Industry Buzz Archives

The YMCA of Philadelphia & Vicinity's Y Achievers Program received an $800,000 donation from Comcast, the largest in YMCA Philadelphia's history.

"The YMCA is grateful for this tremendous commitment from Comcast," said John Flynn, CEO of the YMCA of Philadelphia & Vicinity. "Both the Y and Comcast are dedicated to building strong communities and this gift is an example of how corporations can help improve the lives of young people in the communities that we serve. With Comcast's support, the Y Achievers Program will be able to serve more students with broader services, creating a win-win situation for all."

Comcast's donation projects to help double the 500 students currently participating in the Y Achievers Program, and provide the YMCA with funding to improve the program's infrastructure, recruit additional staff and teen mentors. The additional funding will also be applied to the program's current offerings, including college tours, parental support programs, college readiness training, SAT preparation and tutoring.

"Comcast is thrilled to provide this gift to the YMCA of Philadelphia & Vicinity, as it will enable the Y Achievers program to grow dramatically and serve more students," said Comcast Executive Vice President David L. Cohen. "Moreover, Y Achievers is a model program that helps youth learn about careers and build relationships, and we are very proud to help provide our area's young people with opportunities for success."

The YMCA Y Achievers Program is an extracurricular educational and team mentoring program that focuses on 7th - 12th grade minority youth and engages them in leadership training, career exploration and character development. Participants also meet semimonthly at local universities to take part in training and workshops aimed at developing and mentoring career interest.

The financial contribution is part of the Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program (EITC), in which businesses are encouraged to support state education via donation.

Verizon recently announced it is introducing Verizon FiOS TV's interactive media guide that the company says will help customers quickly and easily find and enjoy content from TV listings, video-on-demand catalogs and digital video recorders as well as personal music and photos from the home network. Verizon also says that future versions of the guide will add Internet radio, videos, podcasts and games to the FiOS TV multimedia platform.

FiOS TV's interactive media guide is currently deployed to customers in Indiana, Rhode Island and parts of New Jersey, and Verizon now is rolling out the new guide to other markets.

"Our new interactive media guide is the latest exciting development from FiOS TV," said Shawn Strickland, Verizon vice president of video solutions. "We've capitalized on our investment in an ultra-fast, highly responsive fiber-optic network to deliver a customer experience that marries the best interactivity of the Web with the highest-quality programming experience in the marketplace. The interactive media guide erases the lines between TV, Internet and personal media and makes it easy for customers to personalize and enjoy media throughout their homes."

Through a network download, FiOS TV customers will be upgraded to the new guide automatically at no additional cost, and they will continue to use their existing set-top boxes and universal remote controls. In the days leading up to the launch in each market, customers will receive a "driver's manual" and other communications about the guide's cool new features.

Comcast recently celebrated the official grand opening of the company's second call center in Connecticut. By the end of the year, the new 77,000 square foot facility will employ more than 200 customer care representatives, who Comcast says will help meet the growing customer demand for Comcast's cable television, high-speed Internet and phone products.

"We are thrilled that Comcast made the business decision to invest in our state and create over 200 jobs in the process. This new facility underscores the fact that Connecticut is open to business and has the talented workforce to fuel business growth," said Governor M. Jodi Rell, who attended the grand opening ceremony with other state and local officials. "Comcast is a valued member of Connecticut's business community, and their expanded presence in our state will have a positive impact on the local and state economies."

Doug Guthrie, Vice President for Comcast's Connecticut-Western Massachusetts Region, thanked Governor Rell, the Town of Enfield and other state and local officials for their support. Guthrie noted that between the two call centers and 14 service centers located throughout the state, Comcast employs more than 1,100 individuals in Connecticut. He said that the new facility gives Comcast the capacity to add up to approximately 350 positions in the next few years as it continues to grow its business. In addition to the two Connecticut call centers, Comcast operates six other call centers in New England.

"Governor Rell and the Department of Economic and Community Development have been instrumental in Comcast's efforts to expand our operations in the state of Connecticut as we strive to meet the strong customer demand for our innovative products and services," said Guthrie. "Comcast's recipe for success starts with delivering a top-notch customer experience, and that includes locating our call centers in and around communities where our customers live and work."

Prior to the transition to Comcast, Adelphia/Tele-Media customer calls were entirely outsourced to other parts of the country, a trend that Comcast says it has reversed to ensure better service.

