March 2006 Archives

Were you turned down on your natural gas service order? Or are you required to pay a large deposit to get your telephone, electricity and natural gas turned on? The reason for this is probably your credit score. Low credit scores affect several aspects of your life, including the prices you pay for your home essential services.

The only way to keep this from happening to you next time you try to switch on services at your home is for you to raise your credit rate, which may be easier than you think. Doing simple things like paying your bills on time and keeping your debt low can bring up your score.

Looking for a home in your new city? It is tough to do, especially if you currently live far away from where you are moving to. This site, Realtor.com, has over 2.5 million homes on the market that you can look through at your leisure. If you need an easy way to look through possible housing choices, this site could help you.

If you get DIRECTV service now from WhiteFence, you can get three months of free HBO, Cinemax, Starz, and Showtime. Your DIRECTV service will only be $29.99/month for the first three months. And if you want to record all your favorite shows, you can get a DVR for free after a mail-in rebate.

Have you encountered a problem with your high speed Internet service? To resolve your issue with your high speed Internet, you can follow these steps:

Check your hardware:
Your first step should be to make sure that the problem you are having with your high speed Internet is not being caused by your computer or your modem. Many computers and modems have troubleshooting programs that can diagnose problems if any exist. If you determine that the problem is due to your hardware, you should call the manufacturer to find out the how to fix your problem.

Contact your provider:
If you determine that your hardware is not causing your problem, you should prepare to call your provider. Make sure to have your account number available as well as notes on exactly what is happening with your high speed Internet and what you've done to try to correct the issue. Having all this information available will help you to easily inform your high speed Internet provider's customer service representative about the problem. The representative will be able to understand your problem faster if you can communicate easily all the details of what is going on with your high speed Internet. After you have compiled all the details about your problem, call your provider's customer service number. The customer service representative may be able to fix the problem over the phone or they may need to send someone to your home to fix the problem.

Switch providers:
If you are still unhappy with your high speed Internet, you always have the option of switching your provider. If you have a contract with your high speed Internet provider, be sure to check with your provider to see if you will have to pay a fee for canceling your service early. If you choose to change your service, you can use WhiteFence to compare and connect to a new high speed Internet provider.

Not only has Sirius signed an exclusive agreement with Volkswagen, it has also signed a similar deal with Audi. Sirius announced that Audi will offer Sirius in its vehicles as its exclusive satellite radio. The deal will begin with the model year 2007 and extend to model year 2012.

AT&T has committed to spending $1 billion to upgrade its plant to fiber in California. The spending is part of Project Lightspeed, for which AT&T has earmarked $4.4 billion . The upgrades will allow AT&T to offer next generation IPTV services along with their current phone and high speed Internet services. Read AT&T Commits $1 Billion to California Upgrade to find out more information about AT&T's upgrade.

At the TelecomNEXT conference last week, Yahoo! launched its Yahoo! Messenger with Voice client in the United States. The beta version of the product has been available in other countries since December.

With the program, clients can get up to 5 inbound numbers at $2.99/month per number. The service only cost 2 cents a minute, which actually is less than Skype (at 2.3 cents a minute). More about the new service can be found in the article TELECOMNEXT: Yahoo! launches new VoIP client.

As the days run out on the license agreement that allows Time Warner Telecom to use the name of its major shareholder, Time Warner Telecom is considering a name change. They are considering the name change so they can avoid any future confusion between Time Warner Telecom and Time Warner Cable, since the companies compete in some markets. You can read more about the possible name change in the article Time Warner Telecom may change name.

On Wednesday, AT&T's COO Randall Stephenson ended weeks of speculation by saying that AT&T is not planning to buy Qwest any time soon. He said currently AT&T is busy with their planned merger with BellSouth. But don't think that a Qwest merger with AT&T or Verizon is out of the realm of possibility, as he did go on to say that further consolidation in the telecommunications industry is inevitable.

If you want to find out details about DIRECWAY's change to HughesNet, you can read about the satellite high speed Internet provider's name change by reading these articles: Hughes Plans Rural Internet Satellite Service and HughesNet replaces, expands DirecWay.

AT&T and the trade group USTelecom complained recently to the FCC that cable companies like Comcast and Time Warner are refusing to air commercials produced by telecommunications companies promoting video competition. AT&T claims that the cable companies' refusal to air their advertisements on video competition constitute a suppression of public debate.

Time Warner responded to this allegation with a statement that Time Warner is under no obligation to broadcast advertisements for a competitor's product. Comcast also admitted to refusing to air the advertisements; however, Comcast said they rejected the ads because they believed the ads to be misleading.

As the video competition debate continues to heat up, expect to see several issues such as this develop.

The convenience of WhiteFence is that you can use the same account forever. When you move out of your current residence you can simply go to the 'Moving Out' link in the left menu. Here you can enter your new address and the system will pull the providers for your new area.

Are you trying to determine your moving schedule? The Relocation Wizard can help you with your planning needs. The Relocation Wizard takes into account various moving factors, like where you are moving, if you have kids, if you have pets and other aspects of your move that might affect your schedule.

According to SKYRetailer, a study conducted by Strategy Analytics Connected Home Devices service reports that DVRs will be in 130 million homes by 2010. The report entitled "Digital Video Recorders: Demand Surges As Mass Market Era Dawns," finds that 12 percent of U.S. homes currently have DVRs, and more than 50 percent will have DVRs by 2010. Amazingly, global sales of DVRs doubled in 2005. You can read more about this study in the article Report: DVR Usage Surges Toward 130M Homes by 2010.

DIRECWAY, a great service offered through WhiteFence, has recently changed its name to HughesNet. HughesNet provides quality high speed Internet over satellite. With HughesNet, you get all the benefits of high speed Internet even if you live in a rural area where you cannot get DSL or cable. HughesNet is available nationwide. You can find out more about HughesNet on WhiteFence.

DIRECTV is suing Lifetime for reneging on a deal offering $200 to any DISH Network customers who switched to DIRECTV before March 31. Lifetime had agreed to offer the deal during the time that Lifetime was not being carried by DISH Network due to a contract dispute.

