911 outage drew a $17.4M fine for operators responsible
WASHINGTON – Following the steepest fines ever levied for 911 outages, federal regulators are taking steps to expand the database of public safety operators equipped to handle text-to-911.
The Federal Communications Commission issued a public notice on...
Social Security numbers part of customer data stolen at 3 AT&T centers tied to mobile device trafficking
AT&T was hit with a $25 million fine tied to the unauthorized disclosure of personal information of nearly 280,000 U.S. customers. The Federal Communications Commission noted the data breaches...
Government agents have been collecting Americans' phone records since 1992, according to USA Today. The U.S. Justice Department's Drug Enforcement Administration asked carriers for logs of almost all calls made from the U.S. to as many as 116 countries.
The logs were used for 20...
Standard General and Sprint acquire RadioShack in bankruptcy auction
General Wireless has received federal court approval to take over 1,743 RadioShack stores after the struggling retailer declared bankruptcy in February.
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court oversaw the auction that resulted in General Wireless, a subsidiary of Standard...
South Korean authorities also investigating Qualcomm for antitrust issues
WASHINGTON – Qualcomm is looking to reestablish its importance in China following a $975 million fine imposed by China’s National Development and Reform Commission.
Qualcomm President Derek Aberle told the Financial Times during the Boao Economic Forum...
The small town of Chanute, Kan., has hit a bit of a roadblock in its effort to install a 1 Gbps fiber network in the town.
AT&T, the provider of Chanute’s 6 Mbps DSL network, is using a 1947 Kansas law that requires permission from the...
FCC: Domestic violence, overdose among failed calls
WASHINGTON – Imagine a loved one seizing up with a heart attack or waking up in the middle of the night from the sound of an intruder in your home. Most people would likely reach for their phone to...
ZTE is part of Chinese initiative to clean-up transportation
WASHINGTON – ZTE, one of the largest global telecom manufacturers, is expanding into electric car charging.
The South China Morning Post reports that ZTE is expecting to gain contracts to provide charging equipment for 10 of China’s...
Federal judge tosses AT&T’s claim that carrier isn’t subject to FTC authority in data throttling lawsuit
The Federal Trade Commission can continue its data throttling lawsuit against AT&T, according to a March 31 decision handed down by the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California.
The...
Verizon’s advertising tracking tags drew Congressional rebuke
Making good on a January promise, Verizon Wireless customers, as of March 31, can opt out of a targeted advertising program powered by so-called supercookies.
Supercookies are an identification number used to track and tag Internet users for advertisement...
Ericsson, Duetsche Telekom, China Mobile and others eye the future
As carriers continue the research and development that will inform the next generation of 5G mobile networks, Deutsche Telekom recently announced its new innovation lab, the “5G haus.”
Germany-based DT has partnered with the Stanford University's...
Verizon chief: Congress needs to 're-take responsibility’ for Internet from FCC
WASHINGTON – Verizon Communications CEO Lowell McAdam recently pressed federal lawmakers to rein in the Federal Communications Commission, the regulatory influence of which he wrote has reached “absurd new levels.”
McAdam, in a three-page letter...
Draft Report and Order looks to unleash up to 150 megahertz of new spectrum for unlicensed, small cell use
The Federal Communications Commission took the next step in freeing up 100 megahertz of spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band as Chairman Tom Wheeler late last...
Contract impacts more than 100,000 phone numbers each day
The Federal Communications Commission has conditionally approved Ericsson's Telcordia to administer the number portability service that allows customers to keep their phone numbers when switching carriers. The commissioners voted 5-0 in favor of Telcordia, which will...
Spectrum auction winners haven’t been revealed
Although the winners haven’t been disclosed, an Indian government spectrum auction ended on March 25 after 19 days and 115 rounds of bidding.
The spectrum auction raised more than $17.5 billion, which is 36% more than the government’s target for...
Verizon, AT&T, CenturyLink and other members want net neutrality review
The US Telecom Association, which counts carriers Verizon Communications, AT&T, Alaska Communications and many others as members, on March 23 asked a federal appeals court for a review of the Federal Communication Commission’s recent order...
FCC commissioner blasts Dish Network move as a ‘rip off’
WASHINGTON – Pay TV giant Dish Network placed winning bids totaling $13 billion in the recent Federal Communication Commission spectrum auction, but because of a loophole that designates the company as a “small business,” some of those...
FAA gives online retailer Amazon experimental license
E-commerce giant Amazon’s ambitions to provide delivery via drone gained some traction on March 19 with federal regulators granting the company an “experimental airworthiness certificate.”
The Federal Aviation Administration gave Amazon Logistics permission to start testing drone operations under...
Kevin Fitchard previews panel on future of the Internet
Kevin Fitchard, formerly of Giga Om, discussed with RCR Wireless News how the Internet could philosophically change as private interests foster more accessibility, particularly to underserved populations.
Fitchard previewed a panel discussion that also included Micha Benoliel,...
FCC planning reverse, forward auctions of Super Wi-Fi in 2016
AUSTIN, Texas – Unused television broadcast spectrum, sometimes referred to as super Wi-Fi, could be used to provide Internet access to otherwise underserved communities, according to panelists at South by Southwest.
Mary Ellen Carroll, a designer,...
WASHINGTON – MegaFon, the second-largest mobile carrier in Russia, is forecasting a decline in sales and revenue for 2015, according to a report from Bloomberg Business.
The report follows a 5.9% increase in revenue in 2014 with a profit margin forecasted at 40% for 2015,...
WASHINGTON – Two of the five commissioners serving on the Federal Communications Commission voted against net neutrality regulations that apply Title II regulation and classify the Internet as a public utility.
Commissioner Ajit Pai was the most vocal of the opposition. Known as a staunch...
Four hundred-page net neutrality document expected to see legal challenges
The Federal Communications Commission released the full Report and Order tied to its net neutrality ruling, which as expected has drawn divergent commentary.
The 400-page document lays out the FCC’s position in bringing broadband access, both...
Regulations for drones in the works
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration last month released its proposed framework of regulations that would allow routine use of unmanned aircraft systems – drones – for commercial purposes.
Until recently, the use of UAS in...