Guthrie added that the opening of the new call center coincides with the completed launch of Comcast Digital Voice, the company's residential phone service, which is offered in every Connecticut community in which Comcast provides service, including those previously served by Adelphia/Tele-Media. With phone service offered throughout the state, Comcast says the company's Triple Play bundle of digital cable with ON DEMAND, Comcast high-speed Internet and Comcast Digital Voice will also be available to customers throughout the company's footprint.

For more information on the call center, check out the Comcast press release.

Earlier this month, AT&T announced a new phase of the company's branding strategy. AT&T kicked off this phase by replacing the Cingular brand with AT&T on all in-store signage, store kiosks, and point-of-sale materials in approximately 1,800 company-owned wireless retail stores. In addition, key stores in major markets also unveiled new exterior signage displaying the new brand.

The decision to move to this phase of the branding campaign is based on research that indicates that consumer awareness of AT&T is high and ahead of expectations.

The store makeovers are also critical to prepare for the late-June launch of the Apple iPhone, for which AT&T will be the exclusive wireless provider in the United States. Many company-owned stores have also installed kiosks promoting the complete array of AT&T services—wireless, high-speed Internet, TV and home phone service—in the company's traditional service areas.

These broader service offerings are part of the company's ongoing efforts to integrate its wireline and wireless businesses and further strengthen its position as a complete provider of communications and entertainment services.

"Consolidating BellSouth and Cingular under the AT&T brand was based on extensive market research and is proving to be the right decision," said Randall Stephenson, AT&T's chief operating officer. "Our branding campaign is performing at and above projected levels and customer response has been very positive. We are excited to move into the next phase of transforming AT&T into the only communications provider our customers will ever want."

As part of its branding initiative, AT&T is also now beginning to replace Cingular with the AT&T brand in voice greetings, on new customer handsets and handset screen displays and on envelopes and statements. In addition, exteriors of most company-owned retail locations are expected to be branded as AT&T by September, with branding of agent-owned retail stores expected to be completed by January 2008. Many of the company's high-profile sponsorships such as "American Idol" and NASCAR will be transitioned soon as well.

"The newest phase of our branding campaign communicates that AT&T is a leader in wireless as well as in other communications and entertainment services," said Wendy Clark, senior vice president ??? AT&T Advertising. "Our goal is to let the public know that AT&T offers perhaps the best choices, values and convenience in the marketplace across our extensive portfolio for the communications services they want and need."

In addition to AT&T's wireless/wireline integration initiatives, the BellSouth brand transition campaign has also been very successful. According to weekly research numbers, unaided advertising awareness of AT&T in the former BellSouth region has increased sevenfold.

For more information, check out the AT&T press release.

Monster® and Comcast recently announced that Monster's recruitment services will now be available through Comcast's portal, Comcast.net, as part of a two-year deal.

Monster will be the exclusive provider of career tools and services on Comcast.net through a co-branded recruitment channel, which will offer career content and advanced search and match capabilities for hundreds of thousands job openings nationwide. In addition, employers will have the ability to post jobs, and gain access to the world's largest resume database via the co-branded channel.

"This relationship marks yet another major step forward in Monster's commitment to advance our business through the creation of new points of distribution for our services," said Doug Klinger, president, Monster North America. "Working with Comcast will allow us to capitalize upon two powerful brands to bring Monster's world-class products to key customers nationwide. We look forward to the opportunity to leverage our combined expertise."

"Comcast.net is one of the fastest-growing Internet portals in the country," said Charlie Herrin, SVP of Product Development and Portal Services for Comcast. "We are committed to delivering a great consumer experience on Comcast.net, and working with strong brands like Monster enables us to keep delivering excellent value to our customers."

Comcast.net is now a top 10 site with more than 2.5 billion page views, more than 80 million videos viewed and 15 million unique visitors per month.

If you are looking for a job, you can currently access the co-branded site at comcast.monster.com or by clicking on the 'Jobs' category on Comcast.net.

Qwest Communications recently announced that it earned a Statement of Support from Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) as a "Five-Star Employer" in Utah. This is the highest honor ESGR awards to companies for their support of employees in the National Guard and Reserve.

In addition to keeping jobs available for returning employees, Qwest offers differential pay when military pay is lower than an employee's normal salary, and the company keeps most benefits in force during a leave of absence.

"We are gratified that Qwest employees know that while they are serving their country they do not have to worry about their civilian jobs," said James G. Martin, ESGR chairman for Utah.

Qwest also maintains contact with service members and their families and helps in other ways, including organizing drives to collect comfort items for shipment to U.S. personnel serving in the armed forces.

"Employees are the backbone of our company, and we go to great lengths to support them and their families as they serve their country," said Jerry Fenn, Qwest president for Utah.

