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...
Presidential candidate Rand Paul blocks Senate reauthorization
WASHINGTON – Despite support from both parties, federal collection of phone metadata has lapsed due in large part to efforts of Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who stood against the Patriot Act provisions.
The Patriot Act formerly authorized the National...
Reuters is reporting that the Federal Communications Commission is poised to reject requests from competitors to more strictly limit the participation of Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility in the next spectrum auction, content with its current plan as opposed to more restrictive action on incentive...
Germany’s telecom regulator, the Bundesnetzagentur, this week began the bidding process for spectrum licenses in the 700 MHz band, becoming the first European country to open up the spectrum band deemed ideal for broad LTE deployments. Also on the block are spectrum licenses in the 900...
Update, 9:24 a.m. CST, May 26: Charter Communications today confirmed reports it is making a play to purchase Time Warner Cable, the second-largest cable provider in the U.S. behind Comcast, for $55 billion.
Charter also is working to purchase provider Bright House Networks, which would...
Petitioners ask higher court to decide on net neutrality
WASHINGTON – The joint petitioners seeking a stay on the implementation of net neutrality rules, which go into effect next month, have appealed the FCC's denial with a higher court.
The case has been brought before the...
AT&T remains confident of midyear close
Despite countless delays, AT&T’s pending $48.5 billion acquisition of DirecTV looks to remain on track as the companies filed extensions on the “termination date” of the planned deal as it has now passed the one-year mark since it was...
Lincoln Labs betting that political clout is a function of tech savvy
WASHINGTON – Lincoln Labs, a self-proclaimed conservative technology group created in 2013, operates with the stated goal of: “To create and support a community of like-minded individuals who desire to advance liberty in...
Use it or lose it approach to spectrum licenses to discourage speculation
WASHINGTON – Canada concluded its spectrum auction of 20-megahertz and 25-megahertz blocks in the 2500 MHz band with bids totaling close to $630 million.
Industry Canada, the governmental agency charged with conducting the auction,...
Carrier wants feds to limit spectrum auction bidding credit for designated entities
WASHINGTON – Carrier AT&T has asked the Federal Communications Commission to impose strict guidelines on the 2016 spectrum auction, limiting the bidding credit for designated entities to $10 million and imposing strict build-out...
Licensed spectrum is worth $500 billion, according to CTIA
WASHINGTON – In a new report, the lobbying group Cellular Telephone Industries Association found that licensed broadband spectrum is a foundational asset that supports the multifaceted economic machinations.
Titled Mobile Broadband Spectrum a Vital Resource For the...
WASHINGTON – The Federal Communications Commission’s decision to kill petitions against its open Internet order was met with praise from supporters and silence from groups that challenged the reclassification of the Internet as a public utility.
Pantelis Michalopoulos, who heads the Telecom, Internet and Media...
Licensed spectrum is a $500B resource
WASHINGTON – A senior telecommunications lobbyist, talking about the need for public policy opening up more broadband spectrum, boiled the situation down: “We have to keep feeding the beast.”
That’s from Tom Power, general counsel and SVP of the Cellular Telephone...
AT&T strikes out in Washington, signs interconnect agreement with Level 3
The Federal Communications Commission said it won't reconsider the part of its net neutrality policy that classifies the Internet as a public utility. AT&T Mobility and CTIA were the wireless industry's standard bearers in...
Incentive spectrum auction is seen as key by smaller carriers
WASHINGTON – The Federal Communications Commission is circulating a proposed draft order for the 2016 spectrum auction, a source familiar with the situation told Broadcasting and Cable Magazine.
According to the report, the draft order is...
