qwest

Cable One: Unsecured network won't excuse piracy

"My wireless network isn't secured and I don't know who downloaded that movie."

Lots of people accused of illegally sharing the Iraqi war film, "The Hurt Locker," and several other indie films have said this or something similar in e-mails to me. Indie studios this year began waging a litigation campaign against thousands of accused film pirates.

The courts have yet to decide who is legally responsible for copyright violations committed on an unprotected network, but some smaller Internet service providers don't seem to care. As far as they're concerned, if it'… Read more

Facebook suffers 'worst outage' in 4 years; Qwest sees packet loss

Editors' note: By late afternoon, Facebook was saying that it had gotten to the bottom of what it called "the worst outage we've had in over four years." Below is our account of how things unfolded during the course of the day.

Facebook struggled to maintain service availability today during the same period of time as a prominent Internet service provider dealt with a major outage.

We're getting countless reports of Facebook problems from users both inside and outside of CNET, with most reporting that the site has been up and down all morning. Facebook acknowledged … Read more

Here come 'Hurt Locker' file-sharing subpoenas

For people worried that they may be accused of illegally sharing "The Hurt Locker," a movie about defusing bombs, the hope was that efforts to chase them down would fizzle out.

No such luck. The film's producers are finally moving to acquire the names of people they accuse of using peer-to-peer services to share unauthorized copies of the movie that won this year's Oscar for "Best Picture." Qwest Communications on Monday notified a customer in Denver that the Internet service provider has received a subpoena from lawyers representing Voltage Pictures, the production company that … Read more

CenturyTel makes $22.4 billion bid for Qwest

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.

Qwest and CenturyTel are two of the biggest landline phone companies in the country, with combined network assets in about 40 states. The deal comes as Qwest, which abandoned its wireless efforts years ago, has struggled to keep up competitively with other former Baby Bell companies AT&T and Verizon Communications. While these companies do not … Read more

Grandma endures wrongful ISP piracy suspension

Update 9:30 a.m. PT To include e-mail exchanges between Qwest employees and Cathi Paradiso.

All Cathi "Cat" Paradiso knew for sure, as she learned that her Web access was being shut off, was that she was losing her struggle to stay calm.

To Paradiso, the customer-service representative from Qwest Communications on the phone with her could have been speaking Slovenian for all the sense it made. Her Internet service was suspended... Hollywood studios accused her of copyright violations... she illegally downloaded 18 films and TV shows..."Zombieland," "Harry Potter," "South Park...&… Read more

Qwest long distance goes down for some

Qwest Communications confirmed Thursday that the company experienced a long distance outage that lasted about two and a half hours.

The outage caused some of Qwest's customers to not be able to make and receive long distance phone calls. However, Qwest officials said that calls are now able to be completed.

The company was not able to provide details about what caused the outage nor was it able to provide details of how many customers were affected. But it's believed that the outage disrupted service in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and parts of North Carolina and Florida. … Read more

Court orders shorter sentence for ex-Qwest chief

A federal appeals court in Denver on Friday ordered a reduced prison term for Joseph Nacchio, the former Qwest Communications chief who had been sentenced to six years for insider trading.

The U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the trial court had overstated Nacchio's stock market gains and he was therefore entitled to resentencing, according to court documents.

"On remand, the district court should focus on arriving at a figure that more closely approximates Mr. Nacchio's gain resulting from the offense of insider trading," the ruling read (PDF).

Nacchio, who served as the phone company's CEO from 1997 until 2002, … Read more

Qwest looking to unload long-distance business?

Qwest Communications International is reportedly seeking a buyer for its long-distance carrier business, as the company searches for ways to lower its outstanding debt load, according to a report Thursday in The Wall Street Journal.

Qwest, a struggling telecommunications carrier that ranks third in the nation, is reportedly hoping to raise $2 billion to $3 billion through the sale of its long-distance carrier business, according to the story which cited sources familiar with the matter.

That would pare down the footprint of the Denver-based telecommunications company, leaving it as a regional telecommunications player.

But such a sale could help offset … Read more

The Digital Home 49: It's time to get connected

In this episode, Don discusses Windows 7 and its possible impact on the world of tech. After that, he examines Panasonic's recent layoffs and sits down with Qwest Technologies to hear about the Connected Home. Check it out!

And as always, follow Don on Twitter!

Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 49 … Read more