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...
Roaming rate regulations target Bell Canada, Telus and Rogers
Citing a lack of competition, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission said it plans to take steps in regulating roaming rates across the country. The move is part of an ongoing process by CRTC and government...
FCC solicits public comments on unlicensed frequency use, standardization
Federal regulators on May 5 released a public notice soliciting information from stakeholders involved in the research and development as well as standards-setting associated with LTE-Unlicensed and Licensed Assisted Access.
Carriers and other telecom players are developing LTE-U as...
Push for transparency or punishment for net neutrality?
WASHINGTON – Congressional Democrats and Republicans rolled out separate bills pushing reform of the Federal Communications Commission as part of the ongoing political fight over net neutrality.
Republican Chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Rep. Greg...
WASHINGTON – Numerous U.S. public safety organizations, including the Association of Public Safety Communication Officials-International, the International Association of Police Chiefs and the National Sheriffs Association, recently sent an open letter to the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of State asking that both...
Chalks up possible delay to ‘demand for infrastructure’ and ‘workforce shortage’
HOLLYWOOD, Fla., – Michael O’Rielly, commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission warned of possible delays to the 600 MHz spectrum auction that’s planned for 2016.
O’Rielly made the comments during the annual Personal Communications Industry Association...
The Wall Street Journal reports FCC looking at DE abuse
The Federal Communications Commission is reportedly looking into revoking the $3 billion bidding discount Dish Network pocketed during the recent AWS-3 spectrum auction.
The Wall Street Journal reported that FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler had instructed his...
Regulators frowned on Comcast/TWC deal; will Charter/TWC be different?
Comcast is dropping its bid for Time Warner Cable after the Federal Communications Commission signaled that it would not approve the deal. Charter Communications may be set to back out of its bid for Bright House...