For more information, check out the Qwest press release.

As part of its continued growth in the Washington, D.C. area, RCN recently added another sponsorship to its roster. In addition to the company's agreement with the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia, RCN recently announced that it has signed a two-year partnership with Kettler Capitals Iceplex, official training center of the Washington Capitals, has signed a two-year partnership to provide cable services for the team's new headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. RCN is one of the first official sponsors of the recently opened $43.7 million Iceplex.

Home of the Washington Capitals' front offices, team practice rink and training facilities, Kettler Capitals Iceplex is an indoor ice-skating complex that features two NHL regulation-sized rinks with seating for 1,200 and building occupancy of 2,100. Combined, the two rinks offer the public 12,000 hours of ice time annually. In addition to the Capitals, other user groups include Washington Jr. Capitals, Washington Jr. Nationals, Washington Little Capitals and Georgetown University, as well as local adult, college, high school and youth hockey teams.

"Kettler Capitals Iceplex is a state-of-the-art facility that deserves only the best in technology," said Washington Capitals Chairman and Majority Owner Ted Leonsis. "RCN adds cable services and a level of sponsorship that will add to the quality of the building for the community, players, coaches, fans and staff. We are excited to have RCN onboard as a new partner and look forward to the services and technology that they add to our facility."

As part of the deal, RCN will become the exclusive Official Cable Provider to the Kettler Capitals Iceplex, which includes a range of on-site branding opportunities including Web site, TVs, dasherboards, ice-resurfacing machine and in-ice recognition.

"We are proud to have been the first to offer the triple play of video, high-speed data and voice, so we are very excited to now bring a viable, competitive choice to businesses in Arlington County," said RCN President and CEO Peter Aquino. "The Kettler Capitals Iceplex is a very remarkable facility, and we look forward to meeting its cable needs and to the marketing opportunities that this deal provides for us."

According to RCN Senior Vice President, Strategic & External Affairs Richard Ramlall, the company's growing affiliation with local sports teams reflects its determination to have a positive presence in the community.

"Our company was formerly known as Starpower in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. With this new partnership, RCN's star power continues to grow," Ramlall said. "In addition to the Kettler Capitals Iceplex, our partnerships allow us to showcase RCN at D.C. United soccer games, Georgetown basketball games and at more than 140 Patriot Center concerts, community events and George Mason basketball games."

Under the terms of the agreement, RCN will provide cable video services for the Kettler Capitals Iceplex. This contract is the first since RCN created a new business unit to focus solely on serving small to medium-sized businesses.

"Our focus is on taking the time to understand the communications needs of each small business we serve. We do that with knowledgeable sales people and experienced customer care teams who are armed with service selections that make sense," said RCN Small Business Vice President John Baker. "In addition to a variety of phone rate plans for example, we offer data speeds up to 20Mbps, while DSL taps out at only 7Mbps and Comcast at 8Mbps."

Baker explained that RCN's focus is good news for small and medium-sized businesses looking for vendor choice. "We realize that choosing the right provider for phone, high-speed Internet and cable TV is critical for small business and we take pride in delivering the services and support our customers can rely on."

For more information, check out the RCN press release.

At a press conference last week on the National Mall, the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) joined with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters, the Federal Communications Commission, and representatives from national launch partners the Associated General Contractors of America, John Deere, The Travelers Companies, Inc., and Cox Communications, to ceremonially connect 811, the new national 'Call Before You Dig' number.

"Now that there is a single number to call, any time, there's no excuse for putting lives at risk by striking a utility line," said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters. "If 911 is the number you call to report emergencies, 811 is the number to call to prevent them."

The 811 number was designated by the FCC in 2005 at the direction of an Act of Congress in 2002. Its creation was supported by more than fifteen industry stakeholder groups who encouraged its development and creation and now promote its use nationwide.

To ensure that all Americans know and use 811, today's event on "America's Front Yard" also kicked off a national public education campaign, which will use an educational Web site, television and radio PSAs, industry and consumer outreach, and local events to raise awareness of the new number and demonstrate its relevance to consumers and professionals who conduct digging activities. Additionally, the campaign's national launch partners and promotional sponsors will promote the new number through a variety of tactics designed to leverage the grassroots power of their customers, clients and members, creating awareness and positive behavioral change among those most likely to dig.

"Knowing the approximate locations of where utility lines are buried before each digging project helps protect America's pipelines, industry and people," said CGA President Bob Kipp. "We believe the new 811 number will encourage more people to have their lines marked to protect themselves, their neighbors and their community."

