• Verizon exec: Some Net neutrality fans suffer from 'paranoia' [News.com]
• Is Broadband OPEC 2? [digitaldivide.net]
• Inmarsat completes global satellite broadband network [computerweekly.com]
• Making Sense of 3G Speeds [pcworld.com]
• MobileMe users get 60-day extra extension as Apple acknowledge issues [slashgear.com]
• ICANN backs auction of disputed domains [theregister.co.uk]
• Telecommuter potential is great, but hurdles remain [telecommagazine.com]
• Business Customers Give Cox, Qwest High Marks: Survey [multichannel.com]

As noted this morning, cable Wall Street analyst Craig Moffett traditionally loves him some cable while slamming FiOS wherever possible. This morning, he ignited a geek firestorm by stating Verizon's investment returns in FiOS won't be justified, and by his estimate, the telco will be headed for a $6 billion hangover from a project he thinks isn't worth the trouble.

In August of last year, Earthlink, failing to make muni-fi work, gave Houston $5 million for missing build deadlines. Earthlink ultimately walked away from citywide Wi-Fi entirely, but Houston used their money to deploy downtown Wi-Fi themselves. That network went live this week, providing Houston residents with free service. According to the new city website, the network was built to provide electronic communication for City's new state-of-the-art wireless parking meter pay stations -- with free user connectivity an added perk. The website makes it clear that this is a pilot project that may stick around "if the pilot is successful in terms of usage and operation." In other words, enjoy it while it lasts.

Before there was U-Verse IPTV, AT&T (or at least a part of her) offered TV services in parts of BellSouth territory. BellSouth had been offering (see website) traditional cable TV service to around 50,000 customers in portions of Georgia, Florida and Alabama, and was conducting IPTV trials before being acquired by AT&T.

A new report by Nielsen Mobile (via GigaOM) suggests that 3G data cards are becoming increasingly mainstream. For some, a vanilla phone, data card, and laptop make more sense than a smart phone.

Clearwire expects to have the ink dry on their collaboration with Sprint to operate a national WiMax network (with a $3 billion cash infusions from Intel, Google, Comcast and Time Warner Cable) by the end of the year. Despite protest from the nation's largest broadband provider about how the deal is unfair, Clearwire thinks "that the approval process is on track to permit closing before the end of the year." Of course AT&T (and the politicians who love them) may have something to say about that. Any more delays could prove deadly for the new collaboration. Clearwire is expected to launch their first mobile WiMax market (Portland) in the fourth quarter, with Sprint launching their own WiMax services in Baltimore, DC and Chicago.

The New York Times this morning offers up an article exploring whether Verizon's $23 billion investment in running fiber to the home was the right thing to do. The majority say yes; particularly swayed have been investors, some of whom thought the project was "doomed" early on, but have changed their tune as they actually begin to understand the future competitive ramifications. Apparently, even crazy homeless people like the technology:Before we get all weepy in adoration, we've well documented that if FiOS continues to have a weak spot, it's billing errors and support issues. Still, there's really no doubt at this point that Verizon is going to be in a better broadband competitive position down the line than either AT&T or Qwest, both of whom have decided to milk copper.

• Mobile Broadband Starting to Threaten Established ISPs [ispreview.co.uk]
• Sprint-Clearwire Deal Expected to Close in Q4 [seekingalpha.com]
• 3G iPhone update still leaves problems say users [computerworlduk.com]
• Can Comcast Make TV 2.0 A Reality? [multichannel.com]
• Orange Takes Broadband TV (IPTV) Trials National [ispreview.co.uk]
• Japan to start overseas cell phone technology push [adn.com]
• Symantec nabs PC Tools for added street cred [theregister.co.uk]
• Too much iPod will give you a heart attack [theinquirer.net]

• Nth Air, Inc. Deploys WiMAX Broadband Network in San Jose [marketwatch.com]
• Pirated movie downloads offered as Zango sweetener [theregister.co.uk]
• The High Price of Wireless on Network Switches [eweek.com]
• Qualcomm: Interview with a cellular vampire [theregister.co.uk]
• Airband Communications Launches National Wholesale Program [telephonyworld.com]
• Scotland - the next big outsourcing hub? [vnunet.com]
• Spammers go down to Georgia [vnunet.com]
• Handheld works week on one charge [windowsfordevices.com]

Techdirt points to a New York Times report on how companies that were previously trying to force YouTube content offline are now finding a way to profit from the clips. CBS, Universal Music, Lionsgate and Electronic Arts have all stopped pushing YouTube to pull videos of their content, instead working with Google to "claim" the content and profit from advertising revenue.

