cmcsa - What We're Reading - StockBuz2024-03-28T15:51:00Zhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/articles/feed/tag/cmcsaOpen Your Pocketbook. Net Neutrality Is Officially Deadhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/articles/open-your-pocketbook-net-neutrality-is-officially-dead2014-04-24T15:56:58.000Z2014-04-24T15:56:58.000ZStockBuzhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/members/1t2xbcvddkrir<div><p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.motherjones.com/files/imagecache/top-of-content-main/netgrave630.jpg"><img class="align-left" src="http://www.motherjones.com/files/imagecache/top-of-content-main/netgrave630.jpg?width=315" width="315" /></a>Apparently net neutrality is officially dead. The <em>Wall Street Journal</em> reports today that the FCC has given up on finding a legal avenue to enforce equal access and will instead propose rules that explicitly allow broadband suppliers to <a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304518704579519963416350296?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTTopStories&mg=reno64-wsj" target="_blank">favor companies that pay them for faster pipes:</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>The Federal Communications Commission plans to propose new open Internet rules on Thursday that would allow content companies to pay Internet service providers for special access to consumers, according to a person familiar with the proposal.</p>
<p>The proposed rules would prevent the service providers from blocking or discriminating against specific websites, <strong>but would allow broadband providers to give some traffic preferential treatment,</strong> so long as such arrangements are available on "commercially reasonable" terms for all interested content companies. Whether the terms are commercially reasonable would be decided by the FCC on a case-by-case basis.</p>
<p>…The FCC's proposal would allow some forms of discrimination while preventing companies from slowing down or blocking specific websites, which likely won't satisfy all proponents of net neutrality, the concept that all Internet traffic should be treated equally. The Commission has also decided for now against reclassifying broadband as a public utility, which would subject ISPs to much greater regulation. However, the Commission has left the reclassification option on the table at present.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>So Google and Microsoft and Netflix and other large, well-capitalized incumbents will pay for speedy service. Smaller companies that can't—or that ISPs just aren't interested in dealing with—will get whatever plodding service is left for everyone else. ISPs won't be allowed to deliberately slow down traffic from specific sites, but that's about all that's left of net neutrality. Once you've approved the notion of two-tier service, it hardly matters whether you're speeding up some of the sites or slowing down others.</p>
<p>This might have been inevitable, for both legal and commercial reasons. But that doesn't mean we have to like it.</p>
</div>Throwback Thursday Readshttp://stockbuz.ning.com/articles/throwback-thursday-reads2014-04-24T14:59:11.000Z2014-04-24T14:59:11.000ZStockBuzhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/members/1t2xbcvddkrir<div><ul>
<li>No shocker here as the <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2014/04/24/ftc-issues-blistering-rebuke-of-states-limiting-teslas-direct-consumer-sales/" target="_blank">FTC issues a blistering rebuke</a> of states limiting sales of TSLA direct consumer sales.</li>
<li>So much for the peace accord with Russia as they begin military exercises <a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/article_email/SB10001424052702304788404579520984220917664-lMyQjAxMTA0MDIwNDEyNDQyWj" target="_blank">(WSJ)</a>  Markets will not like this continued uncertainty.  Watch crude oil, gold, silver and copper.<a target="_blank" href="http://www.huntlogo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/original-old-apple-logo.jpg"><img class="align-right" src="http://www.huntlogo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/original-old-apple-logo.jpg?width=235" width="235" /></a>  You will note that bonds $BND (flight to safe haven) have been holding up.  Not everyone is pouring money into equities.</li>
<li>The first regulation proposals are coming out on <a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304788404579520131790105314?mod=trending_now_1" target="_blank">e-cigarettes</a>  $LO currently holds a 42% market share..</li>
<li>Talk about putting <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Gq6fM4vh34hL9sUE0i2pXiRkEVZgOY7NGuuZ9hN4PQE/viewform" target="_blank">cash to work</a>.  AAPL has bought 24 companies in the last 18 months.  Searching for innovation allthewhile announcing an increase to their stock buyback, stock split and quarterly dividend to keep value investors in the name.  Oh, and an earnings beat once again to a low bar set.  Way to go Tim Cook.</li>
<li>The FCC said it will propose rules today that could give high-speed Internet providers more power on what content moves the fastest on the Web based on which firms pay the most.  These <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/04/23/the-fcc-is-planning-new-net-neutrality-rules-and-they-could-enshrine-pay-for-play/?hpid=z3" target="_blank">net neutrality</a> rules (to be voted on May 15th) could dramatically reshape Web experiences of consumers, where videos for ESPN.com, $FB or YouTube might be delivered more smoothly because of payments to broadband providers such as $CMCSA, $T and $VZ. The streaming videos of a smaller competitor could be halted with buffering and low-quality images if those firms aren't able to pay ISPs access to faster Internet lanes into American homes.  Whatever happened to a level playing field?</li>
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</div>Daily Readshttp://stockbuz.ning.com/articles/daily-reads-112014-03-24T12:53:52.000Z2014-03-24T12:53:52.000ZStockBuzhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/members/1t2xbcvddkrir<div><ul>
<li>AAPL's iPhone6 release expected late Summer, early Fall. <a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/apple-iphone-6-launch-seen-late-summer-early-fall-2014-03-24?dist=countdown" target="_blank">Marketwatch</a><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1290465?profile=original"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1290465?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="375"></a></li>
<li><a href="http://blogs.marketwatch.com/thetell/2014/03/24/44-stocks-on-takeover-target-radar-morgan-stanley/" target="_blank">44 stocks</a> on Morgan Stanley's radar as take over candidates</li>
<li>Yellen's gaffe that wasn't. <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/101514604" target="_blank">CNBC</a></li>
<li>How airlines are boosting their bottom line amid higher fuel costs; with add-on fees. Click on graphic right to enlarge.</li>
<li>China slaps Nu Skin ($NUS) on the wrist, fining them $500k for misleading consumers. Market was anticipating a much heavier fine and impact on EPS. (<em>booyah! Kos is long) </em> <a href="http://news.asiaone.com/news/business/china-fines-nu-skin-illegal-sales-and-misleading-consumers" target="_blank">AsiaOne</a></li>
<li>AAPL in talks with CMCSA over streaming-tv service. <a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303949704579457554242014552?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303949704579457554242014552.html" target="_blank">WSJ</a></li>
<li>CSCO pledges to invest $1 Billion to build out cloud infrastructure. Better late than never I suppose. <a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303949704579457743067494938?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303949704579457743067494938.html" target="_blank">WSJ Blog</a></li>
<li>Beneath our cities, a tangle of decaying gas pipe. {What to look forward to with Keystone in 50 years} <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/24/nyregion/beneath-cities-a-decaying-tangle-of-gas-pipes.html?hp&_r=0" target="_blank">NYTimes</a></li>
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