Wireline news from across the web:
@FierceTelecom RT @ ALU Ultra-Broadband: "We are here to stay," says Alcatel-Lucent CEO Michel Combes on CNBC. Video | Follow @FierceTelecom
> CenturyLink signs deal to add SEC Network programming to its Prism TV lineup in Columbia, Mo. Article
> Costa Rica reached 11,888 VoIP telephony lines by the end of 2013, up 21 percent year-over-year, according to the country's Superintendency of Telecommunications. Article (sub. req.)
> Illinois completes its $100 million, four-year network project to connect 55 counties to a high-speed 1,000-mile fiber-based broadband network. Article
> Vodafone Germany is now offering a 100/40 Mbps broadband service that leverages VDSL and vectoring technology. Article
Cable News
> So what are the chances that a combined Comcast and Time Warner Cable pass the antitrust portion of the merger's regulatory review? TechDirt provides a fairly practical framework using the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index, the essential tool used in antitrust law to determine market concentration. Article
> Ramping up efforts to serve low-income families as it seeks federal approval of its $45 billion proposed merger with Time Warner Cable, Comcast has formally announced a plan to offer six months of free Internet service to low-income families. Article
Wireless News
> At least one of the deals T-Mobile US recently engaged in to get more 700 MHz A Block spectrum was with I-700 A Block LLC for two spectrum licenses in the Midwest, according to an FCC filing. Article
> Carriers sell smartphones, tablets, USB modems, mobile hotspots, wirelessly-connected dog collars and more. Now Sprint is adding another gadget to the list: remote-controlled drones. Article
And finally… Researcher: Antivirus products can make computers even more vulnerable. Article