Regulatory uncertainty has slowed progress on the potential merger of Comcast with ViacomCBS, sources tell Forbes, as President Joe Biden's administration vows aggressive enforcement of antitrust laws. The companies are reportedly watching the fate of the proposed AT&T-Discovery deal and could continue talks after the result.

Comcast added 354,000 broadband subscribers in its second quarter, while total profits grew by 25% and revenues by 20% compared to the same period in 2020. Revenues from cable increased by 10.9%, and NBCU had a 39% gain, with the Olympic Games as well as film and show premieres as major factors.

Providing universal high-speed internet service would provide an annual $160 billion lift to the US economy through productivity gains, the Aspen Economic Strategy Group says in a report. The think tank estimates universal broadband would eventually raise economic output by 1.1% partly due to the increase in telecommuting.

Nielsen plans to eliminate cookies and other digital identifiers from its Digital Ad Ratings and instead will focus on evaluating authenticated activity via first-party information. The company has also constructed a model that uses machine learning and contextual data, such as device information and content, to measure traffic from unauthenticated users.

Samsung will reportedly debut its hybrid screen QD-OLED TV at CES 2022 in Las Vegas. If the price is high, which would limit consumer access, it could signal the brand's technical prowess, writes Henry St Leger.

International agencies, including the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, have found that bugs in virtual private networks and cloud technologies were among the most exploited vulnerabilities since 2020. In addition to listing the bugs, the multi-agency report provides resources for IT administrators, such as compromise indicators, detection techniques, suggested mitigations and links to bug fixes.

DoubleVerify announced that its Brand Suitability Tiers solution, which enables brands to align suitability settings with their own proprietary standards, now includes YouTube. The tech firm is also integrating its Brand Safety Floor into Pinnacle for marketers.

There's a difference between urgent and important tasks. And while it's necessary to be proactive to succeed in business, it's also important to use your time in the most productive way. Dean Stoneback, senior director of Engineering & Standards at SCTE®, has a great approach to applying best practices for network maintenance. Read his column and discover how "important" is different from "urgent" and why it makes a difference here.

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