> UK's telecom watchdog has decided to not investigate if the joints BT, ITV and BBC online video pact would be a blow to competition in the country's video service market. As reported in Bloomberg, Ofcom said Internet TV is an "emerging sector" and there's really not enough information to pursue an investigation. The call for an investigation came after Virgin Media and British Sky Broadcasting Group argued that members of the venture would deny competitors from getting access to online content. Article
> Ethernet NID vendor Accedian Networks has decided to join the newly formed IEEE 1588 Conformity Alliance. Initially formed as part of the IEEE Conformity Assessment Program (ICAP), the Alliance was launched to advocate and certify IEEE 1588 2008 implementations, with an initial focus on the telecom profile for applications such as mobile backhaul. Going forward, the IEEE will add certification for the IEEE 1588 ‘power profile' for smart-grid applications. Release
> Rwanda is adding more fiber to its telecom diet. TeleGeoraphy reports via East African Business Week that the deployment of the country's national fiber backbone is 80 percent complete. John Gara, the CEO of the Rwanda Development Board, said that about 50 public entities have been connected to the network, while 300 people in the capital Kigali are testing the Kigali Wireless Broadband (Wibro) network. Article
> SMBs may not have the presence or the financial resources of a large business, but Verizon thinks that doesn't mean they should have to settle when it comes to establishing an online presence. To help SMBs better promote their websites, Verizon Small Business Center will present a free webinar on Oct. 20 called 11 Tips to Promote Your Website on Budget Using Search Marketing. Release
And finally ... Not wanting a public entity to compete on its turf, AT&T is waging a war on a federally-funded initiative by the University of Wisconsin to construct a broadband network that will connect health, education and public safety facilities, reports Connected Planet. And while the university already got broadband stimulus grant funding, AT&T argues the service is nothing more than a mimic of its own BadgerNet service. Article