Online classifieds sites are drawing more users, comScore said. Traffic to top online classifieds sites grew 47% to about 22% of the total Internet population, the study found. Craigslist.org led the classified site category, drawing 13.8 million visitors in July 2006, up 99% from last year. Trader Publishing Company ranked 2nd with 10.2 million visitors (up 15%) and AutoTrader came in 3rd with 6.4 million visitors (up 14%). AutoTrader, Cars.com and Apartments.com also made the top 10. The study noted online classified users “distinct” profile: 25-34s and those with household incomes of $100,000 a year minimum each were 23% likelier to visit online ad sites. Pacific region users were 29% more likely than average to visit such sites, the study said.

Sales to dealers, from CEA, for 2004’s Week 48 ending Dec. 3 and year to date:

Although some analysts believe demand will be weak at first for videogame consoles in the next hardware cycle, Activision CEO Robert Kotick offered a far more bullish projection at the RBC Capital Markets N. American Technology Conference Mon. in Half Moon Bay, Cal.

Even if it’s VoIP, telecom is “an essential public service” and local govts. will want to make sure reliable service is available to the public, said Marilyn Showalter, chmn. of the Washington Utilities & Transportation Commission. NATOA Pres. Coralie Wilson said govts. “simply cannot let technical standards lapse” just because of VoIP: “We need assurance the network will continue to operate.” Speaking on the same local govt. panel here, Neb. PSC Comr. Anne Boyle said “consumer protection goes beyond CALEA and E911.” She said VoIP providers need to comply with best practices, as well as with good customer service, and consumers are “who the government is there to protect.” At a later panel of FCC bureau chiefs, Wilson raised the question of mandating technical standards for new telecom services. He got little response, other than from Robert Pepper, FCC chief of policy development. Pepper indicated only that the Network Reliability & Interoperability Council would deal with such issues, and that the diversification of telecom into wireless and IP-based services increases diversity of the overall network. Local govt. officials spent much of their time talking about how to assure Universal Service Fund (USF) funding with the arrival of new technologies. Cal. PUC Comr. Susan Kennedy endorsed a per-number USF fee. Showalter agreed that’s probably “pretty reasonable,” though she said in the long term telephone numbers won’t be needed. Fla. PSC Comr. Charles Davidson, however, said USF “needs a business plan… It shouldn’t be a program that just expands and becomes a new tax.” Showalter suggested broadband will be necessary in the future and if people can’t afford it “government must assure that it gets there.” Kennedy, however, said Internet and video services “clearly” don’t qualify for USF. -- MF

Saying his company “absolutely” expects to boost its digital audio player market share via 2-year exclusive deal with Napster to offer co-branded devices, Samsung Digital Audio Mktg. Mgr. Mark Farrish said company planned to offer “a strong product assortment next year that will be Napster-compliant.” Farrish said Samsung now had #3 market share globally.

Launch of XM Satellite Radio has been full of surprises, Chmn. Gary Parsons told Salomon Smith Barney conference in Scottsdale Thurs. Company had expected subscribers to skew strongly toward men 18-34, core of the car stereo market. Instead, early buyers have come almost evenly from those ages 18- 55, Parsons said. He attributed that to drawing power of XM’s several channels each of jazz, classical music and news. Older purchasers are helping make add-on hardware more popular than in- dash units because they aren’t inclined to rip existing music systems out of their cars, Parsons said.

Launch of XM Satellite Radio has been full of surprises, Chmn. Gary Parsons told Solomon Smith Barney conference in Scottsdale Thurs. Company had expected subscribers to skew strongly toward men 18-34, core of the car stereo market. Instead, early buyers have come almost evenly from those aged 18-55, Parsons said. He attributed that to drawing power of XM’s several channels each of jazz, classical music, news. Older purchasers are helping make add-on hardware more popular than in-dash units because they aren’t inclined to rip existing music systems out of their cars, Parsons said.