Once the conflict between Lifetime and DISH Network was resolved on January 31, DIRECTV alleges that Lifetime cut the offer short by sending out an email to all DISH Network customers that said DISH Network customers must make the switch to DIRECTV by February 3 rather than the promised March 31. DIRECTV also claims that Lifetime violated part of the companies' affiliation agreement. To find out more details about this subject, read Lifetime Falls Out of 'Favor'.

DSL is a form of high speed Internet that allows you to connect to the Internet through your normal phone line. A benefit of DSL is that although you may be using your phone line for the DSL high speed Internet, you can still make phone calls on your phone line.

But limitations with DSL do exist. DSL is not available nationwide and can only maintain a good signal if you are close to a provider's central office. As you get further away from a central office, your DSL service will slow down. If you find that DSL is not available in your area, your other options are cable high speed Internet or satellite high speed Internet. To find out if you can get DSL at your home, or look at alternatives to DSL high speed Internet, you can use WhiteFence to compare and connect high speed Internet providers.

BellSouth's Chairman and CEO Duane Ackerman spoke recently about the announced merger between BellSouth and AT&T, saying that the merger is critical in the continued development of the telecommunications industry. He was quoted in the article BellSouth chief discusses merger benefits as saying, "The combination of AT&T and BellSouth creates economies of scale that will enable us to invest in new technology and benefit from the substantial cost-efficiencies the merger creates." Ackerman made these comments at the TELECOMNEXT conference in Las Vegas.

As energy prices have gone up, many appliance producers have strived to make energy efficient appliances. Energy-efficient appliances may cost more initially, but you will reap the rewards of being energy conscience when you begin to see the difference in your electricity bills. For example, a modern energy-efficient refrigerator today uses about 25 percent of the energy a refrigerator of similar size used 20 years ago.

To check an appliance's energy efficiency, look for the EnergyGuide when you are shopping for appliances. These guides can help you see clearly how much you will spend a year to operate the appliance as well as allow you to compare the appliance's energy usage to others of the same type. You can also look for an ENERGY STAR® label on appliances while you are shopping. If an appliance has an ENERGY STAR® label on it, this means that the appliance is the most energy-efficient product in its class.

Atlantic Broadband, the sixteenth largest cable operator in the country, services Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and Florida. Consumers in these states can get cable and high speed Internet from Atlantic Broadband through WhiteFence.

WhiteFence is now offering great bundles for Atlantic Broadband services. Atlantic Broadband's bundled packages offer consumers savings when purchasing more than one service at one time. Atlantic Broadband offers bundled packages that target user types, including the Light User Bundle, Family Favorite Bundle and Power User Bundle.

If you read my post Is HDTV for me? and are still questioning whether you should upgrade to HDTV, I found a good site with lots of resources on the subject - HDTV Pub. On this site you can find local HDTV cable reports, available HDTV channels in your area, a high definition television database and much more.

The Netflix settlement that will give subscribers a free month of DVD rentals has been postponed. The judge delayed approval of the settlement so that he can review how much money should be paid to the plaintiff's lawyers. Amazingly, the current settlement awards the lawyers over two million dollars for their time spent on the case. The judge said he plans to award the lawyers significantly less money.

Currently, we only submit Change of Address forms that are within the United States. If you are moving outside the United States, contact your current local post office to change your address to another country. If you are moving into the United States from another country, you should contact the postal service in the country you are moving from to change your address.

With digital television (DTV), which will soon be the new standard for television, the picture and sound quality are greatly improved from analog television. High-definition television (HDTV) is the next step up from DTV. Although HDTV signals use about the same bandwidth as analog signals, HDTV transmits more than six times the information, leading to the huge improvement in sound and quality that you hear about with HDTV. Additionally, you can view programs in the 16:9 wide-screen format as you would see in movie theaters.

To get all the benefits of HDTV, you will need to get some equipment, but the price may be lower than you think. Specifically, you would need an HDTV-ready television as well as an HDTV converter box.

Kagan Research recently conducted a study that found that the average price of an HDTV-ready television will be $1,139 by 2010, which is a 38 percent decline from current prices. The price decrease may come as a result of a hard date finally being set for the switch to all digital TV, which has caused the production for HDTV sets to go up.  You can read more about this study in SkyRetailer in the article Report: HDTVs to Top TV Sales in 2006.

As for the second piece of equipment, your cable company can provide the HDTV converter box with your service.

If you enjoy watching high quality TV programming, as well as watching your TV programs in widescreen format, then you would enjoy having HDTV in your home. As prices lower, this may be the time for you to upgrade your television watching experience.

Bright House Networks provides cable television entertainment, high speed Internet access and phone service to more than 800,000 customers in a nine-county area of Central Florida. Currently, you can get Bright House cable and high speed Internet in the Orlando area through WhiteFence.

Only so many movies can fit into a movie rental store. And because of the space limitations, most of the movies that make it into rental stores are the "blockbuster movies," which aren't necessarily the best movies. But Netflix does not have those limitations, and here is where the rental service shines.

According to the article Leveling the field, a rental at a time, this aspect of Netflix is leveling the movie playing field. Movies that don't do well in theaters don't get taken out of the Netflix system, as they might be in a movie rental store.

But, as we all know, just because a movie doesn't do well in the box office, doesn't mean it isn't a good movie. Several movies, like Oscar-nominee Hotel Rwanda and Oscar-winner Crash, which did not do well in the box office, are available through Netflix and are renting very well. Also, documentaries and foreign films, which may be very hard to get access to without the Netflix service, are rented quite frequently. Some reasons why relatively unknown movies do very well on Netflix may be due to members' ability to queue movies they have heard good buzz about as well as the ability to suggest movies to friends on the service.

Fortune Magazine recently published a good article that gives a run-down of what is going down currently in the "broadband war." With the phrase "net neutrality" gaining importance in the industry, it is important for us to understand exactly what is at stake. Justin Fox, the author of the article The broadband war of 2006, writes that it would probably be better for consumers if neither the telecommunications companies nor the Web companies win completely. If you are interested in the subject, you should read the article.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, deregulation is the act or process of removing rules or regulations. As it applies to electricity, deregulation was sought to aid competition among electricity providers. Congress passed the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act in 1978. This act opened wholesale power markets to non-utility producers of electricity, creating the foundation for electricity deregulation.

With the Energy Policy Act of 1992, congress tried to promote greater competition in the bulk power market. Through this act, states were allowed to restructure their electric power industry to create more competition. As states across the nation adopt deregulation, they are experiencing varied amounts of success.