Nationwide, risky assumptions about the location of underground utility lines, which are buried at various depths below the ground, lead to more than one unintentional hit per minute every day, every year. Even simple digging jobs can damage utility lines and disrupt vital services to an entire neighborhood, harm those who dig, and result in expensive fines and repair costs.

For more information about the 811 service, campaign, and a new national survey on consumer digging habits, visit www.call811.com.

The average U.S. household owns 25 consumer electronics (CE) products and the average adult spends $1,200 annually on these products according to a study released today by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA®). The 9th Annual Household and Teen CE Ownership and Market Potential Study also revealed the most owned CE products and tracks the growth rates of popular product categories.

The top five growth sectors were digital video recorders (DVRs), network routers or hubs, MP3 players, cable modems and digital cameras. DVR ownership and network/routers in U.S. households grew eight percentage points since 2006 to 25 and 30 percent respectively. Thirty-two percent of households now own an MP3 player, up seven percentage points since last year. Cable modem ownership grew six percentage points and digital camera ownership rose to 62 percent of all U.S. households.

"It's interesting to note here that two of the fastest movers and shakers in the CE industry are devices that enable home networking," said CEA Senior Research Analyst Elena Caudle. "The other three products enable consumers to create, shift or transport digital content. As consumers continue to embrace digital technology this new convergence will continue to change the way Americans live, work and play."

Other categories with significant growth include HDTV with penetration reaching a quarter of U.S. homes. More than three-quarters of U.S homes have at least one cell phone; CEA estimates 178.5 million wireless phones are in use. DVD players have reached 84 percent household penetration and have surpassed VCRs, partially because of the availability of portable DVD players.

In addition to identifying top growth categories, the study reveals the five most owned products beginning with the television (92 percent), DVD player or recorder, VCR (82 percent), cordless phone (82 percent) and the cellular phone (76 percent).

"Many of the top owned products have enjoyed mass market saturation for years and will likely see growth based on upgrade and replacement sales. Some of the more intriguing categories are those that still occupy niche markets, such as mobile CE devices like GPS systems and satellite radio, which have seen healthy growth in the past few years," said Caudle.

The study also sets out the spending habits of consumers by age demographics. While adults spend $1,200 annually on CE products, teens spend $350 each year which is about half of their total annual discretionary income. Adults with children and teens spend up to $500 more on CE purchases than the national average.

"This is excellent news for the industry as children and teens who currently influence household CE purchase decisions grow up to become the next generation's early adopters," said Caudle.

9th Annual Household and Teen CE Ownership and Market Potential Study (April 2007) was conducted in February 2007. It was designed and formulated by CEA Market Research, the most comprehensive source of sales data, forecasts, consumer research and historical trends for the consumer electronics industry.

For more information, check out the CEA press release.

Verizon recently announced it is adding HGTV HD, Food Network HD and LMN HD (Lifetime Movie Network) to the company's FiOS TV national channel lineup.

"By adding HGTV HD, Food Network HD and LMN HD to our FiOS TV lineup, we're enriching the customer experience for our HD customers, who now can enjoy their favorite shows on these channels in brilliant HD and digital surround sound," said Terry Denson, Verizon vice president - FiOS TV content and programming. "With these high-definition networks, Verizon continues to deliver the breadth of content that consumers want in a way that best fits their lifestyles."

The three channels will be available in all FiOS TV markets by the end of April, bringing the total number of HD channels to at least 27 in most markets, depending on the number of local channels that broadcast in HD. FiOS TV subscribers with an HD-capable TV and an HD set-top box will receive the three new channels at no additional cost.

HGTV and Food Network are America's leading networks in home, food and lifestyle programming. HGTV HD and Food Network HD air some of the same popular shows that appear on the standard definition networks including "Cash in the Attic," "Decorating Cents," "Barefoot Contessa" and "Everyday Italian." LMN, the second highest-rated women's network on basic cable behind sibling Lifetime Television, offers nearly 200 different movie titles each month, including exclusive film and cable premieres.

John Baird, executive vice president of affiliate sales and marketing for Scripps Networks, parent company of HGTV and Food Network, said, "FiOS TV is growing in popularity just as our high definition networks are, making this agreement a winning partnership for viewers."

Louise Henry Bryson, president, distribution and affiliate business development, Lifetime Networks, said, "We're delighted to partner with FiOS TV for this HD offering, which will provide our customers with LMN's high-quality entertainment in Verizon's high-quality picture."

