• HITS Lowers The Cost To Launch HD And VOD

HITS has announced new packaged pricing designed specifically for the independent cable operator. The new “$1.75 Digital Bundle” reduces fees that HITS Quantum customers pay for linear channels and VOD In A Box, a turnkey Video on Demand solution offered jointly by HITS and Arris. Cass Cable TV, Mediastream (formerly Waycross Cable), MTC and Plantation Cable are the most recent HITS affiliates to take advantage of this new offer. The new $1.75 Digital Bundle includes monthly fees for VOD In A Box and all of the 280 linear channels available via HITS Quantum Classic, SD or HD. The bundle represents a 30 percent savings over purchasing the services individually. An analysis conducted by HITS found that the bundle also reduces a cable operator’s expenses by more than 50 cents per digital customer per month. For more information, visit www.comcastmediacenter.com/hits-quantum/thebundle.html.

• Massillon Cable Completes DOCSIS 3.0 Deployment

Massillon Cable TV and Clear Picture have deployed DOCSIS 3.0 service to 100% of the over 33,000 cable modem users within their service areas in Stark and Wayne Counties in Ohio. Four 256QAM EIA channels are being used. A small number of older modems had to be replaced to accommodate DOCSIS 3.0, and they are using a combination of Cisco 10000 and Motorola BSR routers.

“DOCSIS 3.0 was part of the larger all-digital initiative we started in 2008. The bandwidth available from that effort made the introduction of DOCSIS 3.0 relatively easy for us. We are working on some new residential and commercial packages with higher down- and up-stream speeds, but the primary goal of our DOCSIS 3.0 deployment was improved performance for all customers,” said MCTV President Robert Gessner.

• Stuart Named VP Marketing for Bright House Tampa Bay

Bright House Networks has announced that Michelle Stuart has been promoted from Sr. Director of Marketing to Vice President of Marketing for the Tampa Bay Division, and will will have overall responsibility for all marketing activities for Bright House Networks operations throughout the Tampa Bay area. She will report directly to Division President Michael Robertson.

Stuart first joined Bright House Networks in 1999 as Director of Customer Care in the Hillsborough region. Three years later, she became the Director of Marketing in the same region. In 2004, she was promoted to Senior Director of Marketing for the Tampa Bay Division. During that time, Stuart directed the development and execution of Tampa Bay's division-wide marketing plans including media planning, product execution, sales and brand management. Stuart holds an MBA from the University of West Florida and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas Tech University.

• Jones/NCTI Has New Associates Degree In
  Broadband Technology and Communication

Jones/NCTI has introduced a new Associate of Applied Science in Broadband Technology and Communication Degree for broadband and telecommunications professionals. The degree program, provided through Jones/NCTI’s partnership with Arapahoe Community College, is designed to provide versatile, professional degrees that demonstrates both job-specific expertise and general business knowledge. To achieve the degree, students choose a study emphasis area from either “Broadband Technology”, “Customer Care” or “Telecommunications” and complete general education courses, major courses and restricted electives totaling a minimum of 60 credit hours. For more information, visit www.jonesncti.com.

• SubscriberWise Chief Gets FICO Pro Certification

SubscriberWise, the provider of analytics-driven subscriber risk management, has announced that company president David Howe has successfully completed the new FICO National Certification Program. AllRegs Academy, the leading publisher of guidelines for the mortgage industry, and FICO, the leading provider of analytics and decision management technology, have introduced the program to recognize individuals who have demonstrated a strong understanding of FICO scores as well as the impact of FICO scores on both creditors and consumers. For more information about SubscriberWise, visit www.subscriberwise.com.

• BroadBand Connections Re-Engineers Click to Call Services
  To Help Marketers Connect With Customers

Marketing professionals are always looking for ways to promote their service to a captive audience. For example, customers are already accustomed to hearing telephone hold messages promoting services. Now, BroadBand Connections LLC is bringing an innovative on-hold message to the Internet click-to-call platform providing cable companies with a way to stream a commercial to their waiting customers. Interactive cable industry companies Metrocast and the Time Warner Cable National Division are the first two major clients to ink deals with BroadBand Connections LLC to use the advanced i’Mpressions request-a-call technology. For more information about BroadBand Connections and the i’Mpressions request-a-call product, or to try it out for yourself with a free demo, visit www.broadbandconnections.tv.