Private equity firms GTCR, Stephens Capital Partners and Pritzker are investing in a joint venture with Cable One to accelerate plans to expand fiber coverage in former Clearwave and Hargray Communications territories, Cable One said Monday. It said it has a majority stake in the JV, Clearwave Fiber. See also personals section of this issue.

The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court's finding that the Cable Act preempted Maine's cable TV charges prorating law. In a 39-page decision Tuesday (docket 20-2142), Judges Rogeriee Thompson, Timothy Dyk and David Barron said the Maine law doesn't govern rates for provision of cable service but governs the period after provision of cable service and is a consumer protection law. They said the Cable Act's structure, legislative history and amendments compel a finding of no preemption of the Maine law. Dyk penned the decision. Oral argument in Maine's appeal of the lower court's summary judgment supporting Charter Communications' challenge was in June (see 2106070042). Outside counsel for Charter didn't comment.

Households subscribing to virtual MVPDs are “super users” of over-the-top video, blogged Comscore Tuesday. About 26% of vMVPD households consuming linear TV content via a vMVPD over the past year stream video at levels “much higher than typical OTT households,” said Eric Bratten, director-brand generation, saying vMVPD households stream seven OTT services in a typical month vs. five for the average OTT household.

Comments are due Feb. 3, replies March 7, on the status of MVPDs' implementation of Television Viewer Protection Act requirements that customers receive a breakdown of all charges involving the MVPD’s video service before signing a contract, and that customers get a 24-hour grace period to cancel without penalty, said an FCC Media Bureau docket 21-501 public notice Monday.

Apply emergency broadband benefit program rules to the affordable connectivity program until final rules are released, Comcast urged advisers to all FCC commissioners and staff in recent meetings, said a letter posted Monday in docket 21-450 (see 2112090061). It recommended a “true-up process” after the transition for EBB enrollees so providers can “seek full reimbursement.” Comcast backed allowing providers to perform “soft” credit checks on enrollees and applying a household’s initial ACP benefit “no later than the beginning of the subscriber’s first full billing period, rather than immediately."

Altitude Sports and Entertainment plans a new carriage offer to Comcast before the two go into mediation to settle a two-year-old blackout. "It is Altitude’s aim that this offer will bring the case to a close and return the network to Comcast," the regional sports network said Friday. Comcast said it has remained open to resuming carriage in a way that doesn't raise rates for subscribers. Altitude brought an antitrust complaint against Comcast in 2019 (see 1911180062). The two told (docket 19-cv-03253) District Judge William Martinez of Denver Thursday that they will a file joint motion before Dec. 20 for a settlement conference.

Discovery+ is now available on Vizio’s SmartCast streaming platform, said Vizio Thursday. Users can trial the service for seven days before buying; subscriptions are $4.99 monthly with advertisements, $6.99 for commercial-free.

Comcast will begin rolling out the Xfinity Video Doorbell early next year, it said Thursday. The HD-quality video doorbell, which will allow users to watch their front door “from anywhere,” will be available with professional installation for Xfinity Home Pro Protection and Pro Protection Plus customers for $120, it said.

The churn rate for U.S. over-the-top video subscriptions is 44%, said Parks Associates Wednesday, with half of broadband households in Q3 having four-plus OTT video subs. Some 37% of households that subscribed to a new OTT service in the last year plan to quit because of lack of new content, and a quarter of subscribers that canceled a service did so because they finished watching the shows they like. AI and machine learning can identify content that will keep subscribers engaged and behaviors that predict future churn, Parks said.

Netflix will use SoundHound’s voice AI interface for its Da Vinci reference design kit, said SoundHound Tuesday. Searches can be granular, it said, like asking for action movies from the 1990s that aren’t over 150 minutes. Users can access their set-top box for voice commerce.