CableTelevision

The Walt Disney Co. said Wednesday that it reached a long-term agreement with the nation's largest TV signal provider, Comcast Corp., that extends their partnership into the next decade. The deal covers major pay channels ESPN, Disney Channel and ABC Family and the retransmission of free ABC broadcast network programs through seven ABC TV stations. It allows Comcast subscribers to gain greater access to shows on demand over the Internet on multiple devices.

I've been watching the recent cable wars with a bemused detachment. The Time Warner threat to leave fans without their Jack Bauer and "American Idol" sent chills down some spines, but the power of the Fox brand was too strong and the cable company caved. It turned out that Time Warner needed Fox...

I had the opportunity recently to speak with WhiteFence.com's CEO Franc Arbride about home utilities and how we might trim these expenses. He describes his site as "a comparison shopping engine for utilities and other home services," which allows the user to input his address and receive detailed...