In smart grids the formerly separated worlds of energy and telecommunication converge to an interactive and automated energy supply system. Driven by social, legal, and economic pressures, energy systems around the globe are updated with information and communication technology. These investments aim at enhancing energy efficiency, securing affordable energy supply, and mitigate climate change. In Broadband Networks, Smart Grids and Climate Change, renowned scholars and managers from the fields of energy and telecommunication address key questions related to technological, strategic, and regulatory issues revealing consequences and opportunities for businesses evolving with smart grids. In particular, this book analyzes: (1) the effects on climate change protection (2) national energy and broadband politics (3) regulatory approaches and requirements (4) emerging business models

Internet TV is the quintessential digital convergence medium, linking television, telecommunications, the Internet, computer applications, games, and more. Soon, venturing beyond the convenience of viewer choice and control, Internet TV will enable and encourage new types of entertainment, education, and games that take advantage of the Internet's interactive capabilities. What Internet TV is today and can be in the future forms the context for this book. Arising from collaboration between the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information (CITI) and the European Institute for the Media (EIM), this volume investigates the advent of widely available individual broadband Internet communications and their impact on the development of Internet TV. Editors Eli Noam, Jo Groebel, and Darcy Gerbarg have collected seminal papers by leaders from the U.S. and European media and technology industries that offer a critical look at the impact of interactivity on television content, and address the need for media organizations to create interactive programming in this untapped realm with unclear consumer interest and desires. Each section of the volume fleshes out key issues and concepts of television and the Internet: *Part I, Infrastructure Implications of Internet TV, discusses questions about the required network capacity for various quality grades to deliver individualized broadband to homes. *Part II, Network Business Models and Strategies, addresses the business challenges of making Internet TV a financial success. *Part III, Policy, examines policy issues, including copyright and regulation. *Part IV, Content and Culture, reviews available content, those creating it, and how consumers view Internet TV content. *Part V, Future Impacts, considers future global prospects for Internet TV content creation and distribution. Internet Television is an essential resource for professionals and scholars in new technology and media studies, media policy, telecommunication, broadcasting, and related areas. It is also appropriate for graduate seminars in telecommunications, media and new technologies, and broadcasting and the Internet.