One state that has had a great deal of success with electricity deregulation is Texas. Several state governments are looking at Texas's deregulation system for guidance. If you live in Texas and would like to see the variety of electricity providers available in your area, you can go to WhiteFence.

At the TelecomNEXT conference in Las Vegas, AT&T CEO Ed Whitacre, Jr. dismissed critics of the AT&T/BellSouth merger. Whitacre also spoke about the issue of net neutrality. This issue stems from the fact that AT&T, like other major Internet providers, is pushing for a tiered Internet pricing system, in which consumers would pay for different levels of service.

According to the article AT&T dismisses BellSouth merger critics in BusinessWeek Online, Whitacre said that, "There's been a lot of talk about this in order to scare people into thinking that access to the Internet is somehow at risk, or that the Internet as we know it is a thing of the past. AT&T will not block anyone's access to the public Internet, nor will we degrade anyone's quality of service."

If you need someone to help you with your home improvement project, Service Magic can help. With their interior home service, you can get matched with up to four prescreened contractors to assist with all your home remodeling, designing and planning needs. Or, if it is installation you need, you can choose Service Magic's installation services, which will match you with up to four prescreened home contractors to assist with the installation of cabinets, carpet, windows, electrical, AC systems, fireplaces, garage doors, etc.

Not only can Service Magic help you get in contact with contractors for home improvement, but they can also match you up with prescreened contractors for pest control services and maid services. Service Magic is available nationwide. Go to WhiteFence if you are interested in Service Magic's variety of services.

According to SkyREPORT, DIRECTV reported that nearly 66 percent of consumers who subscribed to DIRECTV's NCAA Mega March Madness package used the interactive features included in the package. Specifically, more than 30 percent pulled up on-screen scores and more than 49 percent used the Game Mix channel. You can read more about DIRECTV's March Madness package in this earlier post.

Verizon FiOS TV, which is now available in parts of seven states, has reached a deal with CBS to carry CBS programming. Verizon will also offer popular CBS programming, like "Survivor" and "CSI," through FiOS's video on demand service. Click here to read an article about the CBS and Verizon's deal.

Sirius and Volkswagen announced on March 17 that Volkswagen will offer Sirius as its sole satellite provider in its vehicles through 2012. Beginning with VW vehicles with the model year 2007, Volkswagen expects to equip 80 percent of its vehicles with Sirius satellite receivers. You can read Sirius's press release to find out more about Sirius and Volkswagen's partnership.

Are you wondering if your cable VoIP phone will work if the electricity goes out? The answer is - it depends.  Several cable companies offer battery back-ups for their phones to help out with this issue. Cox and Comcast Corp. include a battery with their voice adapters that will provide power to the phone for four to eight hours. Time Warner has a battery backup for their service, but only includes it with their service if the customer asks for it. Cablevision charges $5 to its customers for a backup battery.

Though the backup batteries do offer a small sense of security, a "landline phone system remains the most reliable option during a power outage," according to the article Will my phone work if the power goes? "The central offices, or switching stations, have backup power, and supply enough power through the lines to power corded phones."

dPi Teleconnect is one of the nation's premier providers of prepaid home phone and long distance services. They are committed to customer service and quality products. Customers can order from dPi with no credit checks, no contracts and no deposits. dPi provides service for 29 states in the following footprints: Alltel, BellSouth, SBC, Sprint, Qwest, Valor and Verizon.

You can now get dPi Teleconnect phone service through WhiteFence if you live in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

On Monday, Sirius announced they had settled a dispute with three major recording companies over their Sirius S50 portable music player. The S50 player allows consumers to record up to 50 hours of music from the Sirius service. The recording companies were worried that the S50 would cut into online music sales. Though the settlements were not made public, two of the companies had called for Sirius to pay them a set amount for each S50 portable music player Sirius sold.

During the Dell HDTV Challenge, Guideline Research, on behalf of Dell, found that consumers chose Dell's W5001C plasma HDTV over Panasonic's TH50PX500U model, when considering picture quality and price. The Dell HDTV Challenge was conducted at shopping malls in Baltimore, Chicago, New York and San Francisco was conducted from November 2005 through February 2006.

The penetration of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services in U.S. homes has proliferated in recent years. According to a study by Telephia:

"Penetration for VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) increased to 3.5 percent or nearly 3.9 million households in January 2006, up from 2.9 percent in June 2005. Vonage led the VoIP market, which includes all pure-play VoIP companies and providers who actively promote their VoIP service as Internet telephony. Vonage secured a 47.5 percent market share or nearly 1.9 million households in January 2006, up from a 40 percent share in June 2005."

Additional details of their finding can be found in Telephia's press release about their VoIP study.

Verizon is trying to speed cable decisions in the state of Massachusetts. Verizon says that municipalities are taking overlong to decide whether to allow Verizon the right to sell their FiOS TV. Verizon hopes that state officials will okay a proposal that requires the municipalities to decide on Verizon's application within 90 days. You can read more about the situation by reading this article, Verizon: Speed cable decisions.

Any true basketball fan should not go without the DIRECTV March Madness package. With the March Madness package from DIRECTV, subscribers can watch three games at once. Also, subscribers will know the winners and losers as soon as it happens, as the DIRECTV March Madness package also supplies an automatically updating bracket. DIRECTV offers many interactive features with the package, like being able to fill out your own bracket.

You can check out this article to read more about the DIRECTV March Madness Package. If you are interested in getting DIRECTV, check out the DIRECTV service offers on WhiteFence. If you get DIRECTV now from WhiteFence, you pay only 29.99/month for the first three months for the DIRECTV TOTAL CHOICE package.

You're moving, so you disconnect or cancel your services at your current residence. You think you are free and clear until a few months later when you receive a bill for the past three months of service at a house that you no longer live in. Unless you have records, you may have to pay these bills.

As this happened to me not too long ago, I know that this does happen upon occasion. I got charged $300 for six months of phone service for an apartment that I no longer lived in. Thankfully, I had kept records of when I called to discontinue my service. Because of my records, the phone provider prorated the bill and I did not have to pay a cent.

