Policy

Pakistani government wanted BlackBerry to share data generated by enterprise clients Canadian company BlackBerry plans on leaving the Pakistan market following a disagreement with the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority regarding access to information stored on BlackBerry Enterprise Services servers. BlackBerry COO …

AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon expected to make up majority of auction’s $35B haul; wild cards include Google, Softbank Analysts are still trying to parse out expected bidding plans for participants in the Federal Communications Commission’s upcoming 600 MHz incentive auction, …

FCC looks to change rules governing the Wireless Emergency Alert system WASHINGTON – The Federal Communications Commission held its monthly open meeting on Nov. 19. The meeting was brief and without controversy, although public safety discussion was colored by recent terror …

WASHINGTON – Federal Chief Information Officer: “We are facing a crisis …” The U.S. government, despite commanding a $3.8 trillion budget, is lagging behind many other developed countries in IT and “Internet of Things” investment. When most people think of …

Japanese telco announced a contract with Smart Communications Japanese telecom operator NTT DoCoMo announced it will provide mobile network consulting services to overseas mobile operators. Starting Nov. 23, the Japanese operator said it will provide network consulting services to Philippines-based Smart …

FCC Chairman Wheeler said T-Mobile Binge On service ‘highly innovative and highly competitive’ The T-Mobile Binge On program appears to have received the cautious approval of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler, who this week indicated the offer was “highly …

Washington, Nebraska, New York, Illinois and Missouri have the highest wireless tax rates Research group the Tax Foundation, in a new report, found that the average wireless consumer in the U.S. pays a combined 18% rate in federal, state and local …

The National Association of Broadcasters is asking the Federal Communications Commission to extend its 39-month spectrum repacking deadline for up to 1,200 TV stations after next year’s TV spectrum incentive auction citing insufficient tower crews to complete the job in …

David Cameron announces ‘universal service obligation’ to push broadband access As the world becomes increasingly connected, broadband access has evolved from being something that’s nice to have to something’s that’s imperative to live and work in the modern world. Fostering …

Broadband could be bond-financed, run by nonprofits, result from public-private partnerships or compel big ISPs to offer better services in rural areas WASHINGTON – On Nov. 3, voters went to the polls across the country to weigh-in on numerous races …

FCC fines Cox for 2014 data breach orchestrated by ‘Lizard Squad’ hacker group Cox Communications agreed to pay a $595,000 fine to the Federal Communications Commission tied to a 2014 data breach that exposed customers’ personal information to third parties. …

GSMA estimates the industry will need up to 800 megahertz of additional spectrum by 2020 The use of additional “C-band” spectrum in the 3.4 GHz to 4.2 GHz bands for mobile broadband in London and Shenzhen alone will generate an …

T-Mobile US claims Dish’s abuse of bidding process deserves punishment You can officially count T-Mobile US as a fan of Dish Network not being allowed to participate in the planned re-auction of 1.7/2.1 GHz spectrum assets it returned to the Federal …

Don’t buy spectrum, share the 3.5 GHz band DALLAS, Texas – Google’s principal wireless architect, Preston Marshall, on Monday laid out the benefits of sharing, not buying, access to the 3.5 GHz spectrum band. The 3.5 GHz band, primarily allocated …

Fake cell towers, aka stingrays, back in the news Devices that mimic cell towers, called stingrays and are essentially fake cell towers, are back in the news this week as the U.S. Congress considers creating new regulations on these devices. …

CMA doesn’t think BT/EE deal will hurt competition in mobile sector The U.K.’s competition and consumer authority, CMA, has provisionally cleared BT’s anticipated acquisition of mobile operator EE. After looking in detail at different markets – including the supply of …

WASHINGTON – The nation’s capital was abuzz following news that the GOP-led Congress and White House had reached a wide-ranging budget compromise that will set federal spending levels for the rest of the Obama administration and into 2017. Among the items included …

UK regulator Ofcom plans spectrum auction in early 2016 to bolster LTE, lay groundwork for 5G U.K. telecom regulator Ofcom said it plans to conduct a spectrum auction early next year in a move to bolster domestic LTE operations as …

India and Southeast Asia led in terms of revenue growth Swedish telecom equipment vendor Ericsson recorded net income of 3.1 billion kronor ($365 million) in the third quarter of the year, climbing 19% year-on-year, the company said in its earnings statement. …

Earlier this month, the Federal Communications Commission granted AT&T Mobility a waiver related to voice-over-Wi-Fi calling as it applies to people with hearing problems; competitor Verizon Communications is now following suit. AT&T’s waiver is valid until Dec. 31, 2017, and was …

CTIA VP said the move will be ‘critical’ to developing 5G, IoT WASHINGTON – Following its October open meeting, the Federal Communications Commission discussion on opening up new spectrum is being well-received by the telecom industry. The FCC issued of …

Commissioner: ‘The race to 5G is on and this gets us out the gate’ WASHINGTON – At the Federal Communications Commission open meeting on Oct. 22, commissioners addressed a number of issues that have been circulating the Beltway policy shops …

Six prepaid calling card providers found guilty of deceptive marketing A half-dozen prepaid calling card providers were slapped by the Federal Communications Commission with a combined $30 million in fines for “deceptively marketing” their products. The FCC found that Locus …

The Competitive Carriers Association’s 2015 Annual Convention featured comments from FCC Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Michael O’Rielly, who acknowledged CCA and its members for their leadership on behalf of competitive policy issues. CCA’s Annual Convention took place Oct. 7-9 at …

After much anticipation, the Federal Communications Commission announced opening bid prices for the upcoming 600 MHz incentive auction. The spectrum auction, currently set to begin March 29, will be different than past events in that it will include a forward …