Verizon FiOS TV offers a all-digital programming of more than 400 total channels, 8,600 video-on-demand titles and more. It is currently available in parts of California, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia.

For more information, check out the Verizon press release.

AT&T announced recently that deployment and sales of its IP-based television service, AT&T U-verse^SM TV, are accelerating, in what they say is part of a strong momentum in their overall video strategy. The company also said it plans to launch AT&T U-verse in the Los Angeles area in the coming weeks, with additional launches are planned for later this year and next.

According to recently released figures, AT&T U-verse TV has grown rapidly since January, with approximately 18,000 U-verse television and high-speed Internet subscribers currently in service. AT&T's average installation rate has ramped to approximately 2,000 installations a week—five times greater than its average rate in January.

In the first three months of 2007, AT&T launched U-verse services in new markets, including Milwaukee, Kansas City, and Dallas-Fort Worth. Earlier this month, AT&T announced that U-verse services were available to more than 200,000 households in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, less than one month after introducing service in that market.

The company says sales are gaining momentum across its video portfolio. Following a strong fourth-quarter 2006 in which AT&T added 111,000 bundled satellite TV users, the company added a record number of users in the first quarter of 2007. Including U-verse and satellite customers, AT&T added more than 180,000 video users in the most recent quarter, which is more than Time Warner, Comcast, Cox and Cablevision combined added for the full year in 2006.

"Our video strategy is showing strong momentum as we add new subscribers at an increasing rate," said Ralph de la Vega, group president-Regional Wireline Operations, AT&T. "Consumers are clearly hungry for an alternative to cable TV, and AT&T U-verse is a very attractive choice. We offer more High Definition channels than local cable companies in the markets we serve, the ability to record up to four programs at once, and the ability to set DVR recordings remotely using the AT&T Yahoo!® portal or, soon, a mobile device."

For more information, check out the AT&T press release.

Best Buy recently announced the launch of a consumer electronics recycling grant program to help increase the recycling opportunities available in communities across the country. The company says the new program is part of its commitment to help consumers nationwide make safe, responsible decisions when disposing of old and unwanted consumer electronics.

The program will provide two types of grants—the first will provide support for events hosted by 501(C)3 nonprofit organizations. The second will support events hosted by other organizations in cities and townships across the country (e.g., cities, counties, public-private partnerships). Grants will range from $500 to $1,500, depending on the size and scope of each organization???s event program and the recycling need in the area.

???As the largest retailer of consumer electronics, we have a responsibility to help consumers make smart decisions when disposing of e-waste,??? said Brenda Mathison, director, environmental affairs, Best Buy. ???The Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that consumers will retire two million tons of e-waste this year—rom cell phones and rechargeable batteries to televisions, computers and appliances. We see this grant program as a way to extend our reach in communities, supporting local programs that touch all consumers and help ensure these items are properly handled.???

The recycling grant program joins a number of Best Buy programs that the company says have helped more consumers recycle e-waste than any other retailer in the United States, including:

Free recycling drop-off kiosks
You can find these kiosks just inside the door of every U.S. Best Buy store and drop off items for free. In 2006, Best Buy collected more than 90,000 pounds of old cell phones, rechargeable batteries, and ink-jet cartridges.

Recycling events
Best Buy hosts and/or sponsor weekend recycling events in its store parking lots across the United States. Since 2001, these events have collected more than 5 million pounds of e-waste. In 2006, Best Buy sponsored or hosted 40 recycling events, collecting more than 1.8 million pounds of e-waste from consumers. This year Best Buy will hold events in Florida, Minnesota. Washington State, California, Massachusetts and several other states.

Services and haul-away programs
Best Buy says it recycled more than 13 million pounds of e-waste through its services and customer haul away programs in 2006. For a nominal fee, Best Buy will haul away and recycle your television, monitor, and appliances when new purchases from their stores are delivered to your home.

Mail-in cell phone recycling
New cell phone customers receive free, postage-paid envelopes to mail old phones to ReCellular, a cell phone reuse/recycling partner of Best Buy.

For more information on all Best Buy's recycling efforts, visit www.bestbuy.com/recycling.

The Verizon Foundation last week announced a $31 million investment to provide free online educational resources to teachers, students and community organizations through Thinkfinity.org, Verizon's comprehensive online portal to 50,000 standards- based, K-12 lesson plans and other educational resources provided by some of the nation's leading educational organizations.

The $31 million commitment, which will be distributed over three years, will allow leading educational organizations to continue to produce and expand the number of interactives and other educational resources available at www.thinkfinity.org.