When you call to cancel or disconnect a service when you are moving or just changing your provider, be sure to keep a record of your phone call. Get the name of the customer service representative you speak to and get the confirmation number. Put all this information in a safe place for six months at least to make sure you do not need it.

Qwest's fate has been questioned by many industry analysts since the possible merger between AT&T and BellSouth was announced. In the article Currying Favor in Telephony Online, author Daniel O'Shea suggests that Qwest might have "a life of its own" if it is able to create an "identity for itself as an independent ILEC and wholesale provider that is already thinking progressively about the IP-based content era." O'Shea writes that Qwest CEO Richard Notebaert speech recently to the VoIP industry, in which Notebaert said that Qwest will not block VoIP traffic, might help Qwest create this identity.

As I have mentioned in the past, the FCC reported that cable a la carte could cut your cable bills by up to 13 percent. Though this may be a true statement, it also is misleading. According to Bruce Leichtman of Leichtman Research Group, to actually save money with the a la carte system, consumers would have to get less than 16 to 20 channels. So, if you only watch a few channels, you would actually save money; however, if you like several TV shows on different stations, a la carte cable would not work for you.

You can still get a great deal on AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet. Currently on WhiteFence, you can get AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet Express for only $12.99/month for the first 12 months or AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet Pro for only $17.99/month for the first 12 months. The offer is only available online. To find out more about this great deal on AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet, go to WhiteFence and enter in your address.

With WhiteFence, you have your choice between several providers, from AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet to DIRECTV satellite. Once you have finished signing up and your service has begun with the provider you have chosen, all correspondence about your service should be made directly with your service provider. When you need to pay your first bill for a service you signed up for with WhiteFence, you should receive a bill in the mail from the provider that you selected. If you do not receive your bill in a timely manner or if you have questions about your bill, please contact your service provider directly.

AT&T recently completed upgrading the IT system between New Orleans and Houston for Shell Exploration & Production Company (SEPCo), a job that AT&T had signed up for prior to Hurricane Katrina. AT&T completed the work in time for the return of SEPCo's employees to their offices in New Orleans. AT&T upgraded SEPCo's IT system to a private high speed fiber-optic network with the latest optical switching technology. Using the network, SEPCo workers can transmit all the data typically found on a PC in one second. To find out more about the network AT&T installed for SEPCo, read AT&T Completes Work at Shell New Orleans Office.

On March 16, Microsoft revealed their new VoIP offerings for Microsoft Windows Live. Although Microsoft already offers free video communications through Logitech and PC-to-PC VoIP capabilities through MSN Messenger, Microsoft plans to expand their VoIP offerings. Microsoft plans to integrate VoIP services with Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Search and Windows Live Messenger. To find out more details about the services, you can read Microsoft bares VoIP ambitions.

In TV, 'a la carte' thinking don't belong together, Michael Hiestand brings up a very good point: "If Thomas Jefferson had used a TV remote, he might have cited 'channel-surfing' as an inalienable right."

According to research done by Leichtman Research Group, a person would only be able to get about 20 channels to actually save money with a la carte programming. That means that you would have to know in advance that you would want to watch the I Love the 80s marathon on VH1 when you can't sleep. Half the fun of having cable TV is not the shows you know you want to watch, but the shows that you come upon by accident. Unfortunately, a la carte cable would take that fun away, even if it saved you a few bucks.

When moving, you first have to deal with what you are leaving behind. One of the biggest things that you will be leaving behind is, obviously, your house. There are several ways that you can make your house ready to be sold. Little things, like cleaning well, can even boost the price buyers are willing to pay for your home. Read the article Preparing Your House for Sale in Better Homes and Gardens to find out more tips for preparing your house.

I mentioned in a post on Friday that EarthLink is offering phone service through a deal that they have made with Covad. If you are interested in EarthLink's partnership with Covad or in the phone service offered by EarthLink, you can read this article EarthLink pumps cash into Covad to find out more.

With the merger of AT&T and BellSouth on the horizon, some Verizon investors are worried that Verizon may spend too much to compete in the wireless market. If the merger takes place, Cingular Wireless, which is Verizon Wireless' chief competitor, will be owned by the merged AT&T.

To compete with Cingular Wireless, investors believe that Verizon may pay big money to get full ownership of Verizon Wireless, which is currently part-owned by Vodaphone. To read more about the situation, check out the article Investors fear Verizon may overpay to battle AT&T.

On Thursday, EarthLink said that it will be expanding EarthLink's DSL and VoIP services to eight additional markets. Its VoIP service will give the people in the area an alternative to local phone companies. Through a partnership with COVAD, EarthLink offers a VoIP service that is unlike other VoIP services because it does not go out during power outages.

EchoStar's CEO Charlie Ergen said that EchoStar and their competitor DIRECTV may develop a broadband service. According to the article EchoStar, DIRECTV possible partners, Ergen said, "if something developed where we could do something with DirecTV, we certainly are keen on that idea, if it makes sense." But don't get your hopes up that this will happen immediately, as Ergen said that he has yet to see a plan that would work well for EchoStar.

EchoStar has filed and settled lawsuits against three individuals who had allegedly sold piracy equipment via eBay. According to EchoStar, the people violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Through these suits and other actions, EchoStar is battling "those individuals who try to circumvent EchoStar's security system by manufacturing, importing, or offering to the public, any device that may be used to receive unauthorized programming from EchoStar's satellites." Read EchoStar Battles Pirates in Cyberspace for more information.

Qwest Communications is committed to net neutrality, according to Qwest's CEO Richard Notebaert. Although Notebaert says that Qwest will not block VoIP traffic, he says that Qwest should have the right to deliver different types of service for different prices.

Verizon's FiOS TV is spreading across the nation. The telecommunications giant said on Wednesday that Verizon's FiOS TV is available to about 11,000 households in Maryland. Comcast is the cable provider in the area and has been fighting with Verizon since construction on Verizon's network last summer disrupted service for Comcast customers. To read more about Verizon FiOS TV in Maryland, read this article.

According to a recent survey conducted for Comcast by Horowitz Associates, digital video recorders (DVR) most certainly are worth it, as is video on demand (VOD) services. Overall, the survey found that DVRs and VOD services play a large role in the daily lives of families. DVRs and VOD services helped those surveyed in several ways: created less conflict among family members in determining what to watch, allowed the families to easily watch family-friendly programming and allowed families to watch more TV together. If you are interested in these DVRs or VOD, several cable companies and satellite providers offer DVRs and VOD services with their programming.

