Comcast Roundup: NBC hearings begin today, a Google balance and More

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

• USA Today reports that Hulu executives are likely eager to start experimenting with paid version of the popular video streaming site but must wait for the finalized result of Comcast’s deal with NBC, which owns nearly a third of the site.
• The Washington Post reports that today the congressional hearings on the Comcast-NBC deal have begun.
• paidContent reports on Democratic staff memos that discuss, ahead of today’s congressional hearings on the matter, the impact the merger has to “fundamentally shape the way Web video evolves.”

• The Post also reports that Comcast has “blanketed Capitol Hill” with its take that its deal for NBC Universal won’t harm consumers or competitors, sort of like what David Cohen wrote on the company blog.
• Additionally, The Post writes on the consumer advocate who will represent the public in today’s two hearings on the merger.
• Gigaom says that 2010 is the year that Comcast “embraces convergence.”

MIGHT BE WORTH YOUR TIME

• Multichannel News profiles Comcast’s trilingual VP of Video Content Diana Wechsler Kerekes.
• Peter Key of the Philadelphia Business Journal says that Comcast officially unveiling its product tier under the xfinity brand reminds him of what Verizon FiOS stands for.
• The Inquirer’s Bob Fernandez reports on the opponents of the merger. David Cohen gives his take on the company blog.
• DiStefano also reports on anti-Google activist and telecom analyst who unites Verizon and Comcast in the struggle against the search behemoth.

GIVE A GLANCE

• The Philadelphia Business Journal reports that Comcast’s 4Q beat its 2008 and analysts estimates.
• The Inquirer’s Mike Armstrong reports that Comcast and Sunoco both were Center City companies whose earnings were worth following.
• The Inquirer’s Joe DiStefano reports that Comcast and TimeWarner are beating up on Verizon and AT&T in terms of user acquisition.
• Philly Tech News reports that Comcast has agreed to acquire VoIP provider New Global Telecom. Cable Digital News confirms it. H/T PTN
• The Comcast blog goes into the dirty details of its transition from Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) addresses, such as 192.168.1.1. to IPv6.
• The Economist podcast touches on Comcast in its social networking report, calling the telecommunications giant “both a plumber and supplier of water” and discussing whether it’s a model for media companies in the future. Listen below, skipping to 7:56 below.

[audio:http://downloads.economist.feedroom.com/podcast/t_assets/20100128/20100128_socialnetworks2_4AXH.mp3?_kip_ipx=1684994323-1265142695&site=economist&cid=d571254d6f1dc0fca1a880369fb1987b91b7adfc&sid=037df1cce1344f5a977e2e7ed1363a654111c3d5&pid=2302071806362cb0abe979722fd45a6bdda9f37d]
When there is just too much Comcast news to follow, the Comcast Roundup will be there every Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. EST