This past week I was lucky enough to find myself at the Technology Policy Institute's Aspen Forum focusing on the global information economy.  The word "Aspen" may be considered one clue to the luck ... but even more so was the crowd and the approach to the subject at hand.  One U.S. Senator, a couple of FCC Commissioners, a gaggle of folks from the likes of Google, AT&T and Time Warner plus corner-office policy wonks from Congress, the FCC and academia all came together to discuss such things as privacy and piracy, spectrum auctions, the economic implications of online video, and the world after Wikileaks and Egypt.  

It was, to put it mildly, stimulating.  (AKA my head feels like someone stuffed Jack's beanstalk AND the attendant giant inside.) So what were some key takeaways from the gathering?  Here's a smattering of ideas, phrases and policies to keep in mind:

• Phrase to Know:  If you haven't heard it yet, be ready:  "Cyber hygiene" is very, very high on policy makers minds as everyone worries over internet security.  It's a virtually impossible place to police, they agree, so getting governments, companies and individuals to keep their own houses in order will be key to a secure future.

• Spectrum Auctions:  Oh, this one was interesting ... a breakout session looking at what the dudes from D.C. clearly consider a done deal.  Spectrum auctions have got bi-partisan support in Congress, they make enormous sense for the nation's current and future broadband needs and they directly address deficit concerns. Thus the spectrum question for this crowd was definitely not "if" but "when."  Says I:  No argument on the clear need and benefit but what makes you think the fat lady at the NAB will play along?  Hmmmm ... The best response to that?  Spectrum auctions could be enormously beneficial to smaller broadcasters and if they come together perhaps the fat lady will bob in their wake.  

• On Those Comcast Conditions:  Okay, this is taken a little bit out of context but is still, I think, significant.  Famously conservative FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell (who is both funny and charming in person) clearly believes that less is more when it comes to regulation.  But, when pressed on FCC conditions attached to recent mega deals, he noted unequivocally:  "If we're going to have merger conditions, they should be enforced." •

Multiplatform Providers Brace for Irene

Our inbox was filled with alerts on how several communications companies are bracing for Hurricane Irene as the Category 4 storm continues its push toward the East Coast. Here's a rundown of how various telecom/media companies plan to protect people and networks during the extreme weather system.

• Verizon's business community and emergency management team activated its national emergency coordination center, which enables company execs to quickly deploy recovery efforts on their networks. While the company prepares for possible flooding and power outages, Verizon says it is reviewing its inventory of supplies (utility poles, cable, staffing solutions) to meet any necessary recovery needs.

• Sprint said it is actively monitoring and tracking Irene's path in relation to the company's wireless and wireline infrastructure along the coasts of the Carolinas, New England and the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions. The company is staging strategically portable generators (in addition to permanent ones) to offset the loss of commercial power to its cell towers and switches.

• SiriusXM will air a 24/7 feed of The Weather Channel to keep listeners informed about the latest information regarding Irene's path. The sat-caster will feature in-depth coverage from TWC to include evacuation and safety tips, analysis of wind movement and the landfall impact of storm pressures. SiriusXM also said its Road Dog Trucking Radio would help keep the nation's truckers updated with information on highway closures and weather throughout the storm.

• The Weather Channel announced a truly multiplatform approach to keeping people informed about the storm. In addition to airing on SiriusXM, weather.com will feature videos, maps, forecasts and analysis of Irene; live chats for users to ask questions and receive real-time updates and a 'notify' feature for mobile alerts. TWC's coverage of Irene can be followed on Twitter at @TWC_hurricane and on Facebook here.

Hurricane researcher Dr. Rick Knabb told weather.com, "This is a particularly threatening situation and it's best for people to be on alert." The site said Irene will  be a serious and multi-hazard threat for the major metro areas of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions. The storm will make its closest approach to North Carolina Friday night through Saturday moving Northeast throughout the weekend.

Good luck and stay safe. •

Etc: WOW/Wave Moves on Broadstripe - More Groupon Headaches - Google's $500M Settlement

M&A: WideOpenWest and Wave Broadband have agreed to buy bankrupt Broadstripe Communications. Court dox show WOW will pay $55M for Broadstripe assets in Michigan (92K HHs passed w/ 48K customers) while Wave is buying 60K subs and 103K HHs passed in the Pacific NW for $32M. Additionally, a coalition of industry vets are working to buy Broadstripe's Ann Arundel County (MD) property for $8M. --- The deadline for first round Hulu bids has been extended to the end of the week. --- Verizon is acquiring cloud tech firm CloudSwitch for an undisclosed amount. --- The FCC has asked AT&T for more info on its planned 4G LTE build out via the T-Mobile buy. --- Vector Capital and Motorola Solutions announced an undisclosed agreement for Vector to buy Motorola Solutions' PTP and PMP wireless broadband networks businesses.

