What if you paid for your Internet access as if it were a utility bill?

This is what Mr. Randall Stephenson, AT&T Chairman and Chief Executive Officer has confirmed. Stephenson made this comment during his keynote webcast at the Morgan Stanley Conference this past Tuesday.

For the industry, we’ll progressively move towards more of what I call variable pricing, so the heavy [-use] consumers will pay more than the lower consumers,” Stephenson said in the webcast of the meeting.

Read more at the Huffington Post….

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009 has targeted broadband as an instrument to help in revitalizing our economy. The investment in this information infrastructure will not only help to create jobs but assist in developing new technologies, applications and services. These initiatives are part of the — “Transforming Our Economy With Science And Technology” heading. The recovery bill states that “for every dollar invested in broadband the economy sees a ten-fold return on that investment.” The bill plans to allocate (in grants) $6 billion dollars to expand broadband access to businesses and every community.

Read more at the Huffington Post….

I was invited to a private Project Natal sneak peek. The event was held at the beautiful EZ Studios in New York City. I met with a member Project Natal product team. She gave us a brief explanation of the Natal vision and gave us only a few technical details:

• RBG camera
• depth camera
• Current games will not be compatible with Natal

Read more at The Huffington Post…

Microsoft and Electronic Arts (EA) have partnered to bring you The Hasbro Family Game Night. As of March 18, 2009 you can download Sorry!, Sorry! Sliders, Scrabble, Connect 4, Battleship and Yahtzee; all through the XBOX LIVE Arcade. Once you have the games on your XBOX (goto Arcade|Genre|Family|Family Game Night) you can then invite family to play. They can be sitting right next to you or across the country; sorry Game Night is only available for US customers. Also don’t forget that Microsoft has over 200 family friendly games that will get everyone in the mood to play on the Xbox 360.

To ensure that Family Game Night is always family-friendly, 360 offers parental controls. Family Settings help parents manage kids online interactions over, the types of games, movies and TV shows they have access to and the amount of time they can spend on the console. The Hasbro Family Game Night game pack is free so there is no reason not to downloaded it and start enjoying some quality family time.

Microsoft is also encouraging that families start a Family Movie Night. You can download or instantly watch over 30,000 movies and TV shows on Xbox LIVE. Don’t forget about the over 100, 000 Netflix titles. Additionally, Microsoft is also launching the Zune Marketplace; sometime before Christmas. This is where you will be able access a massive music and video library. Microsoft has also partnered with Facebook and Twitter. These applications will be available before Christmas. The applications will allow you and family to keep in touch with other family and friends. Lastly, Microsoft is also placing LAST.fm on the 360 so you can enjoy your music whenever you want. Each of these enhancements are designed to not only enhance your 360 experience but keep you and your family entertained and safe.

Microsoft intimately understands that family is core to our community. They are also clearly aware that the average family is under various economic constraints. This is the reason why Microsoft is taking such extreme steps to provide families with an inexpensive entertainment experience. Hasbro and Microsoft are dedicated to bringing families more fun and entertainment at a discount.