Edward Snowden says intelligence agencies in the U.S. and UK have the ability to hack into citizen’s phones and take control of their devices. The famous U.S. whistleblower says the agencies could use an encrypted text message to take pictures and listen to conversations.
According...
Commissioner Pai calls out talking policy behind ‘closed doors’
WASHINGTON – Recent rumors have circulated on blogs and from Cablefax.com that the Federal Communications Commission will conduct a "goodwill tour" of Wall Street in an effort to improve relationships with the business world and send...
Letter from AT&T to FCC says competitor Wi-Fi calling service not in line with disability requirements
In a letter sent to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler on Oct. 1, AT&T alleges that competitors Sprint and T-Mobile US are offering a Wi-Fi calling service that...
Consortium of trade groups, carriers and device makers updating anti-theft guidelines
WASHINGTON – CTIA – The Wireless Association, along with several major carriers and smartphone manufacturers including Apple, AT&T, BlackBerry, Google and Huawei, announced a new effort to update the smartphone anti-theft agreement, which aims...
Wheeler circulates NPRM looking at flexible use plans for bands above 24 GHz
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler circulated a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that looks to provide “flexible spectrum use rules for bands above 24 GHz, including for mobile broadband use.”
Wheeler said that...
WASHINGTON – The Competitive Carriers Association, which represents the smaller and rural American carriers as well as counts Sprint and T-Mobile US among its members, has been lobbying the Federal Communications Commission in regard to the 600 megahertz auction since it was first announced. Now the CCA...
ARCEP confirms the auction will take place in November
France’s four mobile operators have filed applications to participate in an auction through which telecom regulator ARCEP will award spectrum in the 700 MHz band to support LTE services. The regulator said firms submitting applications were...
The Federal Communication Commission and the Ministry of Information and Technology of Colombia announced a memorandum of understanding aimed at cracking down on mobile device theft in the South American country.
Colombia has long been a hot bed of violent insurgent groups and narcotics...
FCC balancing historic preservation with need for small cells, DAS
CTIA filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission urging the agency to ease rules under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, which could slow deployment of towers, distributed antenna systems and small cells.
In...
Small cells deployment would be key part of potential new mobile network
Singapore-based Internet service provider MyRepublic has completed a funding round for a total of SG$23 million ($16.1 million) in a move to finance the launch of mobile services and become the country’s fourth...
FCC commissioner Ajit Pai links Sprint decision to folly of FCC auction plans
Sprint’s decision to sit out the Federal Communications Commission’s upcoming 600 MHz incentive auction proceedings drew the attention of Republican Commissioner Ajit Pai, who used the move to express his displeasure in...
WASHINGTON – Sprint's decision to bow out of the 600 MHz auction came as a surprise to some. The Competitive Carriers Association reacted to the move by reiterating its position that the spectrum reserve isn't only about the big four U.S. carriers.
Steven K. Berry, president and...
Both parties will promote global standardization for 5G technology
The European Union and China have signed an agreement for the future development of "5G" networks. The deal was inked during the EU-China High Level Economic and Trade Dialogue in Beijing.
Under the terms of the agreement,...
UK telcos to pay almost £200 million per year to use 900 MHz, 1800 MHz bands
U.K. telecom regulator Ofcom has published revised annual fees for mobile operators, which determine the amount of money they must pay to use certain parts of the mobile spectrum.
In 2010, the...
FCC has fined service providers more than $40M this year for 911 failures
Keeping up its aggressive penalization of carriers who fail to properly handle 911 traffic, the Federal Communications Commission on Sept. 24 fined Sprint, Hamilton Relay and InnoCaption a collective $1.4 million for...
Says FCC support of municipal infrastructure is “borderline socialism”
FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly recently spoke to the Prosperity Caucus, a DC-based organization founded in 1986 by Regan-era Republicans, about how the regulatory agency lacks economic pragmatism.
During the Commissioner’s remarks in what is encouraged to be...
The UK regulator said the transaction will not create asymmetries in the market
UK telecoms regulator Ofcom has approved the transfer of Qualcomm's L-band spectrum to local mobile telephony operators Vodafone and 3UK.
In August, Qualcomm’s subsidiary Qualcomm UK Spectrum (QUKS) agreed to sell the entirety...
Hearing about the latest concerning data breach seems to be an increasing occurrence, and, following from that, cybersecurity is an increasingly hot topic. Cable and Internet provider Comcast is no exception; the company this week agreed to pay a $33 million fine related to...
Broadband is right up there with water, sewer and power, according to report
WASHINGTON – President Obama’s Broadband Opportunity Council released its 40-page report on Monday, declaring, “Today, broadband is taking its place alongside water, sewer and electricity as essential infrastructure for communities.”
The report was...
Wheeler: Broadband access is key to economic opportunity, advancement
Despite criticism, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler used the fall conference of the National Telephone Cooperative Association to push the Federal Communication Commission goal of universal broadband access.
“Simply put, in the 21st century, access to broadband is...
UN commission is focused on bridging the digital divide
In a report released Sept. 21, the United Nations Broadband Commission for Digital Development found that 4.2 billion people, 57% of the world's population, don't have regular access to the Internet.
And that's a problem, according to...
Consumer protection body levies fines on apps designed to detect skin cancer and improve eyesight
WASHINGTON – The Federal Trade Commission has settled charges with an app company, which claimed its product could improve users’ eyesight. Under the terms of the settlement, Ultimeyes will be...
WASHINGTON – The Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau has announced plans to release data on the Special Access Market for the first time ever. The bureau said in a statement it, “will start to make industry data gathered earlier this year available for public review,...
Goal is for more accurate reporting and tracking of outage information
WASHINGTON – The Federal Communications Commission has voted to propose new rules designed to tighten the outage reporting rules with new requirements for submarine cables.
The goal, as stated by the FCC, is to “help safeguard...