The Verizon Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, which is deploying the most advanced wireline and wireless broadband networks in America. Thinkfinity is the Verizon Foundation's signature educational and literacy program, and includes the program formerly known as Verizon MarcoPolo, and the Verizon Literacy Network.

"Thinkfinity is a tremendous asset for teachers, students, parents and community organizations," said Tom Tauke, Verizon executive vice president - public affairs, policy and communications. "It's appropriate that our foundation supports a literacy and education program that is built on the technology that Verizon is deploying. The broadband networks we are building can provide a student anywhere, anytime access to the world's richest educational content created by the leading experts in the fields of history, science, mathematics and the arts."

Content for Thinkfinity is provided through the following leading organizations in the fields of education and literacy: the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the International Reading Association, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, National Center for Family Literacy, National Council on Economic Education, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Council of Teachers of English, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, National Geographic Society and ProLiteracy Worldwide.

Also on Tuesday, the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History was announced as Thinkfinity's 11th content partner. The museum's electronic outreach program creates experiences that incorporate qualities of a museum visit with the flexibility and interactivity of online tools. As a partner, the museum plans to help create family and after-school offerings on Thinkfinity.org.

"Producing interactive, engaging lessons plans is a necessity to reach our children in the classroom today," said Charmona Whitfield, an instructional technology teacher for grades K-6 at Mosby Woods Elementary School in Fairfax, Va. "Because our kids have iPods, cell phones and X-boxes, they need to truly interact with what they are learning. To simply stand in front of them and talk is not enough. Thinkfinity makes learning fun."

Whitfield said Thinkfinity also provides practical benefits to teachers. "It's a time saver," she said. "It's concise, easy to navigate. You have very quick access to tried-and-proven lesson plans."

Thinkfinity combines authoritative, standards-based K-12 educational content and robust professional development with research and evidence-based resources and practices for literacy across the lifespan.

Research published in the Peabody Journal of Education (2006) showed that providing state-of-the-art educational resources had a positive effect on student achievement, especially in schools that traditionally lacked such resources.

"Thinkfinity is an exemplary online platform for delivering high-quality resources to a wide range of stakeholders that support lifelong learners in school and beyond the school day," said Dr. Trina Davis, president-elect of the International Society for Technology in Education. "Taking an integrated approach in providing stellar resources and focused professional development assures that the needs of 21st century learners will be met in schools and communities across the country."

For more information, check out the Verizon press release.

Good news, golf fans! AT&T announced this week that you can now enjoy more of the 2007 Masters Tournament as the company launches its first major content initiative across the three screens central to customers' lives: the wireless device, the TV and the PC.

Under an agreement with the Masters, AT&T will provide golf fans with access to Masters previews and daily highlights, live tournament and practice range coverage, player interviews, live updates, links to real-time scoreboards and more. Masters coverage will be available through AT&T blue room, AT&T U-verse^SM TV, AT&T Homezone^SM service, AT&T U-verse OnTheGo, AT&T Broadband TV, and Cingular, now AT&T, wireless service. Live video, including Masters Extra and Amen Corner Live, real-time scoring and additional information is also available on the Masters official Web site, masters.org.

The deal furthers the company's commitment to deliver compelling content across the three screens. AT&T offers customers a wide variety of content through a portfolio of advanced video, broadband and wireless services, bringing customers more of the entertainment they enjoy and strengthening programmers' and advertisers' connections with new and loyal audiences.

"By extending the excitement of the 2007 Masters Tournament across the three screens, AT&T is giving golf fans more ways to enjoy one of the greatest traditions in all of sports," said Dan York, head of content and programming, AT&T Entertainment Services. "As audiences look to get content on the range of digital devices, three-screen entertainment is the future. The Masters recognizes that successful programming translates to all three screens, which AT&T can deliver to consumers, programmers and advertisers."

For more information, check out the AT&T press release.

AT&T Inc. announced today that the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the nation's leading advocate of women-owned businesses as suppliers to America's corporations, has named AT&T as one of America's Top Corporations for Women's Business Enterprises.

AT&T and BellSouth, acquired by AT&T in late 2006, were selected for this honor after successfully demonstrating that the companies had made a substantive commitment, both qualitatively and quantitatively, to enhance contracting opportunities for women business enterprises (WBEs). WBENC will recognize the company and other corporate leaders that demonstrate best practices for supporting women's business enterprises in the March 16 issue of Fortune Small Business magazine. AT&T and the former BellSouth will also receive the Women's Business Enterprise Award on March 30 at a special awards presentation held in conjunction with WBENC's 2007 Salute to Women's Business Enterprises: The Enterprising Economy in Dallas, Texas.

