Boston Mayor asks FCC to let the city control basic cable prices: 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.

• Comcast defends its local rates for cable TV [Boston Globe] — “Cable television giant Comcast Corp. yesterday defended its local rates as Mayor Thomas M. Menino filed a petition asking the Federal Communications Commission to give the city control over the price of basic cable service in Boston.”
• Massachusetts Sen. Kerry steps into Comcast-Boston brouhaha [Fierce Cable]
• Comcast annual meeting lasts 35 minutes [Inquirer] — Attended by 50 people, the Inquirer reports it far shorter than ones in the past
• Only AFL-CIO Rains on Comcast’s Parade [AdWeek]

More below, including how Brian Roberts brought Stephen Spielberg to Center City.

• The small, highly interconnected world of Home Shopping Channels: QVC, HSN, ShopNBC (and Comcast) [Philly Tech News] — How Comcast could hedge against expansion of QVC, which it formerly had stake in
• Dan Gross: Spielberg’s in town for fundraiser [Daily News] — “FILMMAKER Steven Spielberg is expected to tour the National Museum of American Jewish History today while in town for his USC Shoah Foundation Institute’s fundraiser tonight at the Loews Hotel, honoring Comcast CEO Brian Roberts.”
• Dan Gross: Comcast eyes name change [Daily News] — “EXPECT COMCAST SportsNet to soon change its name to NBC Sports Philadelphia.”
• Love in the Time of Comcast: A tragicomedy [Philly Post: Philly mag] — A bad Comcast experience
• Comcast taps FCC Commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker for D.C. office [Company Town: LA Times]
• Project Open Voice: Comcast launches project to increase local media, video and other content in Philly, elsewhere [Technically Philly]
• Net Neutrality in a Nutshell [Ecommerce Times] — Reviews the battle, includes Comcast/FCC clash
• Comcast customers will TiVo on actual TiVos [Philadelphia Business Journal] — Halting internal development
• City Year getting a $20M hand from Comcast [Philadelphia Business Journal]