The Telecommunications Industry Association backs a deal among multichannel video programming distributors, those supplying them with consumer electronics and advocates of energy efficiency to further cut the power used by dormant set-top boxes. TIA also backs the Department of Energy decision disclosed late last month, along with the MVPD/CE/advocate deal (CD Dec 24 p1), to kill a rulemaking on set-top energy efficiency standards, said the association Monday in a news release (http://bit.ly/1aBOYDV). The information and communication technology industry “is committed to continually innovating and improving the energy efficiency of our products,” said President Grant Seiffert of TIA, which has members including Apple, Intel, Microsoft and Panasonic of North America (http://bit.ly/1aaOPe2). The voluntary agreement that was expanded with the latest deal “will result in greater energy efficiency gains for consumers than could be achieved through federal guidelines,” he said. “It will also provide manufacturers with the flexibility to continue to innovate and develop the consumer products of the future."

Charter Communications raised Internet speeds for business customers, and its residential Internet customers will also see speed increases when the company releases new Charter Spectrum products later this year, Charter said in a news release Monday (http://bit.ly/198wSOO). Charter business customers receiving the “Essentials30” had their speed doubled to 60 Mbps and “Pro50” customers are increased by 60 percent to 80 Mbps, both at no extra cost, the cable operator said. “These speeds will be available to new customers, and will take place automatically for existing customers in the packages being impacted.” Residential speed increases will include a doubling of Charter’s “flagship service” speeds from 30 Mbps to 60 Mbps, also at no extra cost, the company said. The Charter Spectrum products that will bring the residential increase will launch as Charter’s markets are upgraded to digital, said Charter. Along with faster Internet, the upgrade will allow customers to receive more HD channels and increased access to VOD, Charter said.

Time Warner Cable said it completed its $600 million buyout of DukeNet Communications (http://bit.ly/1lKR3CP). The deal, announced in October, adds more than 8,700 route miles in seven southeastern states to Time Warner Cable’s fiber network (CD Oct 8 p12). That additional capacity “will enable us to extend our fiber reach and help [customers] connect to our network from more business locations,” said Phil Meeks, Time Warner Cable’s chief operating officer-business services, in a news release.

Suddenlink completed its buy of several cable systems in Texas from Northland Communications, Suddenlink said in a news release Thursday. The cable systems operate in the Texas communities of Gun Barrel City, Flint and New Caney, and have more than 12,000 residential customers and nearly 300 commercial customers. Suddenlink owns nearby systems in Texas communities Terrell, Tyler and Kingwood, and “there is an opportunity to interconnect the Northland systems with nearby Suddenlink systems,” the release said. Suddenlink said it “expects to retain substantially all local employees and plans to communicate specific plans for the acquired systems to customers and community leaders in the months ahead."