As of Monday, BellSouth has successfully returned service to 85 percent of New Orleans. In the article BellSouth restoration at 85 percent in N.O, BellSouth's regional director said that about 165,000 lines were damaged in metro New Orleans.

Currently BellSouth has 1,500 technicians working in the New Orleans area, which is triple the amount that is normally assigned. The technicians have been working in 13 day on, one day off shifts. Because of their hard work, Bellsouth's regional manager said that BellSouth technicians have replaced over 1.2 million feet of cable.

As I mentioned in my post earlier this morning, we will be switching to digital cable nationwide within the next five years. The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has announced a member-driven voluntary effort to help consumers understand what digital television is and why we are changing to it. Included in the effort will be advisory labels on analog-only TVs as well as general education efforts. You can read this article to find out more about the Consumer Electronics Association's efforts to educate consumers on digital television.

You may have heard that we are currently in a transition period from analog television to digital television (DTV). Analog television has been the standard since we began to use magnetic waves to transmit picture and sound. February 17, 2009, has been set as the end of the transition period to DTV as the national standard.

DTV is better than analog in several ways. DTV will give you access to a wide variety of different and new services. With DTV, the information is transferred in "data bits." The amount of space required to transmit these "data bits" is much smaller than what is required for analog television. Not only is the sound and picture quality improved with DTV, but due to the DTV's efficiency, DTV also frees up some of the broadcast spectrum, allowing space in the spectrum for other uses.

Although you will be able to watch TV on your analog TV once the transition is complete (through a set-up box that converts the signal), you will have to get a new digital television if you want the full quality of DTV.

To find out more about DTV, visit the FCC's Official DTV Web site.

All eyes are on Keller, Texas. This is the booming suburb of Fort Worth where Verizon released their FiOS TV service in September 2005. Only three months after the release of FiOS TV in Keller, over 20 percent of the local paid-TV business had subscribed to Verizon's service. As the service gains momentum in the town, several analysts wonder if the results will be replicable nationwide. Read Battling For The Eyes Of Texas to find out more about the current situation.

According to an article on MSNBC, AT&T will likely avoid the megamerger curse that has hit several other large companies. Many other mergers of the magnitude of the BellSouth and AT&T merger have failed horribly due to problems with integration between the companies involved. However, the merger between AT&T and BellSouth has a higher chance of successful integration since the companies have a shared history. Also, the companies already know how to work together as they share ownership of Cingular Wireless.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, identity theft is a big threat in the Internet age. Executives from around the world are taking action by attending the National Identity Theft Conference in San Francisco on March 16-17. According to Identity Safeguards, one of the companies that is co-sponsoring the event, "identity theft has become the number one issue facing financial institutions, credit bureaus, online businesses, universities and other enterprises that retain personal information."

To illustrate the need for safety, Identity Safeguards states that  "over 80% of the top 100 financial institutions reported external attacks on their IT systems in the past year."

On Tuesday, Sirius launched COSMO Radio on channel 111. The station will feature talk about issues and stories in Cosmopolitan magazine and will be geared toward Cosmopolitan's current readers. The station will be on 24/7, so if you are a fun fearless female, or want to know what fun fearless females talk about, you should tune in to COSMO Radio on Sirius.

No matter how far you are moving, the change will be tough on your children. Your move will be especially tough on your children if they have to change schools. To help your children adjust to your move, you should read this article from Better Homes and Gardens. It has a lot of good advice on how to aid your children in getting over the "school changing blues."

Before you decide that VoIP is right for you, you should know you need high speed Internet to make your VoIP service work, making the price for high speed Internet a hidden cost when considering VoIP.

Although you can get VoIP service from a provider like OPEX for as low as $14.99/month, you need to have a DSL, Cable or T1 Internet connection which regularly costs about $30/month to $80/month depending on the high speed Internet provider.

If you are planning on having high speed Internet anyway, this price should not be a problem for you; however, if you do not want or need high speed Internet, the savings you get from having VoIP will just be spent on your high speed Internet connection.

Ars Technica has a great introduction to IPTV posted this week. IPTV is the latest alternative to traditional cable or satellite TV systems to emerge, brought to you by your local telephone provider. As the cable operators attempt to gain your phone business, AT&T, Verizon and other major phone companies are counter-punching by ramping up their infrastructure to offer "TV over IP". Check with your local providers to see what services they can bundle for you now - you can typically save 30 percent or more by choosing a single provider for phone, cable and Internet services.

In a recent SEC filing by DIRECTV, DIRECTV reports that it lost approximately $24 million due to the hurricanes that slammed into the gulf coast during 2005. You can follow this link to read DIRECTV's entire SEC filing.

Ever wonder exactly how you can talk on your phone while you're on the Internet with your DSL connection? Well, I found a good site that explains this and several other aspects of DSL high speed Internet. Check out this article How DSL Works.

Comcast announced that it has teamed up with Terra.com, one of the top portals for U.S. Hispanics, to launch a Spanish-language broadband portal, called Comcast Latino. According to a press release from Comcast, "one-third of all U.S. Hispanics use the Internet, which is 11 percent larger than the total online population of Spain, and four percent larger than the total online populations of Mexico, Argentina and Colombia combined." In January 2006, over 14 million U.S. Hispanics logged on to the Internet. The number of Comcast's Spanish-speaking customers spurred Comcast to create a Comcast Latino. Comcast Latino officially launched on March 7.

As I mentioned in an earlier post AT&T/BellSouth merger's impact on satellite, satellite providers have a lot at stake in the possible merger of AT&T and BellSouth. According to the article EchoStar seen as a winner in AT&T's BellSouth deal, it looks like EchoStar will benefit more from the deal than its competitor DIRECTV. Although BellSouth has a multi-year contract with DIRECTV, it is expected that after the merger AT&T will not continue that partnership with DIRECTV. Instead, analyst expect that AT&T will bundle its services with its existing satellite partner, EchoStar - making EchoStar the satellite winner of this deal if all goes through as expected.

