Comcast Woos Subs With Free Wi-Fi

Here's what's making cable waves today.

Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) is offering free Internet access to any Web surfer within range of one of its Xfinity Wi-Fi hot spots this month. Comcast is among the first broadband providers to use free Wi-Fi temporarily to lure new broadband subs. (See Comcast Whips Up More WiFi .)

On the wireline end, Comcast's cable modem service policies got taken to task after booting a Seattle subscriber who broke the MSO's monthly 250GB cap after uploading gobs of data from his computer to online backup-up service Carbonite. (See Comcast Draws the Line at 250GB.)

Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC) hired Mathew Zelesko as SVP of Web services & technology, where he'll head up the MSO's strategy for all Web systems and connected devices such as tablets and smart TVs. Zelesko, late of Joost and Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK), is the successor to Jason Gaedtke, who left TW Cable earlier this year to join Google (Nasdaq: GOOG). (See TW Cable's Gaedtke Gallops to Google.)

Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem LLC (DECE) , which counts Cox Communications Inc. and Comcast among its backers, launched its licensing program for content, technology and service providers for the coming cloud-based UltraViolet digital locker service that will let consumers purchase movies and TV shows directly and view them on supported devices. DECE expects the service to kick off this fall. (See Consortium Labels Its TV Everywhere Locker and UltraViolet Targets Mid-2011 Launch.)

Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) launched a 3-D streaming video service for owners of its Bravia 3-D LCD TVs.

Mediacom Communications Corp. agreed to pay security firm SW24 US$250,000 to install security cameras at 80 locations in five states, including data centers and warehouses.

Cox launched its mobile phone and high-speed Internet service in Roanoke and Northern Virginia. Cox expects to have wireless services launched in half its footprint by year's end. (See Cox Targets More Wireless Launches and Cox: We're Not Selling Our Spectrum.)

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