Last week I noted that AT&T had stopped taking new orders for their CallVantage VoIP service, after ceasing service promotion through affiliate channels one month earlier. Both moves suggest that AT&T is shuttering the CallVantage brand in preparation for something new.

Last week it became pretty clear that Google's new Android mobile phone OS would land on the HTC "Dream" smartphone this fall, ironically premiering first on the carrier with the least impressive 3G network: T-Mobile (HSDPA is deployed in just two cities). This week finds Endadget getting geeks hot and bothered by noting the phone has just received FCC approval. Judging from the FCC documents, the phone should arrive no later than November 10. Last week's rumors had pre-orders starting as early as September.

Microsoft, Google and Dell have formed the backbone of a six-partner coalition named the Wireless Innovation Alliance. Their goal is to use the so-called unlicensed "white space" spectrum -- partially freed by the migration to digital television -- to offer un-served consumers inexpensive Internet access via the airwaves (with these companies obviously providing the hardware, software and most importantly to Google: ads).

AT&T's somewhat ugly U-Verse VRAD cabinets, required to offer U-Verse VDSL service, have been a point of contention for local homeowners, who claim the curb side cabinets erode property values. In Illinois, Comcast has even used the cabinets in anti-U-Verse advertisements. In a new twist, it appears that AT&T is starting to dole out $1,500 per box in Illinois to be used for landscaping, in an effort to make the boxes less, well, boxy.

One local Illinois official tells me that AT&T is actually now offering three options to municipalities complaining about the cabinets: the first has AT&T doing the landscaping; the second involves AT&T paying $2000 per site if it's mutually agreed that landscaping is necessary (the City does the work); the third has AT&T paying $1500 per site regardless if landscaping is necessary. Most Illinois cities are apparently picking the third option, says the source.

A Qwest worker strike has been avoided, with Qwest striking separate three-year tentative agreements with both the Communications Workers of America (CWA, representing some 20,000 Qwest employees) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). Qwest did not release details of the new contracts. CWA members had voted to authorize a strike, but negotiations continued through the weekend, past a 11:59 p.m. Saturday contract deadline.

Despite constant prediction that the Internet is going to explode because of video demand, apparently the 'tubes can handle significant demand if the distribution is properly engineered. ZDNet has a great post on how NBC and Limelight Networks handled the demand for Olympic streaming via localized content caching.

Arbor Networks tracked 15 exabytes worth of Internet traffic from June 2007 through June 2008, and found that the amount of inter-domain IPv6 traffic measured over the entire year was just 0.0026 percent of overall IPv4 traffic. In other words, we're not migrating to the new spec quickly enough before we run out of IPv4 addresses -- something that's expected to happen in 2011. "I don't think anyone thinks that there is a migration happening," said Scott Iekel-Johnson, lead study author and principal software engineer for Arbor. "There doesn't seem to be a pickup in usage across any significant portion" of the regions tracked by the study, he notes.

• Why the Olympics didn’t melt the Internet [zdnet.com]
• Sky takes broadband market by storm [ft.com]
• Web radio is toast [theinquirer.net]
• AT&T Says It May Inject Its Own Ads In Your Surfing... And You'll Like It [techdirt.com]
• Strange Skype Network Activity [zdnet.co.uk]
• EchoStar Signs Tru2Way Deal with CableLabs [multichannel.com]
• Boingo Wireless Launches Wi-Fi at Ronald Reagan and Dulles International Airports [techwhack.com]
• It pays to be naked: iiNet lifts profit 50% [itwire.com]

In order to really compete with traditional cable TV, both AT&T and Verizon are going to have to offer a little something different from the standard fare. Verizon's latest attempt involves a partnership with the NFL that lets FiOS and DSL customers select from multiple camera feeds of NFL games. Of course the only games included in the deal are the preseason and Thursday night games broadcast on NFL network, but it's something. Meanwhile the NFL, very, very slowly, is starting to ease off their vice-like grip over content and will stream Sunday night games this year online at NBC.com.

Cable operator Wide Open West (WOW) offers service in portions of Colorado, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Illinois, but hasn't upgraded their top speed tier (for most customers that's 6Mbps) for going on three years now. However, industry gossip seems to indicate that a 15Mbs/2Mbps tier is currently in testing, and some customers have been told that unofficially, the new tiers are scheduled to drop this fall. Officially, WOW isn't yet willing to publicly comment on the new speeds (fairly common practice until launch). Currently, the fastest standalone broadband service WOW offers is 6Mbps/1Mbps for $63.99.