Analyst upgrades:

• FBR Capital upgraded Frontline (NYSE: FRO) to Market Perform from Underperform to reflect the company's above-average day rates and alleviated near-term financing pressures. The firm raised its target on shares to $23 from $14.
• Baird upgraded Varian Medical (NASDAQ: VARI) to Outperform from Neutral and said checks at ESTRO meeting indicate European radiation therapy market demand will remain "respectable" in 2010 and that launch of Unique could drive incremental demand in developing markets. The firm has a $49 target on shares.
• Goldman believes GameStop (NYSE: GME) Street expectations are beatable and valuation is attractive. The firm upgraded shares to Conviction Buy from Neutral and has a $28 target.
• Borg-Warner (NYSE: BWA) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Wells Fargo.
• KKR Financial (NYSE: KFN) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at JMP Securities.
• Cathay Pacific (OTC: CPCAY) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.

Analyst upgrades:

• JMP Securities upgraded Vertex Pharma (NASDAQ: VRTX) to Outperform from Market Perform following better-than-expected interim data for telaprevir.
  
• Lazard Capital upgraded shares of Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) to Buy from Hold on valuation after their physician survey indicated solid sales growth in the company's MS franchise.
  
• Calyon upgraded Data Domain (NASDAQ: DDUP) to Add from Neutral based on positive channel checks and valuation.
• Goldman added Buckeye GP (NYSE: BGH) to the Conviction Buy List.
  
• Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) was upgraded to Hold from Sell and Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) was raised to Hold from Reduce at WestLB.
  
• Keefe Bruyette upgraded Cowen Group (NASDAQ: COWN) to OUtperform from Market Perform.

Analyst downgrades:

• Deutsche Bank downgraded shares of Lloyds TSB Group (NYSE: LYG) to Sell from Hold as they believe loan loss risk will outweigh synergies from the acquisition of HBOS (HBOOY).
  
• Citigroup downgraded shares of National Financial Partners (NYSE: NFP) to Hold from Buy and removed the stock from the Top Picks Live List after the company announced July and August revenues and said pressure continues. The firm lowered their target to $20 from $28.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Motorola, Nokia, General Mills, AudioCodes and OceanFreight were today's noteworthy upgrades:

• Cowen upgraded shares of Motorola Inc (NYSE: MOT) and Nokia Corporation (NYSE: NOK) to Outperform from Neutral. The firm expects Motorola to benefit as the mobile phone market in North America improves as market supply tightens in Q4 and results in better unit pricing, while Nokia's new phones put it in a position to realize higher unit sales.
  
• Credit Suisse upgraded shares of General Mills Inc (NYSE: GIS) to Outperform from Neutral citing management's improved execution and openness, and well as valuation.
  
• Cantor raised shares of AudioCodes (NASDAQ: AUDC) to Buy from Hold after channel checks suggested that Q3 business is tracking well.
  
• OceanFreight Inc (NASDAQ: OCNF) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Oppenheimer on valuation and strong dry-bulk fundamentals.

OTHER UPGRADES:

• Lehman upgraded shares of Roche Holding (OTC: RHHBY) to Overweight from Equal Weight.
  
• Goldman upgraded Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) to Neutral from Sell.
  
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Buckeye Partners (NYSE: BPL) to Buy from Hold.
  
• Citigroup raised Canadian Natural Resources (NYSE: CNQ) to Buy from Hold.

Don't have cable? DSL not available? The solution may be as close as your electrical lines. DirecTV Group (NYSE: DTV) is considering a test of broadband over power lines (BPL), which, if successful, could bring high-speed connectivity to virtually every American household.

Broadband over power lines technology builds on the proven ability to communicate via a signal superimposed over the AC current that supplies our homes. The same technology is already used in house intercoms, for example.

DirecTV is looking for ways to address customer demand for high-speed internet access, knowing that it needs to compete with companies such as Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) to offer a profitable bundled product: internet, cable, and telephone. At present, the company is forced to partner with local providers, and awkward and unsatisfying compromise.

BPL is not without its critics, however. The ham radio organization ARRL, in a complaint to the FCC, explains that the technology causes massive radio interference across a range of frequencies.

If this doesn't fly, look for DirecTV to pursue other, probably more costly, solutions as quickly as possible. It knows that every day, competitors' crews are stringing more fiber optics and setting up more wifi networks, moving DirecTV one step closer to obsolescence.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Cadbury Schweppes ADS (CSG) and Buckeye Partners (BPL) were today's most notable rating changes.

• Wachovia started Cadbury Schweppes ADS (NYSE: CSG) with an Outperform rating. They said Cadbury's long-term global confectionery opportunities are among the best in the industry and the recent buyout of its U.S. Dr. Pepper/Seven-Up bottling unit provides high-leverage cash flow.

• Buckeye Partners Ltd (NYSE: BPL) was initiated with an Underperform rating and a $48 target at RBC based on valuation.

OTHER INITIATIONS:

• Stanford initiated AudioCodes Ltd (NASDAQ: AUDC) with a Buy rating and $15 target. The firm believes AudioCodes is an inexpensive play on the migration to packet networks.

• Stifel initiated William Partners LP (NYSE: WPZ) with a Buy rating and $46.50 target.

• AG Edwards started BioMarin Pharmaceutical inc (NASDAQ: BMRN) with a Buy rating and $25 target.

• Pacer International Inc (NASDAQ: PACR) was initiated with a Hold rating at Stifel.

• Morgan Stanley started Lyondell Chemical Company (NYSE: LYO) with an Overweight rating and $38 target.

• Buckingham initiated Chattem Inc (NASDAQ: CHTT) with an Accumulate rating and $64 target, citing high margins, cash flow and reduced debt.

Analyst summaries provided by TheFlyOnTheWall.com (subscription required).

With broadband internet in the homes of tens of millions of Americans these days, options like cable modems, DSL modems and even citywide wireless internet access have blossomed into viable ways to get internet content streaming into the homes of millions. So much, in fact, that the replacement of traditional television waves by content streamed from the internet continue to be talked about in media circles -- even though we are a long way from that happening in any acceptable form.

Retailer Best Buy Company, Inc. (NYSE:BBY) sees a relatively slower but intriguing new option to get broadband internet into homes -- broadband over power lines, or BPL. A broadband connectivity that flows over the existing electrical grid right into homes or apartments through electrical outlets seems like the perfect fit for giving the entire country easy access to broadband internet connectivity.

But what about interest from influential entities? Chalk one up for Best Buy For Business, which is offering this service to customers (although I'm not sure on the details). When the largest consumer electronics retailer in the country takes an interest through its business arm, something good is afoot most likely.