Then your wish has been granted, at least sort of. With the new Web site La La, you will be able to trade your CDs with others online. Consumers using La La will be able to buy CDs from other users for $1, plus 49 cents for shipping. Although La La is only in a testing phase now, they are planning on going live in the next few months. You can read this article to find out more about the CD swapping service.

Once the change of address form is submitted to WhiteFence, it could take 10-14 business days for you to begin receiving mail at your new address. If you do not receive your mail in this time frame, you should contact your local post office to report the problem.

As AT&T tries to enter the video market across the country, Anaheim City Council okayed AT&T request to enter the video market in the city of Anaheim, California. AT&T will be providing the services as part of Project Lightspeed, which is AT&T's national fiber roll out plan. You can read about AT&T's video services that will be offered in Anaheim by reading this article.

From March 31 to April 2, Verizon is sponsoring a free weekend of the XBOX 360 premium service for XBOX 360 users. During the XBOX Live Gold Weekend, XBOX 360 gamers will have free access to the XBOX Live Gold platform. Gamers will be able to participate in multiplayer game sessions as well as have the opportunity to win great prizes from Verizon. You can find out more about this promotion from Verizon in the article Verizon Sponsors Microsoft Xbox Online Event.

As merger talk sweeps the telecommunication world, analysts are wondering what is going to happen to one of the last independent baby bells, Qwest. If the looming merger of AT&T and BellSouth goes through, four of the seven "Baby Bells" that were split apart from the original AT&T, namely Ameritech, Southwestern Bell, Pacific Telesis and BellSouth, will be reunited with AT&T.

Qwest attempted to buy MCI a year ago, but lost out on that deal to Verizon. Whether Qwest should remain on its own, be acquired or acquire other companies is in question. No matter which of these avenues Qwest executives decide to pursue, Qwest's fate will affect the telecommunications landscape. To find out more about Qwest's possible future, read the article AT&T deal raises query for Qwest.

I found a great tool if you are moving and are concerned about the crime rate in your new city. It is called the Relocation Crime Lab® and with it you can compare the crime rate of your current city with the city you are planning on moving to. Although the data is a few years old, it still can provide a good reference point to start from when researching the crime rate of your new city.

As I wrote about in an earlier post titled What's in your phone bill?, the Virginian-Pilot was doing a good series of articles on understanding your utility bills. They recently finished out the series with articles on cable and high speed Internet. The author explains some of the fee lingo commonly found on cable and high speed Internet bills in Virginia. Although some of her discussion may be state specific, you should take a look if you have a question about your own bill.

We have guidelines in place to deter anyone from inputting fraudulent information into our change of address service. As stated on the WhiteFence Web site, submitting false or inaccurate information is subject to punishment by fine or imprisonment or both under Sections 2, 1001, 1702, of Title 18, United States Code.

A new survey conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project indicates that 24 percent of rural Americans have broadband access at home as compared to 39 percent of urban dwellers. Both statistics are drastically up from 2003 data that indicated only 9 percent of rural users and 22 percent of urban users had broadband Internet access.

Availability of quality broadband access is the root cause for the jump in rural usage as more cable companies have completed their footprint build-out (which extends to the most rural franchise areas) and the acceptance of broadband satellite companies like DIRECWAY.

The survey contacted 5,262 US adults in the winter of 2005.

With the AT&T/BellSouth merger on the horizon, many consumer groups have expressed concern that the merger will lessen competition, as you can read about in my post, Opposition to AT&T/BellSouth deal. But some people actually believe the opposite, that the merger between BellSouth and AT&T might spur competition, especially between cable providers  and phone providers that are entering the video market. They also believe that eventually it might spur a price war in broadband prices, which you can read about in this article.

It is amazing how many issues you can consider when evaluating the cost of living for a new city. From the taxes you will have to pay on your new home to how much it will cost to get your favorite foods, it all adds up in the end. When moving, you should consider all these things before determining if and where you are going to move. This article should help you to think of all the costs you should add up when estimating your new cost of living.

As you know, there has been a rise in identity theft in the past few years. As more and more people get hooked up through high speed Internet, criminals are finding a number of ways to get your information. Gaining access to your computer through the Internet is an often used way that thieves get access to your personal information. There are several ways that you protect your computer from thieves, including:

• Have virus protection software on your computer and check often to make sure all definitions are up to date.
• Install any security updates that are available for the software on your computer. You can set up Windows XP to automatically check for updates to insure that you are not vulnerable to thieves.
• Be wary of any files sent to you by strangers. By opening a file that is sent to you, you could be downloading a virus or spyware onto your computer that could collect your personal information.
• If you get an email from anyone asking for personal financial information, do not respond using any links or phone numbers in the email. This could be a "phishing" attempt, in which thieves hope to trick you into divulging your personal information. Instead, find the email address or phone number for the company who supposedly sent the email from an outside source and contact them directly to verify the email.
• Before you enter any personal information on a Web site, look for indicators that the Web site is secure. Though this is not a guarantee, one good indicator that a Web site is secure is if the site's URL begins with "https".

For more tips about avoiding identity theft, both on the Internet and in your everyday life, you can read this article from the Federal Trade Commission.

Many people do not realize that there is another option for high speed Internet other than cable or DSL. In fact, you can get high speed Internet via satellite from DIRECWAY.

With DIRECWAY, you can get all the great benefits of high speed Internet through a satellite, including an always on Internet connection and fast downloads. Anyone in the contiguous United States can get high speed Internet through DIRECWAY, as long as you can get a clear view of the southern sky. No longer will you have to worry about busy telephone lines or slow downloads.

You can be up and running quickly with DIRECWAY; the average time it takes for a customer to be set up is two weeks from their order date. An installer will come to your house and set up your equipment so that you can be using your high speed Internet promptly. You can go to WhiteFence to find out more details about DIRECWAY.

According to the article Net phone providers describe E911 obstacles by Anne Broche, insiders say that VoIP providers are improving enhanced 911 (E911) services, but it is still not perfect. There are several obstacles to improving E911. Maintenance of the Master Street Address Guide, which is where 911 callers' address information is stored, is a primary obstacle because in many cases it is up to VoIP consumers to update their information. Also, getting all those involved in VoIP to work together to solve the problem is an issue, since so many people are involved in the process. Read the article in ZDNet to find out more information on the topic.