In recognizing AT&T, Linda Denny, interim president of WBENC, said, "AT&T has 'raised the bar' with respect to implementing and innovating best practices in purchasing from women's business enterprises. We are recognizing AT&T as one of America's Top Corporations for Women's Business Enterprises because the company has made a number of significant contributions that proactively integrate WBEs at all levels within its supply chain. AT&T is also very consistent, year over year, in its ongoing commitment to this important group of vendors."

"We are honored to receive this award from WBENC. Supplier diversity is an integral part of AT&T's business strategy, and we pride ourselves on our world-class WBE initiatives," said Maureen Merkle, president-Procurement, AT&T. "Like AT&T, the former BellSouth has always had a strong commitment to supplier diversity. Now that we are AT&T, we are in an even stronger position to cultivate valuable relationships with women-owned and diverse businesses in the communities we serve."

This is the eighth consecutive year that AT&T has received this honor from WBENC. The company has been included among the Top Corporations since the list's inception. In 2005, AT&T spent $2.4 billion with diverse suppliers, representing 15 percent of its procurement base, including more than $760 million with women-owned businesses. In fostering diversity and inclusion, AT&T has created a better business environment, one that makes the company an employer of choice, a preferred business partner and an important contributor to the community.

For more information, check out the AT&T press release.

Approximately 15 million Americans were victimized by some sort of identity-theft related fraud in the 12 months ending in mid-2006, according to a survey by Gartner Inc. These statistics represent more than a 50 percent increase since 2003 when the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported 9.9 million American adult identity theft victims.

According to the Gartner survey of 5,000 online U.S. adults in August 2006, the average loss was $3,257 in 2006, up from $1,408 in 2005. At the same time, the percentage of funds consumers managed to recover dropped from 87 percent in 2005 to 61 percent in 2006.

"Hackers are exploiting Internet auctions, nonregulated money transmittal systems, the ability to impersonate lottery and sweepstake contests, and other types of imaginative scams," said Avivah Litan, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner. "The thieves have also discovered the weakest links in the U.S. payments systems. Typically, the weak links are found among the five or more million businesses that accept electronic payments from consumers, and the consumers themselves."

Electronic theft of sensitive information is a leading cause of certain types of fraud, including credit card, debit/ATM card and bank account transfer fraud. This is not the case with check forgery and new account fraud, where in-person data theft is the leading cause.

"All sensitive electronic data needs to be protected, but enterprises should be aware that the low hanging fruit for the criminals is electronic card and checking account numbers, as well as user IDs and passwords for online financial accounts," Ms. Litan said.

The average loss on new account fraud more than doubled from $2,678 in 2005 to $5,962 in 2006. Unauthorized charges to credit cards rose nearly fourfold from an average of $734 in 2005 to $2,550 in 2006. This trend reconciles with a trend cited by various U.S. card issuers who reported large increases in counterfeit card fraud in 2006. Similarly, there were large increases in checking account transfer fraud and "other" noncategorized types of fraud (for example, scams exploiting eBay, PayPal and phone companies).

"Oftentimes, consumers have no idea how criminals hijack their accounts and/or identities," Ms. Litan said. "They also typically have no clue if one or more of their personal attributes, such as their social security number, is used to piece together a new fictitious identity in a phenomenon typically referred to as synthetic identity fraud."

Regardless of the method used to steal data to commit new account fraud, the fraud itself can be largely prevented by using identity verification and scoring services.

"Enterprises that store credit card, debit/ATM card and bank account data should expect electronic data breaches and/or hacks, and migrate away from that practice while protecting their systems accordingly until they are able to do so," Ms. Litan said. "Rule-makers debating identity-theft legislation should consider comprehensive financial protection for consumers who lose money to fraud that goes beyond disparate regulations in place today. Service providers should pay for this protection when data or accounts under their custody are breached."

For more information, check out the press release.

If you started 2007 with a resolution to handle your finances better, Yahoo! recently launched a new personal finance Web site that might help you stay on track. Yahoo! says that the new site brings together the Internet's most useful tools and information to help consumers manage their personal finances. Yahoo! Personal Finance offers consumers a suite of new financial centers, covering every major area of personal finance, ranging from "Banking & Budgeting" to "Retirement." The site continues the company's media strategy of bringing together the best tools and information around a particular topic from the industry's leading providers, while also expanding advertising inventory in one of the largest advertising categories.

