Federal subsidy expansion gets FCC nod to include rural broadband Internet for low-income Americans
WASHINGTON – The Federal Communications Commission appears set to go ahead with plans to offer $1.7 billion in subsidies to connect poor Americans to the Internet.
On June 18, the FCC voted...
Goal of wireless legislation is to reallocate federal spectrum for commercial uses
WASHINGTON – On June 18, a group of Republican senators reintroduced the Wireless Innovation Act, which is meant to reallocate federally held wireless spectrum to push innovation.
Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Kelly Ayotte...
FCC wants to reserve UHF channels for unlicensed use, NAB cries foul
WASHINGTON – The FCC has proposed that, after the next incentive auction, one UHF channel in each market be set aside for unlicensed white space devices like wireless microphones.
The move signals an acknowledgement...
Quarter-billion-dollar investment is coming from FCC’s Connect America Fund
WASHINGTON – Frontier Communications has announced the receipt of $238 million from the Federal Communications Commission’s Connect America Fund to expand broadband Internet access to 1.3 million rural Americans across 28 states.
Dan McCarthy, Frontier president and...
Deutsche Telekom and Telefónica also in the mix for 700 MHz spectrum
After 181 rounds of bidding spread over 16 days, Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom and Telefónica emerged as the high bidders vying for access to 700 MHz spectrum covering Germany.
According to the numbers, Vodafone was...
Wireless service tax cut to slice 1.73% off cellphone bills
Florida’s wireless customers are set to see a tax break on future bills as the state’s Legislature this week passed a $400 million tax plan that includes a stipulation that will see wireless phone bills...
Report suggests Wheeler against T-Mobile US request for 40 megahertz spectrum reserve
The Federal Communications Commission is reportedly set to dismiss a request from T-Mobile US to increase the amount of reserved spectrum set aside for the upcoming 600 MHz spectrum auction.
Bloomberg Business cited people...
Potential merger still has to pass muster with foreign regulators
WASHINGTON – Following months of speculation and a long and complex process, a merger between Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent is one very large step closer to being finalized.
The companies have announced that the U.S. Department of...
Discord among FCC commissioners; Pai sites Kafka while O’Rielly defends AT&T’s actions
The Federal Communications Commission today announced plans to fine AT&T Mobility $100 million for misleading customers about its unlimited data plan offering.
Specifically, FCC investigators allege that AT&T “severely slowed down the data speeds...
Appeals court ruling paves way for 600 MHz incentive auction to proceed
The Federal Communications Commission scored a significant victory in its attempt to conduct its controversial 600 MHz incentive auction, with an appeals court striking down a challenge by the National Association of Broadcasters.
In...
FCC has gained ground in text-to-911 and improving location accuracy for vital public safety system
WASHINGTON – The 911 system is responsible for providing emergency dispatch for 300 million people. If it goes down for even a few hours, as happened in April 2014, millions...
WASHINGTON – Decades after they were invented and became a staple of everyday life, mobile phones are finally finding a clear legal footing in U.S. courts.
Mobile technology has spurred a multiyear global debate touching on issues such as privacy, freedom of speech, civil rights...
The Federal Communication Commission's net neutrality rules became law today, after a federal court rejected an industry attempt to avoid Title II regulation. However, Internet service providers have said they will continue to fight, and it looks like they will have some help from...
Proposed funding requires strict regulations related to FCC regulatory power
WASHINGTON – The proposed federal budget recently released by the U.S. House of Representatives cuts Federal Communications Commission funding and effectively puts the brakes on the net neutrality debate, at least until the legal challenges are resolved.
The...
Canadian Parliament is considering so-called right to know legislation
WASHINGTON – Despite a preponderance of scientific evidence, there are still pockets of people holding onto the notion that radio frequency energy could present public health concerns.
In Berkeley, Calif., the city council unanimously passed a measure requiring stores...
"Rebuilding the Internet in space," is how SpaceX describes its plan to provide the entire world with Internet service via satellite. In a Federal Communications Commission filing, the company said that it wants to launch 4,000 low-orbit satellites that circle the globe.
SpaceX founder Elon...
Argument that FCC has essentially reclassified VoIP services
WASHINGTON – Net neutrality is rapidly becoming an issue that is very good for lawyers. On June 8, TechFreedom, CARI.net and self-described leading Internet entrepreneurs Jeff Pulver, Scott Banister, Charles Giancarlo, David Frankel and Wendell Brown filed...
Using technology to drive inclusion is good for people and business
WASHINGTON – Access to mobile technology is changing the world around us, but it’s more than being able to watch cat videos while riding the bus.
The recent M-Enabling Conference brought together companies from 28...
Lawyer: Berkeley ordinance violates the First Amendment
WASHINGTON – A major telecom lobbying group has filed suit to strike down a Berkeley, Calif., city ordinance that requires retailers to warn customers about dangers associated with RF radiation.
Berkeley city officials passed the so-called Right to Know...
The Federal Communications Commission has been examining the possibility of doing away with its call-forwarding requirements for non-service-initialized (NSI) phones as part of its on going efforts to modernize national emergency telecom infrastructure.
The regulatory agency is soliciting comment. From the notice: “We seek comment...
The “Un-carrier” wants regulators to increase reserve for upcoming 600 MHz auction
In a June 2 letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler, T-Mobile US pushed for the feds to include a larger reserve of 600 MHz spectrum in an upcoming auction to foster...
Coalition of lobbying and industry groups sent a letter in support of the pending Wi-Fi Innovation Act
WASHINGTON – Telecommunications lobbying groups want federal lawmakers to open up unlicensed spectrum in the 5 GHz band to create more capacity for Wi-Fi.
In an open letter to...
Is broadband access key to elevating low-income Americans into the middle class?
WASHINGTON – Efforts by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler and Democratic lawmakers to expand the Lifeline Assistance Program to provide low-cost Internet connection to low-income Americans is facing resistance from Republican lawmakers.
Sen....
CTIA lobbyists support the push to bridge the digital divide
WASHINGTON – Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), in conjunction with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), introduced legislation to modernize the Universal Service Fund’s Lifeline Assistance Program to include subsidized access to broadband.
The...
