AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T), Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) and Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) are close to cutting a deal with Hollywood studios to crack down on subscribers who share copyrighted content through file-sharing services. The companies are reportedly considering a "graduated response," where suspected pirates that don't heed warnings could find their Web access restricted and their bandwidth speeds throttled. (See Comcast Settles P2P Class Action Spat .)

NBC is teasing iPad owners with an app that lets them watch clips of popular shows, but not the complete episodes. (See Cablevision, Viacom Fight Over iPad App.)

DSL Reports says Comcast is prepping a self-install option for CableCARDs, the separable security modules that are being used in some retail products, including some digital TV models and TiVo Inc. (Nasdaq: TIVO) and Arris Group Inc. (Nasdaq: ARRS) Moxi DVRs. A source tells the pub that self-install kits will become available on Aug. 1.

Meanwhile, the CE guys are still pushing the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to move ahead with a successor to the CableCARD called AllVid. In a filing describing recent meetings at the Commission, the AllVid Tech Company Alliance argued that recent efforts by cable to work with the CE industry and its support of HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) won't "lead to a market for devices that can receive programming and services from more than a single MVPD [multichannel video programming distributor] operator." (See Google, TiVo & Best Buy Rally for AllVid and AllVid Starting to Look App-Tastic .)

AT&T says its U-verse products are available to more than 1 million "living units" in San Francisco.

Facebook recruited CEO Reed Hastings for a seat on its board of directors as the social networking giant gears up for an IPO.

Goldman Sachs & Co. added Comcast to its "conviction buy" list, predicting its stock will climb 31 percent to $31 per share in the next 12 months.

DirecTV Group Inc. (NYSE: DTV) is supplying its hotel customers with anti-microbial remote controls that aim to be germ-free.

— Steve Donohue, Special to Light Reading Cable, and Jeff Baumgartner, Site Editor, Light Reading Cable