On Monday, several U.S. consumer groups, including the Consumers Union and the Consumer Federation of America, said that they would oppose the AT&T and BellSouth merger. The consumer groups believe the AT&T/BellSouth merger will reduce competition and urged their members to contact the FCC and congress to ask them to prevent the deal from going through.

Members of the consumer groups believe that the consolidation of phone service providers will cause prices for local phone service, long distance phone service and cell phone service to rise. They are also nervous that the AT&T buyout of BellSouth might allow the companies to break Internet non-discrimination principles, as can be read about in the article AT&T Deal Puts Focus on Net Fees.

Currently, when you order EarthLink high speed Internet from the WhiteFence Web site, you can get your first six months for only $29.95. With EarthLink high speed Internet, you get free AntiVirus, Firewall and Spyware Blocker. You can go to WhiteFence to check out this deal on EarthLink and compare it to other high speed Internet providers.

Verizon Wireless has teamed up with TiVo to let you control your TiVo by phone. With this new service, called TiVo Mobile, Verizon Wireless customers can download an application onto their cell phones that allows them schedule their recording on their TiVo. TiVo Mobile will be available through Verizon Wireless starting summer 2006.

In the earlier post Jump to the head of the line at Netflix, Stas suggested that you try out Netflix Freak to help organize your Netflix queue. According to Macworld, a new version of the software came out last week, Netflix v2.3, so now might be the time to check it out if your are needing help with your Netflix service.

When you are moving with children, you need to take a little extra time with them in the weeks before you move. Explain to your children why you are moving, where you are moving to, where they will be going to school and any other details that could make them feel more comfortable with the move. Taking this extra time will help them to feel more comfortable with the move and lead to an easier transition to their new situation.

I wrote earlier today about an ongoing series of articles about understanding your utility bills that are being published in Virginian-Pilot. The first was about understanding your phone bill, and another in the series is about terms that you may see on your gas bill. Once again, some of this information is specific to the state of Virginia, but it has a good explanation of some of the terms you may see on your gas bill.

As I mentioned in a post yesterday, several BellSouth and AT&T workers are concerned about their jobs as the merger between the two companies looms. According to a statement made by AT&T, their fears seem to be well founded. AT&T expects to see 10,000 jobs cut as a result of the AT&T and BellSouth merger. But before you get too worried, this won't happen immediately. According to an article recently updated on MSNBC about the AT&T/BellSouth merger, representatives from AT&T say that most of the cuts will be spread over the next three years and will be a result of normal turnover.

The number of wireless home networks has skyrocketed in the last two years due to the popularity of cable modems and DSL service, which now offer bundles including wireless devices. Unfortunately, most out-of- the-box configurations are extremely easy to abuse. If your home wireless network isn't protected properly, chances are your personal documents, pictures and email are vulnerable.

To prevent anyone from being able to access your personal files, read this article to find out how to check your network configuration and ensure your data is safe. If nothing else, you should follow their instructions to change your router's access name and password, as it is simple to do and serves as your "first line of defense."

Within the past few weeks, there have been threads on unofficial Vonage member forums that claimed Comcast had begun to block Vonage VoIP services. Representatives from both Vonage and Comcast have recently come forward to say that Comcast has not been blocking Vonage services.

Although representatives from Vonage said they had not noticed any problems with Comcast, Comcast and Vonage worked together to investigate if there was any issues with Vonage calls that were transmitted over Comcast's high speed Internet. Comcast said that Vonage indicated that the problem that had intiated the complaint had been an isolated issue and had nothing to do with Comcast high speed Internet service.

Carolyn Shapiro with the Virginian-Pilot is currently doing a series of articles on helping consumers understand their utility bills. The first in the series, titled What's in a bill? The price of phone bill jargon, explains some of the terms you will commonly find on your phone bill. As the article was written in Virginia, some of the details are state-specific, but the article still contains good information on understanding telephone bills for phone customers nationwide.

If the AT&T and BellSouth's merger is successful, satellite providers may be affected a great deal. You might not know this, but DISH Network services are offered by AT&T while BellSouth offers bundles that include DIRECTV. With the merger, who knows which of the rival satellite companies, if either, will be included in deals from the new AT&T. This and several other matters will have to be settled for the AT&T/BellSouth merger to occur smoothly.

Last fall, when Verizon entered the Texas video market, many hoped that Verizon's FiOS network would drive down prices for cable consumers as well as those who chose to subscribe to Verizon's service. According to a survey conducted by a new consumer group, that is just what happened. In a synopsis of their study, the American Consumer Institute writes that their findings indicate "that consumers in the survey area were saving millions of dollars due to competition. If benefits could be replicated across the U.S., this study finds that consumers would receive $23 billion in benefits per year, or approximately $19 per month per household." You can find out more about the study by reading the article Consumer group: Video competition working in Texas.

Currently, you can get Comcast's high speed Internet for only $19 a month for the first three months. If you are looking for blazing fast Internet speed and a connection you can trust, Comcast has it. Go to WhiteFence to find out more details about this gread deal on Comcast  high speed Internet.

Though AT&T's merger with BellSouth has yet to be approved, several workers of both telephone providers are already concerned about their jobs. AT&T expects the merger to save the company $2 billion annually, which will likely result in part from job cuts caused by the combining of AT&T and BellSouth's work forces. Read more about the topic on MSNBC - Job cuts feared after AT&T-BellSouth deal.

As you may have heard this weekend, AT&T announced it has placed a bid for BellSouth for $67 billion. The joint telecommunications provider would have nationwide long distance and data services and would provide residential phone service in 22 states. At the close of the deal, all landline and wireless businesses would be under the AT&T brand, which if everything goes according to AT&T's plan should be completed within the next year. Also, if this merger goes through, four of the seven "Baby Bells" that were split apart from the original AT&T, namely Ameritech, Southwestern Bell, Pacific Telesis and BellSouth, will be reunited with AT&T.

The possible buyout answers the question of what to do with Cingular Wireless, the largest wireless telephone provider, which had been jointly owned by both AT&T and BellSouth. Cingular will finally be under one parent company, which undoubtedly will streamline its management and processes. As this situation is developing, I will keep you updated. Read this article to find out more about AT&T's BellSouth buyout.

When the Washington Wizards play their next game on Sunday, they will no longer be paying in the MCI Center, but instead they will be playing in the now renamed Verizon Center. The name change is a result of  Verizon's recent buyout of MCI, which became official in December.

