Comcast 2014 Annual Report Download - page 18

Table of Contents
fiber-
based networks. Many of these competitors offer features, pricing and packaging for these services, individually and in
bundles, comparable to the pricing and services we offer. There also continue to be new companies, some with significant financial
resources, that potentially may compete on a larger scale with some or all of our cable services. For example, companies continue
to emerge that provide Internet streaming and downloading of video programming, some of which charge a nominal or no fee, and
Google is providing high-
speed Internet and video services in a limited number of areas in which we operate and recently
announced plans to expand into additional geographical areas. Moreover, wireless technology, such as 3G and 4G wireless
broadband services and Wi-Fi networks, may compete with our video and high-
speed Internet services, and our voice services are
facing increased competition as customers replace landline phones with mobile phones and Internet-
based phone services such as
Skype.
Video Services
We compete with a number of different sources that provide news, sports, information and entertainment programming to
consumers, including:
We also may compete with digital distributors that offer online services and devices that enable Internet video streaming and
downloading of movies, television shows and other video programming.
Congress has enacted legislation and the FCC has adopted regulatory policies intended to provide a favorable operating
environment for existing competitors and for potential new competitors to our cable services. The FCC adopted rules favoring new
investment by certain phone companies in networks capable of distributing video programming and rules allocating and auctioning
spectrum for new wireless services that may compete with our video services. The FCC also has launched a rulemaking to classify
certain online video distributors as multichannel video distributors under the FCC’
s rules and thereby provide them with certain
regulatory benefits under the rules. See “Legislation and Regulation” below for additional information.
Direct Broadcast Satellite Providers
According to recent government and industry reports, conventional medium-power and high-
power satellites provide video
programming to 34 million subscribers in the United States. DBS providers with high-
power satellites typically offer video services
substantially similar to our video services. Two companies, DIRECTV and DISH Network, provide video service to substantially all
of these DBS subscribers. DBS providers also have marketing arrangements with certain phone companies in which the DBS
provider’s video services are sold together with the phone company’s high-speed Internet and phone services.
Phone Companies
Certain phone companies, in particular AT&T and Verizon, have built and are continuing to build wireline fiber-
based networks that
provide video, high-
speed Internet and voice services in substantial portions of our service areas. These and other phone
companies with fiber-based networks or digital subscriber line technology (“DSL”),
such as CenturyLink, also may market video
services provided by DBS providers in certain areas
•
DBS providers that transmit satellite signals containing video programming and other information to
receiving dishes located on the customer’s premises
•
phone companies that have built and continue to build fiber-
based networks that provide cable services
similar to ours, which now overlap a substantial portion of our service areas
•
other providers that build and operate wireline communications systems in the same communities that
we serve, including those operating as franchised cable operators
•
satellite master antenna television (“SMATV”)
systems that generally serve MDUs, office complexes and
residential developments
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Comcast 2014 Annual Report on Form 10
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K