to current and former Comcast Customers.”
• Comcast to feature videos of missing children [Crime Scene: Washington Post]
• Comcast Back-Burners SDV (Again) [Light Reading] — ‘Switched digital video’ for managing bandwidth.