In Court: A U.S. Judge ruled this week that a lawsuit accusing Groupon of bait-and-switch
advertising can proceed. Details here. --- The Secondary Parent Council (w/ ACLU backing) is suing the city of Newark for failing to fully disclose how it will spend the $100M donated by Facebook's Mark Z.

$$$: A NYT report says Google will drop $500M to settle DOJ charges that it illegally showed ads for online pharmacies that led to drugs being imported into the country. --- Online video software company Brightcove has plans to raise about $50M through an IPO sometime later this summer. --- Online sports pub Bleacher Report closed a $22M funding round.

Alt. Video: ESPN kicked off an updated, redesigned user interface for ESPN on Xbox LIVE to include a slew of new features and extra content. Check out SportsNation's intro vid for the service here. --- Mobile tech firm NeuLion scored a deal with Major League Soccer (MLS) to deliver the league's MatchDay Live program to connected Panasonic TVs and Roku devices.

Distribution: LIN Television began notifying Mediacom subs in the Mobile-Pensacola DMA that they may lose Fox-affiliate WALA and CW-affiliate WFNA if it can't come to a retrans agreement with the cable op by 8/31. The companies are still negotiating. (See map.) --- Unversity of Texas' Longhorn Network will now be carried on Verizon's FiOS TV. --- DISH Network will be the first U.S. provider to carry ONE World Sports (OWS), an independent channel for Asian sports.

Quarterly Reports: In what TiVo is calling a "milestone" period, the company reported service and tech revs up 18% y/y to $49.6M while weathering a net loss of $19.6M during Q2 ($.17/share). TiVo can thank DISH for its $300M settlement payment giving the DVR company $628M in cash and short-term investments on the period.

Mobile: J.D. Power ranked Verizon Wireless highest in network quality in the NE, W, SE, SW and Mid-Atlantic regions totaling 43 states. The firm's 2011 network quality study says overall performance varies depending on user activity and device as more problems are reported while placing calls as compared to data-related issues.

Retail: Verizon Wireless said its brick-and-mortar stores will soon begin accepting credit card payments for customers' mobile bills in order to drive smartphone sales.

Rumor Mill: AT&T says stories claiming the company will unfriend its HTC Status (the smartphone w/ a dedicated Facebook button) are, like, so untrue.

Enterprise: Cablevision is partnering with Sprint to provide discounted wireless services and equipment to Optimum Business customers that subscribe to both Optimum Voice and Optimum Online.

SkyREPORT: Arianespace said it has taken delivery of the Ariane5 ECA for the launch of Arabsat-5C and SES-2 satellites on Sept. 9. --- Sat research group Euroconsult estimates that 1,145 birds will be built for launch during the next 10 years, a 51% increase than the previous decade. Revenues from said satellites will hit $196B, the firm said.

Up, Down & Over There: The Toronto-based, Netflix-like movie VOD service Hollywood Suite said it will launch in November featuring 450 uncut and unedited films from Warner Bros. and MGM, among others. --- Liberty Global acquired a 40% stake in Bosnian FTA broadcaster OBN through its international content arm Chellomedia for an undisclosed amount. --- With revenues expected to triple over the next 5 years, Digital TV Research says Brazil is the "most dynamic" pay-TV market on the planet. --- U.K.-based ANT, a digital TV service provider, launched its ANT Galio Move platform enabling TV viewers to stream live and recorded content directly from an STB or TV via Wi-Fi to a companion device such as a tablet.

Misc.: MFM's annual Media Outlook 2012 seminar, designed to help industry execs interpret market forecasts and prepare next-year budgets, will take place Sept. 22 in NYC. Read more. --- Registration is now open for SBCA's free SkyFORUM 2011 virtual tradeshow set for Oct. 26-27. Click here to learn more and register. --- Webcasts of discussion panels and keynote speakers at this year's Technology Policy Institute Aspen Forum are available for viewing at TPI's website.

Oops: The link in Thursday's Morning BRIDGE citing a NYTs article detailing Time Warner Cable's move to subsidize Slingbox purchases was broken. Here's the story again with the corrected link: Time Warner Cable said that it will subsidize purchases of the Slingbox (via a $300 rebate) for subscribers of its $99/month Wideband service. Cool x 2. Says our own PSM: "Gotta love it... subsidizing EchoStar's Slingbox is a sort of in-your-face to Viacom. There's more than one way to move a signal around a home." NYT has details.

--- Catch today's media market news from The Evening BRIDGE. •