"The goal of Yahoo! Finance has always been to help our users make informed financial decisions, and now we're able to do that across every aspect of their financial lives," said Peggy White, general manager, Yahoo! Finance. "Not all of our users manage an investment portfolio, but we all manage a checkbook. This presents a huge opportunity for Yahoo! Finance to expand beyond our core investing-focused offerings."

Yahoo! Finance has already established itself as the Internet's number one destination for investing tools and information, and aims to expand its audience size and engagement with the addition of a new personal finance home.

For more information, check out the Yahoo! press release or visit the Yahoo! Personal Finance site.

CRO magazine recently named Motorola Inc. to its list of the "100 Best Corporate Citizens." The 2007 ranking marks the second year in a row that Motorola has earned the fourth spot on the list and the fourth time that Motorola has appeared in the top 10.

The annual ranking is based on the evaluation of more than 1,100 of the largest U.S. publicly traded companies in eight key categories: shareholders, community, governance, diversity, employees, environment, human rights and product.

"Corporate responsibility is inherent in everything we do - from our commitment to strong environmental, health and safety practices to our community support and efforts to foster a diverse and engaged workforce," said Maryann Clifford, corporate vice president, who leads Motorola's corporate responsibility efforts. "Being named as one of the country's top corporate citizens is a testament to the work of our employees around the world to uphold such strong standards that benefit both Motorola and our customers."

Analysis by KLD Research & Analytics to develop the ranking noted that Motorola is particularly effective in reporting on social, environmental and economic performance measures, and that the company has taken significant steps to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate contributions to global climate change and air pollution.

Recycling is another priority for the company. Motorola has developed a variety of reuse and recycling programs for mobile phones and accessories. The Race to Recycle program encourages U.S. K-12 students to collect used phones—Motorola or other brands—in exchange for a cash contribution to their schools.

The Motorola Foundation's global support for education-focused initiatives also was scored as a company strength in the list analysis. In 2006, Motorola and the Foundation's charitable giving increased to more than $21 million, with primary focus on math, science, technology and engineering educational programming for both teachers and students. Motorola also became a global partner of (RED), selling a range of phones from which a percentage of profits is donated to the Global Fund to help eliminate AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Africa. The company also continues to promote economic activity in developing countries through greater access to mobile telecommunications.

"The 100 Best distinguish themselves from their peers at other large public companies by embracing higher standards—combining strong financial performance with responsible practices on environmental and social issues," said Michael Connor, publisher and editor of CRO magazine. "We salute the 100 Best for their leadership roles in the field of corporate responsibility."

Motorola has been recognized repeatedly for its corporate responsibility efforts. In addition to being named as one of the country's "100 Best Corporate Citizens," several rating agencies and indices recognized Motorola as a socially responsible investment in 2006. The company also was named one of Fortune magazine's Most Admired companies in 2006 and has received numerous awards for its employment, environment and supplier diversity initiatives.

The 100 Best Corporate Citizens list was developed by Business Ethics magazine, which was incorporated last year into The CRO, a premier membership organization for corporate responsibility officers. CRO magazine will publish the full list in its January-February 2007 issue. More details regarding the 100 Best Corporate Citizens list are available on the CRO Web site.

Sales of consumer electronics are growing at a record pace this year as online sales revenue is expected to reach the trillion dollar threshold by 2012. Online retailers are seeing the largest percentage of growth as Internet shoppers are looking for ways to save money as well as time. More and more buyers are looking to Internet malls for their everyday shopping needs. Online merchants who provide a variety of products, reasonable prices as well as fast and reliable delivery options are best positioned to lead the way now and for years to come.

Leadpile.com says online commerce to pass $1 trillion potential and make up 25 percent of all sales in the United States by 2012. Leadpile.com predicts that new "Younger Super Internet Consumer" will lead the way.

"Consumer electronics products will contribute a large part to the overall growth estimates," says Daniel Arque, President of www.GoodBuy4you.com, "which is why we have added many new products to our Web Store like digital cameras, plasma and HDTV units, computers, home theater systems, car navigation and entertainment and much more."

Growth will not be limited to Internet retailers. The National Retail Federation is forecasting that holiday retail sales will rise 5 percent over last year. That means that registers will ring up more that $435 billion in transactions. Sales last year were up 6.7 percent from 2003 levels. If recent trends continue, it is very likely that shopping centers and stores will be looking a lot like Christmas long before Thanksgiving.

"Consumers won't have to wait until the last minute to get the best deals this year because retailers are expected to be aggressive in their pricing strategies th