Cable companies blocking advertisements from Telecoms

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.

Do I have to open a new WhiteFence account when I move?

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.

Moving 101: Relocation schedule

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.

DVR use on the rise

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 is now HughesNet

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 sues Lifetime

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'.

Is DSL high speed Internet available in my area?

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 CEO speaks about merger

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.

Save on electricity bills by buying energy efficient appliances

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.

New Bundle Offers from Atlantic Broadband

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.