This isn't the only popular sports arena that has been renamed in recent months due to a telecom buyout; SBC Park in San Francisco was renamed AT&T Park on Wednesday.

As you know from my earlier post, CBS Radio is suing Sirius, Howard Stern and others. Not surprisingly, Sirius has something to say about that.

A spokesperson for the satellite radio provider said on Wednesday the suit has no merit and that Sirius will "vigorously defend" itself against the suit. The spokesperson also assured that nothing in the lawsuit would interfere with Stern's contract with Sirius. Read Sirius Comments on CBS Spat for more information on CBS Radio's suit against Sirius and others.

US Airways has picked AT&T as its voice and data services provider. US Airways Group Inc. will be paying AT&T Inc. $44 million to provide their airline's 276 locations with voice and data services for the next 3 years.

Just found out you're moving and are unsure what you should do first? I just found this really cool moving calendar site that can generate a to-do list calendar based on how much time you have until your move date. All movers should have something like this to keep them organized.

Looking for a cordless phone that has Internet access? Well look no further than the new LAN Cordless DUALphone from RTX. The phone was revealed at CeBIT, the world's largest telecommunications and digital information technology trade fair, which is currently underway in Hannover, Germany. This is how the press release from RTX describes the phone:

"The new LAN Cordless DUALphone is a session initiation protocol (SIP) device that combines a standard phone connection, Internet telephony and storage for Web content. The base station is connected both to the conventional telephone system and to the broadband Internet link, thereby allowing calls from both channels. The LAN Cordless DUALphone offers customers on-screen information such as the latest news, e-mail, stock market data, weather forecasts, traffic queues or sports results – all displayed in real time on a brilliant color display. Availability depends on the services provided by the carrier concerned."

Unfortunately, the phone will only be available in Europe, at least at first. To read the full press release about the RTX's LAN Cordless DUALphone, go here.

Countrywide Personal Liability Insurance helps protect against legal and medical costs incurred due to the accidental injury of others or damage to their property. Through WhiteFence, they offer insurance starting at $25,000 up to $100,000 in Alabama, Washington, Wyoming, Colorado, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Mississippi, North Dakota, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, New Jersey and Tennessee.

In an effort by Verizon to become more accessible to their Chinese-speaking consumers, Verizon has developed an all Chinese Verizon DSL Web site. The site will offer information on all of Verizon's broadband products.

Claire Fang, the group manager for Verizon's Asian marketing, said that Verizon understands "the cultural differences of [their] diverse customers. By communicating in-language, [Verizon] can make sure the benefits of high-speed access to the Internet are easily understood and readily available to [Verizon's] Chinese-speaking customers." Follow this link to go to Verizon's Chinese DSL Web site.

When moving with house plants, you should take several precautions to make sure your plants arrive at your new home safely. Some of these precautions include:

• Well before you move, you should re-pot all your plants in unbreakable planters.
• One week before your move day, you should rid your plants of insects. Insecticides may be harmful to you and your family, so make sure you follow all directions.
• As you get closer to your move day, continue to water your plants normally. Especially be careful not to over water them.
• Pack your plants in a box securely on the night before you move. Make sure to punch holes in the box so that the plants can get air.
• On your move day, do not let your plants get too hot or too cold; either could seriously damage the plant. Put them in a place where you can control the temperature along your drive.

If you want to read about special care instructions for moving with common household plants, you can look at the Caring for a Specific Plant chart in the article How to Move House Plants.

The name change of SBC Park to AT&T Park that I mentioned in the post SBC Park to be renamed AT&T Park has taken effect as of yesterday. This is a result of SBC's buyout of AT&T. The new company, under the name AT&T, has been integrating the companies and their services as smoothly as possible to minimize any confusion created by the merger and name change.

Federal Communications Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate said Tuesday that cable providers new cable options still do not give consumers enough choice.  Reacting to pressure from the FCC and lawmakers, several cable providers, including Time Warner and Comcast, have recently released plans to offer family friendly packages; however, they have held back on any plans to provide cable a la carte.

Members of the cable industry insist that offering cable a la carte will ultimately cut down on options because channels that do not have much of an audience will not have enough support to continue broadcasting.

Even so, Tate admitted that whether or not to offer a la carte cable may not be an issue in upcoming years, due to competition from phone companies Verizon and AT&T entering the cable market as well as other developing technologies that might make the subject moot. Read US FCC's Tate says new cable TV options not enough to find out more information about the subject.

According to a new report from Telegeography, VoIP subscribers grew by 900,000 in the last quarter of 2005, bringing the total users to 4.5 million. Vonage and Time Warner led the pack, ending the year with 1.2 and 1.1 million customers, respectively.

Coming in third and fourth were Cablevision, with 713,000 customers, and Comcast, with 202,000 subscribers. More information on this topic can be found in the article Time Warner Cable Again Leads U.S. VoIP Explosion.

CBS Radio is getting back at Howard Stern's almost two years of promoting Sirius Satellite Radio while the radio personality was still employed by CBS Radio. CBS Radio filed a suit with the Supreme Court of New York for at least $400 million in damages. More information about CBS Radio's suit against Sirius and Stern can be found in the article CBS Radio Bites Back, And Sues Howard Stern.

Recently, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings gave a $1 million challenge commitment to ACE Public School Network. The Netflix executive gave money to the program to support their plans to create a network of K-8 charter schools in the Silicon Valley area. The first charter will be presented to the Santa Clara County Office of Education today. To find out more about this story, read Netflix CEO backs $1M charter school challenge.

Through a deal with MTV Networks, Sprint will be offering new Sprint TV programming from CMT, VH1 and MTV to their Sprint mobile customers. Some programs that will be available include 'CMT Insider,' 'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,' 'Laguna Beach' and 'Best Week Ever.' Sprint will also be the first wireless carrier to offer streaming radio from CMT, VH1 and MTV.

Cox Communications has announced that it will be expanding its networks with T-series core routing platforms from Juniper Networks. This marks the second phase of Cox's national backbone improvements in an effort to provide a seamless, nationwide network to its customers. With more than 6.6 million customers, Cox is upgrading its services so that it can continue to deliver the high-quality content that its customers have come to expect.