Cable industry news from across the Web:
> Mincing no words, Congressman ED Markey said that a proposed merger of AT&T (NYSE: T) and T-Mobile would be an "historic mistake." Story.
> The NCTA has asked the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) to stop giving out money until it sorts out its broadband loans program. News release.
> One way for broadcasters to polish and revise their image is to take on a new name, a Television Broadcast item suggests. Story.
> There's some thought that Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT), ever-eager to enter the TV business, could do it through Skype. Story.
And finally ... BCM is working with Arris and BigBand to demonstrate EBIF at a CableLabs interop. News release.