The battle for the 21st century TV viewer is heating up as Verizon Communications adds more Internet content to its Fios TV service. But cable may not be the only competitor Verizon faces as more consumer electronics devices such as Blu-ray players and game consoles add similar Net-based services without an expensive TV service subscription. …

CenturyTel agreed to buy Qwest Communications International in a $10.6 billion all-stock deal, the companies announced Thursday. CenturyTel will also assume $11.8 billion of Qwest debt, making the merger worth about $22.4 billion, one of the biggest in telecom history. After its successes in the 1990s, Qwest saw its fortunes take a turn for the worse. Qwest Communications International Qwest …

Verizon Communications saw its first-quarter 2010 earnings fall 29 percent as the company was hit with one-time charges and saw slower subscriber growth. Profits plunged to $2.28 billion, or 14 cents per share, from $3.21 billion, or 58 cents per share, during the same quarter a year ago, the company reported Thursday. Results for the three-month period included a $970 …

The Federal Communications Commission started the ball rolling on some items in its National Broadband Plan on Wednesday, but regulators made no mention of whether they are considering reclassifying broadband traffic. One of the first items the FCC addressed on Wednesday was beginning the process to reform the Universal Service Fund.The commissioners voted unanimously to shift the fund’s goal from …

AT&T added fewer contract customers during the first quarter, a sign that competition is heating up for new subscribers in the crowded wireless market. The trend also calls into question where AT&T and other wireless subscribers will find growth in the future. The company, which released the information as part of its first-quarter earnings report on Wednesday, took a significant …

As the percentage of Americans who own cell phones approaches 100 percent, analysts predict that the two biggest wireless providers in the country will have a harder time selling new cell phone contracts to high-value subscribers. AT&T and Verizon, which are announcing first quarter earnings this week, are likely to see slower growth of contract customers, analysts say. AT&T reports …

Cablevision, Comcast, and Time Warner Cable are teaming up to allow their subscribers in New York City and the surrounding area to roam onto each other’s Wi-Fi networks. All three companies currently offer free Wi-Fi service to their cable subscribers in areas surrounding the Big Apple, including parts of Long Island, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Starting Thursday anyone who subscribes …

AT&T’s claim that it carries the most wireless data traffic on its network is being challenged. An ABI Research report released this week states that both Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel handled more data traffic last year than did AT&T. Verizon and Sprint each carried over 16 billion more megabytes of mobile network data than AT&T in 2009, the report …

Federal Communications Chairman Julius Genachowski tried to convince broadcasters to support his plans to reauction TV wireless spectrum during a speech he gave Tuesday at the industry’s annual trade show sponsored by the National Association of Broadcasters in Las Vegas. Genachowski said the additional spectrum is needed to ensure that U.S. wireless operators can meet the growing demand for wireless …

Rumors of the iPhone coming to Verizon Wireless may have some consumers in the U.S. wondering about resulting cost savings for the device. But will more competition really mean lower prices? Six months after the iPhone market opened up in the United Kingdom for the iPhone, prices have only dipped slightly. But compared to prices from AT&T, the iPhone’s exclusive …