BROWSING: Policy

Congressional Black Caucus argues against bidding discounts for large wireless operators

WASHINGTON—The Congressional Black Caucus has urged Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin to prohibit the awarding of spectrum auction bidding discounts to small business applicants affiliated with the five largest mobile phone carriers in the United States. "We are concerned that the commission’s current...

RCA opposes FCC’s ‘blind bidding’ plan for June spectrum auction

WASHINGTON—The Rural Cellular Association this morning came out against a proposal by the Federal Communications Commission to keep spectrum auction information secret. "A ‘blind bidding’ process would deter participation by RCA members who want to know, round by round in the bidding, what other...

Integration headaches could give competitors short-term advantage

News that AT&T Inc. would acquire BellSouth Corp. quickly sent ripples of rampant speculation through the industry, as observers tried to calculate the implications of the deal. Immediate reactions focused on the response from Verizon Communications Inc. and whether it would seek to bolster...

Government seeks to join auction fraud lawsuit

WASHINGTON-The Justice Department asked U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty to join the spectrum auction fraud lawsuit against Wall Street telecom magnate Mario Gabelli, upping the stakes of the litigation at a time when federal regulators are scrambling to enact reforms that could ban national...

T-Mobile USA relishes AWS auction amid strong 4Q results

T-Mobile USA Inc. recorded a banner 2005 and posted the best overall performance of T-Mobile International's wireless subsidiaries, while parent company Deutsche Telekom AG's full-year profit for the year showed solid gains and the company declared its largest ever dividend. However, DT's fourth-quarter profits...

T-Mobile USA continues as primary driver for DT

BONN, Germany—T-Mobile USA Inc. posted the best overall performance last year among parent company T-Mobile International’s subsidiaries, helping to drive solid gains in parent company Deutsche Telekom AG’s full-year profit for 2005. DT also posted its largest dividend. However, DT’s fourth quarter profits plunged...

IT industry weighs in on spectrum policy

The chief executives of nine of the nation's high-profile, high-tech firms are calling for a complete review of national spectrum policy in order to foster what they characterize as the resource's highest and best use. Through their public-advocacy group, the Technology CEO Council, these...

IT industry weights in on spectrum policy

The chief executives of nine of the nation’s high-profile, high-tech firms are calling for a complete review of national spectrum policy in order to foster what they characterize as the resource’s highest and best use. Through their public-advocacy group, the Technology CEO Council, these...

Bush budget sits heavy on wireless

WASHINGTON-The Bush administration last week proposed setting user fees on un-auctioned spectrum regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, but the agency refused to disclose which wireless services would be subject to new government taxes. The user fee proposal, included in a new White House...

DTV hard date-Feb. 17, 2009-sails toward Bush approval

WASHINGTON-Finally! Congress has told TV broadcasters that they must give up the spectrum they were given to transition to digital TV by Feb. 17, 2009. After an unexpected delay caused by an unrelated procedural move in the Senate, the House passed the Budget Reconciliation...

DTV hard date-Feb. 17, 2009-sails toward Bush approval

WASHINGTON-Finally! Congress has told TV broadcasters that they must give up the spectrum they were given to transition to digital TV by Feb. 17, 2009. After an unexpected delay caused by an unrelated procedural move in the Senate, the House passed the Budget Reconciliation...

Balloon tower firm elevates trial system in rural N.D.

Floating towers soon may give some rural North Dakotans better wireless voice and data coverage. Next month, Chandler, Ariz.-based Space Data Corp. is set to trial its latex communications balloons with Extend America, a North Dakota fixed broadband provider and Sprint Nextel Corp. iDEN...

Licenses likely quick to follow TD-SCDMA standard for China

The Chinese government has given its homegrown TD-SCDMA technology a thumbs up, calling it an officially backed standard, the Xinhua news agency reported. China's Ministry of Information Industry said the technology is "already mature and ready for manufacturers to move ahead with production."Industry analysts...

Carriers focus on building data networks

When Cingular Wireless L.L.C. managed to squeeze the launch of its 3G network into the last month of 2005, the move catapulted 16 major metropolitan cities into the spotlight as the most competitive 3G markets in the country. Cingular rolled out its BroadbandConnect service...

T-Mobile secures roaming deals to expand range: Towers, auction also part of strategy

With little fanfare, T-Mobile USA Inc. has expanded the reach of its network by more than 50 percent, chiefly through 850 MHz roaming agreements that have put the carrier on more competitive footing and mark a shift from its historic 1900 MHz-only platform. Most...

DTV hard date tripped up in unrelated budget delay

WASHINGTON-The wireless industry was as close to getting its hands on 700 MHz spectrum as it ever has been. A hard date had been set for auctioning broadcast spectrum as part of the transition to digital TV services. The House and the Senate had...

‘This year I resolve to …’

It's time for New Year's resolutions: stop smoking, lose weight, get to the gym more often, and all sort of other well-meaning pledges that fade by February. As the shutters close on the Christmas selling season and carriers look to the projects, projections and...

DTV hard date tripped up in unrelated budget delay

WASHINGTON-The wireless industry was as close to getting its hands on 700 MHz spectrum as it ever has been. A hard date had been set for auctioning broadcast spectrum as part of the transition to digital TV services. The House and the Senate had...

CDMA450 makes inroads across globe: But opinions about the technology are as diverse as countries adopting it

Opinions are not hard to come by in the ongoing debate between proponents of GSM and CDMA technologies. It's easy to get caught up in questions about which technology is better, which one is growing faster, which one will take over the world. But...

Sprint Nextel taps toward multimedia beat

Sprint Nextel Corp. took a significant step in fulfilling chief executive Gary Forsee's plans to expand the carrier's reach into other media distribution channels, and at the same time may have altered the balance of the wireless industry. Following months of speculation, Sprint Nextel...

FCC sets groundwork for spectrum auction

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission last week approved rules implementing relocation fund legislation approved by Congress last December, a move that paves the way to auction third-generation wireless licenses in June 2006. The guidelines require the Department of Defense and other federal agencies to be...

FCC approves relocation fund rules, readies for 3G auction

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission today unanimously approved rules implementing relocation fund legislation approved by Congress last December, a move that paves the way for the auction of third-generation mobile-phone licenses in June 2006.The guidelines require the Department of Defense and other federal agencies to...

NII wins more 800 MHz spectrum in Mexico

RESTON, Va.-NII Holdings Inc., partially owned by Nextel Communications Inc., said several 800 MHz licenses that it won in a Mexican auction have been transferred to the company. The company acquired an additional 15 megahertz of spectrum per basic service area, bringing NII's average...

Public safety asks Congress for hard DTV transition date

WASHINGTON-A coalition of nine local and public-safety advocacy groups, led by the Association of Public-safety Communications Officials, released a statement urging Congress to pass a hard date to end TV's transition to digital technology."We are writing to remind Congress that this issue is not...