Cox Communications Inc. said Acadiana, La., is the first market to launch new Docsis 3.0 cable modem tiers targeted to small business customers that offer downstream speeds of 80 Mbit/s and 100 Mbit/s. Cox said the new speeds come way of a US$4.8 million fiber upgrade in the area and that the MSO plans to introduce those new tiers in additional markets later this year and into 2013. Cox's current fastest residential Docsis 3.0 tier offers 55 Mbit/s downstream by 5.5 Mbit/s upstream for $99.99 per month. Cox, which topped $1 billion in annual business services revenues for the first time in 2010, said the faster D3 tiers will come in handy for small businesses that rely on hosted, cloud-based services. (See Cable's Newest Billionaire: Cox Business.)

Optimum Lightpath , the big-business services unit of Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC), has added a managed Wi-Fi service to its menu. Optimum Lightpath, whose specialty is Metro Ethernet services, says its new private, in-building Wi-Fi platform relies on flat-rate pricing, requires no upfront costs and lets customers create multiple public/private Service Set Identifiers (SSIDs).

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is urging the federal Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to uphold its network neutrality rules amid challenges by Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) and MetroPCS Inc. (NYSE: PCS), which argue that the rules outstrip the Commission's authority. The FCC, in its brief to the court, argued that its rules prevent ISPs from blocking sites and competing apps and that it does have the authority to create those rules in part because "Congress assigned the FCC … a central role in protecting Internet openness and the resulting investment in broadband facilities." In a 3-2 vote, the FCC approved the rules in late 2010. (See Verizon Appeals Net Neutrality Rules (Again) and FCC Votes to Approve Net Neutrality Rules.)

Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC) is using Netflix Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX) to help promote a Docsis 3.0 service package targeted to broadband-only customers that also tries to get them to take the MSO's pay-TV service, reports NewTeeVee. A mailer from the operator suggests that customers should upgrade to its 50Mbit/s Docsis 3.0 tier so they can get a better Netflix experience, but tries to sweeten the pot by tossing in its slimmed down, ESPN-free "Essentials" pay-TV package for free for a year. The promo comes into play as TW Cable, like other cable operators, continues to shed video customers. (See TW Cable Vows Video Improvements and No-Frills Cable TV &.)

— Jeff Baumgartner, Site Editor, Light Reading Cable