Light the Way: CVC Rebranding LightPath; CEOs Not Shaking Over SBC Discount

Cablevision is gearing up to rebrand its commercial services business "LightPath" as "Optimum LightPath," a name that more closely associates it with the MSO’s residential service offerings, said COO Tom Rutledge during Deutsche Bank’s media conference Mon. He estimated that CVC passes more than a half million small businesses with monthly phone bills in the $400-$500/month range. "This market alone is about as big as our current video business," he said. Another opportunity for CVC is advertising. "Broadcast market share continues to decline," Rutledge said. "Newspaper readership and advertising continues to decline… What’s the major media form in NY? It’s Cablevision." DSL: Rutledge pooh-poohed SBC’s announcement last week of a limited-time $14.95/month DSL promotion: "The avg SBC phone customer is paying about $70 a month for phone service and with DSL that’s $85. Our HSD and voice product is $60. That sounds like a better deal to me." Time Warner Cable’s Glenn Britt warned analysts to consider all the "strings attached" and whether the packages are comparable to cable. "Somebody announced what appears to be a very inexpensive price, but they’re keeping their voice price up," he noted. Telephony: Britt said TW has more demand for phone that it can physically handle, and is in the process of scaling up and hiring people. "There’s no need to discount at this point," he said, noting that TW sees the triple-play as the best way to prepare for the Bells entry into video. DVRs: While CVC is the MSO working on the network DVR, it was TW’s Britt who declared network DVR a better option than in-home DVRs. His chief reasoning is that hard drives fail. Still, the endorsement comes with a caveat. "None of us know if it’s legal to do a network DVR without getting copyright permission," he said. His prediction: Someone will attempt it; get sued; a court will rule and "life still goes on."