Cable interests didn't agree about possibly eliminating the rule that cable operators maintain records in online inspection files about attributable interests in video programming services, in docket 20-35 comments posted this week. An NPRM on axing or modifying the rule was approved at commissioners' March 31 meeting (see 2002280044). Verizon said Tuesday there's "simply no basis" for requiring cable operators to keep attributable interest records in their public inspection files because the agency or local franchise authorities can just request records from operators, and responding to those requests is less burdensome for operators. NCTA called the rule "regulatory underbrush [that] serves no meaningful purpose." ACA Connects said vertical integration information could be useful in bringing a program access complaint but urged the FCC to find "a less burdensome" means for making it available. It suggested such possibilities as eliminating the part of the rule requiring reporting carriage of a particular system, or revising rules to require cable operators post the information only once and then make updates when it changes.

Having received OMB approval of FCC information collection requirements, the 2017 cable TV technical and operational standards order is in effect, said Monday's Federal Register. Asked about the three-year delay, the FCC didn't comment.

A slowdown in video customers canceling service might be temporary, resulting from shelter-in-place orders, Charter Communications CEO Tom Rutledge said Friday, announcing Q1 results. He said the company expects residential broadband demand to stay strong, but unemployment and economic issues could be a headwind. Nonpolitical advertising in March was down 18% year over year in large part due to sports cancellations (see 2005010011), Chief Financial Officer Chris Winfrey said. Q2 for advertising “will be challenging,” he said, saying Charter expects ads to pick up when the economy picks up. He said 140,000 customers are in its disconnection protection program, with 65,000 of them carrying past-due balances beyond the point of normal disconnection. He said those numbers are likely to grow in Q2. Charter has 25.47 million residential broadband customers, up 1.45 million; 15.55 million residential video customers, down 400,000; and 9.36 million residential voice customers, down 655,000. In Q1, it lost 70,000 video customers compared with a loss of 152,000 in Q1 2019. Revenue was $11.7 billion, up 4.8%. Rutledge said the FCC's April 6 GHz order (see 2004240011) was "a transformational step for broadband," but it didn't affect what value Charter might see for citizens broadband radio service auction spectrum.

A lower court erred in granting Comcast and programmers a preliminary injunction on First Amendment grounds enjoining enforcement of a state law requiring cable operators to offer programming à la carte, defendant-appellants Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) and Attorney General Aaron Frey said in a docket 20-1104 brief Wednesday with the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. "The law does not implicate the First Amendment [as it] neither stifles nor requires speech." Outside counsel for appellees Comcast, A&E, C-SPAN, ViacomCBS, Discovery, Disney, Fox and New England Sports Network didn't comment Thursday.

As of March 31, 437,965 CableCARDs were in service across the Comcast, Charter Communications and Cox footprints, NCTA reported. It posted Wednesday in FCC docket 97-80. In Q1 2019, there were 474,032.

Radio.com is available to Comcast Xfinity customers on the X1 and Flex platforms, said the broadcaster Wednesday. Last week, Entercom announced its digital platform will be available on Sonos Radio (see report, April 24). Xfinity customers can get hundreds of Entercom-owned radio stations; in the future, they can see video.

Charter Communications defended its petition to exclude from the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund phase I auction any New York census blocks where it's obligated by a 2016 Time Warner acquisition agreement to expand broadband. In replies posted through Wednesday in docket 19-126 (see 2004220022), some towns agreed with the company. Charter said commenters who raised concerns that it might not connect every household in the census blocks at issue "are attacking the Commission’s decision to fund wholly unserved census blocks" in RDOF's first phase and partially unserved census blocks in the second. The Wireless ISP Association wants to reject the petition. WISPA didn't favor suggestions to "apply RDOF non-compliance measures to Charter, which is not an RDOF recipient."

COVID-19 confinement rules led to a drop in music streaming consumption for some services, reported Futuresource, because subscribers spent less time in places where they typically listened, including cars and gyms. “Consumers’ routines have been disrupted," blogged analyst Alexandre Jornod. The type of content being consumed has adapted to become more home-friendly, "lean-back" and mood-inspired; podcast listening about news, fitness, cooking and kids has also grown, said Jornod Monday. Subscriptions haven’t been affected, with some services reporting an uptick, and video streaming services such as Netflix and Disney Plus grew, reflecting homebound entertainment trends. Futuresource expects streaming music subscriptions to be “unaffected” by COVID-19, growing 19% in 2020 to 371 million globally. The research firm expects VOD subs to exceed one billion by midyear. The lockdown is encouraging more TV viewing and a change in behavior, as gaps in live TV scheduling encourage consumers to “look elsewhere for entertainment,” said analyst David Sidebottom.

Comcast's petition for writ of certiorari would have the Supreme Court reverse itself on the Federal Arbitration Act, letting courts withhold enforcement of arbitration agreements only in cases where there are contract-formation issues, respondent California Comcast subscribers said in a docket 19-1066 filing Friday. They responded to Comcast's cert petition arguing the 9th Circuit effectively precluded bilateral arbitration of consumer disputes in California and that SCOTUS review is warranted to bring the 9th Circuit back in line with established precedent. The 9th Circuit in 2019 rejected Comcast's appeal of a U.S. district court denying Comcast's motion to compel arbitration of a complaint alleging false advertising of cable TV pricing. A mandate in the 9th Circuit's decision was stayed pending a cert petition (see 2001230048).

Comcast’s xFi internet service had a 57% daily usage rise since before the COVID-19 pandemic, the company said Thursday. XFi had a 27% uptick in parental control activation, and a 43% bump in parents activating filters for web content during browsing and searching on devices. The ISP had a 213% spike in Wi-Fi “pause” during the 11 a.m.-2 p.m. lunchtime window. More families staying home during the day has shifted rules “typically applied to dinnertime to lunchtime,” said the company, referencing Xfinity’s pause Wi-Fi feature that had an overall 75% usage hike. The median active time alert set on weekdays for kids rose an hour to four hours a day.