Winthrop, Minn. fights to build municipal broadband network; Finnish police seize 9-year-old's laptop

Wireline news from across the web:

@FierceTelecom RT @TelcoRamblings: Taking a look at how many U.S. wireless towers are connected to fiber. Article | Follow @FierceTelecom

> Winthrop, Minn. is the latest city fighting to build a municipally-owned broadband network. Article

> Frost & Sullivan named Verizon a leader in Australian managed security services. Release

> A new Digital TV Research report revealed that the number of broadband-enabled homes will increase from an expected 578 million in 2012 to 745 million in 2017. Article

> AFL has completed its acquisition of ALTA Group, a provider of telecommunications services such as network management and network architecture. Release

> SES announced that the ASTRA 2F satellite has successfully completed its in-orbit testing and is now fully operational and in commercial service. Release

Cable News

> American Express is leveraging Cablevision, Verizon FiOS TV, AT&T U-verse TV, DirecTV and Dish Network to promote its credit cards. Article

> The American Cable Association, a group that represents smaller cable operators, has joined forces with satellite providers Dish Network and DirecTV, and MSO Time Warner Cable, to lobby the FCC on retransmission-consent reform. Article

Enterprise Communications News

> Oracle has upped its position in the growing Platform as a Service (PaaS) market by purchasing a stake in Engine Yard. Article

IPTV News

> Telco TV providers like AT&T and Verizon appear to have the upper hand over cable in the pay TV service market, says an Infonetics report. Article

Online Video News

> Kaltura has raised $25 million in Series D funding from new investors Mitsui Global Investment and Orix Ventures and existing investors Intel Capital, 406 Ventures, Avalon Ventures and Nexus Venture Partners. Article

> The FCC said that online video, unless it's delivered by a multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD), is exempt from new emergency information and video description rules. Article

And finally … Police in Finland raided the home of a 9-year-old and took her Winnie the Pooh laptop after her father refused to pay anti-piracy organization CIAPC, a company that had The Pirate Bay blocked by the country's ISPs. Article