MediaBiz

Stay Calm? The FCC issued its CALM order today ... in a regime built around complaints, small ops won't have to monitor much unless consumers file lots of complaints. The rules passed this morning; they go into effect 10/13/12.

Analyze This: Bernstein Research analyst Craig Moffett says his top pick for most important media news revolves arounds MSOs flexing their wireless muscles. On this point, he notes the new Time Warner Cable app which lets Android users in Southern CA to "locate and log into any TWC Wi-Fi hotpot." There are a lot of them, he notes, just as there are lots of Cablevision Wi-Fi hotspots in the greater NY Metro area. Take these trials, roll them up into rumors of a nation-wide interconnected Wi-Fi cable net and you have – ta da! – yet another potential game changer. (Moffett cites a good LightReading.com article on the speculation.) --- Collins Stewart's Tom Eagan says he's expecting ~90K net new subs for DISH in the fourth quarter as the MVPD has put most of its second half promotional budget into 4Q. He ranks the DBS player a BUY with a price target of $37. --- AT&T got a gold star from Gartner Inc. which named the telco a leader in its 2011 Magic Quadrant for U.S. telecom providers.

Money & Markets: Some analysts are calling it "absurd," but rumors that Netflix is in talks with Verizon sent shares soaring in yesterday's generally down market. Verizon is serious about the deal, Mediatech Capital managing partner Porter Bibb told "Bloomberg West." --- ViaSat hit a 52-week intraday high of $48.86 in trading today.

Strategies: More saber rattling from DISH as CEO Joe Clayton says the No. 2 DBS company is eyeing an online service. He also said the company would consider making a deal with a wireless partner. More from Bloomberg and Reuters.

In Court: Verizon has lost yet another round in U.S. District Court as Judge Raymond A. Jackson denied the telco's motion seeking a stay of monthly royalty payments in the patent infringement case brought by ActiveVideo Networks. The first payment, in a series of judgements finding Verizon liable for up to $250M, calls for $2.74/subscriber per month, due Dec. 16. --- In the Verizon v. Cablevision broadband speed battle, VZ fired back in court citing the FCC report on broadband speeds and alleging that, ""The best that Cablevision can claim is that it is not misrepresenting its broadband speeds quite as much today as in the past." We're sure CVC will have a response to that ....

Retrans: Too many retrans negotiations now ongoing to even try to report them all. Just be aware that hundreds of deals are up in the air (so to speak) and, yes, some channels could go dark in some markets at year's end ... as they just did for TWC in Corpus Christi, TX as KRIS-TV goes off.

Strategies: Mostly spurned by the U.S. pay TV market, Al Jazeera English has popped up on Google TV and Google Chrome. More from Broadband TV News.

More News in The Morning BRIDGE ... early tomorrow in your in-box.•