Residential customers paid an average of $9 per month for wireless services in 1999, according to the Federal Communications Commission, which examined residential phone bills as part of its research for a report on the long-distance industry that it released last week.
The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association and the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions will co-host a technical summit to examine how the international mobile station identifier guidelines need to be revised to meet internationally mandated revisions. The summit will take place Feb. 7-8 at the Westin Hotel in Savannah, Ga.
Reps. Chris Cannon (R-Utah) and Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) introduced a pro-consumer Internet privacy bill. The bill requires all commercial Web sites that collect personally identifiable information to define what type of information is being collected and how the information will be used, among other things. Also, last week DoubleClick Inc. said the Federal Trade Commission has dropped its inquiry into the online advertising company’s ad servicing and data collection practices. The FTC investigation began last February.
AeA, formerly the American Electronics Association, urged swift bipartisan action on legislation to make the research and development tax credit permanent and to increase the alternative incremental research credit rates. AeA applauded a new IRS ruling that places a moratorium until 2003 on employment tax withholding for qualified stock-option plans, an action benefiting high-tech firms and their employees.
The FCC will force Baby Bell monopolies and other landline telcos to make their databases of residential and business telephone numbers available to competing phone companies and independent contractors that provide directory assistance service to wireless carriers.
A bipartisan group of Senate lawmakers introduced an export bill that would eliminate trade barriers for dual-use technologies while putting tight controls on items sensitive to national security.
