Comcast Roundup: Comcast and NetFlix could battle, Buying good coverage and More

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.