BROWSING: FTC

FCC, FTC tout robocall enforcement

The Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission said that a an ongoing joint effort to undermine and reduce spam and scam robocalls is bearing fruit. The two agencies have been jointly focusing on robocall enforcement; the FTC calls its program "Operation Point...

FCC considers new rules to block unusual sus texts

Scammy texts are on the rise, and the FCC wants operators to block the ones most likely to be fraudulent The Federal Communications Commission is considering new rules that would obligate service providers to block texts that are likely to be scams or spam. FCC...

Vonage to pay $100M to settle FTC ‘dark patterns’ lawsuit

Vonage made it too hard for customers to cancel service and charged excessive fees, said the agency On Thursday, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced the settlement of pending litigation against VoIP pioneer Vonage. The lawsuit accused Vonage of creating an unnecessarily difficult process for customers...

10 spectrum policy ideas: Aspen Institute

Amid renewed conversations around the re-authorization of the Federal Communications Commission's auction authority for spectrum and what a new spectrum pipeline might look like, the Aspen Institute brought together government and private-sector stakeholders to work on a framework and action plan for a national...

Warner, Rubio call for FTC investigation into TikTok

Two Senators are calling on the Federal Trade Commission to pursue more information about just how much TikTok data is available to company representatives in China or Chinese security services, after recent press reports contradicted assurances given by a TikTok executive to Congress during...

FTC will not petition US Supreme Court in Qualcomm antitrust case

The FTC believes that Qualcomm’s licensing practices demonstrate anticompetitive behavior In September 2020, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit for a rehearing of the August 2020 decision of a panel of that court in siding with Qualcomm on...

FTC vs. Qualcomm: Qualcomm wins the antitrust case, completely and decisively

After pointlessly fighting tooth and nail for almost two years, FTC will now be forced to end the case, after the latest setback at The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (Ninth Circuit). The Ninth Circuit’s well expected en banc denial, following...

FTC vs. Qualcomm–FTC Chairman authorizes another swing at Qualcomm (Analyst Angle)

Right before the passing of the deadline, as expected, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took another swing at Qualcomm by filing a request to reconsider the recent appellate court decision. But to everybody’s surprise, the FTC Chair and Trump appointee Joseph J. Simons, coming...

Kagan: Why Qualcomm appeals court win is such a big deal

First, congratulations to Qualcomm for clearing their name by winning in the United States Appeals Court on a case brought by regulators. Based on what I have been reading and following over the last several years, I think the US Appeals Court got it...

FTC vs. Qualcomm–More than meets the eye in Ninth Circuit decision

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (Ninth Circuit) gave a landmark decision in favor of Qualcomm, on Aug 11th 2020, in the long running antitrust case brought about by FTC. This was a highly anticipated outcome in the multi-year saga,...

FCC, FTC order call gateway providers to cut off scam robocallers

The Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission gave three gateway companies 48 hours to cut off robocalls peddling COVID-19-related scams, or else the FCC will authorize U.S. telecom companies not to accept calls which originate from those gateway providers. The calls include a scam...

Robocallers shift to coronavirus scams

  Have diabetes and want to order an at-home coronavirus testing kit? Want to know more about the federal relief programs like student loan interest suspensions? Need your government relief check now? Robocall scammers are already preying on Americans with scams that leverage the fear...

FTC vs. Qualcomm: What do skeptical appeals panel, defiant defendants, and dwindling arguments mean?

The title best describes the current situation after the recent hearing in the more-than-yearlong saga between FTC and Qualcomm. On Feb 13th, 2020, a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (Ninth Circuit) heard Qualcomm’s appeal to reverse the...

FTC vs. Qualcomm – The meaning and relevance of FRAND commitment

As promised in my previous article, here is a detailed discussion on FTC’s FRAND (Fair Reasonable And Non-Discriminatory) argument in its antitrust case against Qualcomm. FTC argues that Qualcomm agreeing to the FRAND (Fair and Reasonable Anti Discriminatory) requirements of Standards Setting Organizations (SSO)...

FTC vs. Qualcomm–FTC’s changed tactic undermines its confidence in the case (Analyst Angle)

The stage is set for Feb 13th, 2020, hearing of FTC vs. Qualcomm antitrust case at the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (Ninth Circuit). In preparation, FTC, Qualcomm, and many interested parties have filed their briefs in support and against...

AT&T settles FTC data throttling complaint for $60 million

FTC commissioner called former AT&T practice essentially 'scammed' unlimited customers This week AT&T agreed to settle a 2014 complaint from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission that alleged the carrier "failed to adequately disclose to its unlimited data plan customers that, if, they reach a certain...

FTC vs. Qualcomm – Support pours in for Qualcomm from all sides in its appeals process

Qualcomm got a reprieve when the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit stayed the decision of United States District Court for the Northern District of California’s (DC) in its antitrust case. Immediately after the stay, Qualcomm filed its opening brief (175 pages...

FTC vs. Qualcomm: Finally saner senses prevail with appellate court’s decision

Last week’s remarkable decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (appellate court) consisting of three judges, finally brings some common sense into FTC’s bizarre antitrust case against Qualcomm. The appellate court granted Qualcomm’s request to stay the United States...

FTC vs. Qualcomm: Who benefits and suffers the most from the court decision? (Analyst Angle)

The telecom industry is still digesting the surprising and far-reaching decision by Judge Koh of the U.S. Northern California District Court. The expansive court order is as hard to digest as it is to comprehend. If you thoroughly read it (yes, I have, all...

Judge rules that Qualcomm ‘strangled competition’

A U.S. district court judge has found that Qualcomm violated anti-trust laws, ruling in favor of the Federal Trade Commission and ordering Qualcomm to change some of its licensing and negotiation practices and seven years of monitoring and reporting on its compliance. Qualcomm has said...

FTC shuts down four robocallers

The Federal Trade Commission has won court settlements that will shut down four robocalling operations that were responsible for billions of illegal robocalls, the agency said. Under court orders issued this week, the companies and individuals are banned from both robocalling and most telemarketing...

Why FTC vs. Qualcomm ruling is not just about a company but about the country! (Analyst Angle)

It’s been more than a month since arguments rested for the FTC vs. Qualcomm case. Every passing day is increasing the anxiety of people on both sides of the issue. The media is rife with the rumors, leaks, and loud calls for the U.S....

Qualcomm vs. FTC arguments have wrapped

Lawyers for Qualcomm and the Federal Trade Commission, after weeks of arguments, have both rested their cases in a trial that could very well inform technological innovation, and America's role in that innovation, for years to come. The key issue in the case is the...

FTC vs. Qualcomm: A proxy for China vs. the USA? (Analyst Angle)

Analyzing the long term impacts of FTC’s activist litigation In all the chaos of allegations, counter allegations, scores of testimonies, rebuttals, cross-examinations, and others, I humbly request that Judge Koh and the FTC pause for a moment and ponder this question: “If Qualcomm loses this...