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...
WASHINGTON – Two Democratic members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation have sent letters to the CEOs of 18 major automakers asking that they conduct a comprehensive overview of vehicles' vulnerabilities to hacking, and elaborate on what they are doing to...
In question is the carrier’s Music Freedom program, which removes data limit for music-streaming services
WASHINGTON – Is the T-Mobile US Music Freedom program breaking the law? Technically, yes, according to FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai, who spoke on the issue at an event hosted by the...
The city levies 9% amusement tax on streaming services like Netflix, Spotify, Hulu and more
Mobile commerce, including content streaming platforms, have quickly moved from novelty to ubiquity; as traditional tax revenue streams move from stores into the ether, some governments are taking out-of-the-box approaches...
Analyst: Intent of program isn’t possible given current wireless sector environment
Do regulations have a shelf life? In general, yes, as the things they were meant to regulate evolve and change over time, the rules lose applicability. The telecom space is no exception. Over the...
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler ‘supremely confident’ 600 MHz auction will begin on March 29
LAS VEGAS – Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler is very confident that the scheduled 600 MHz incentive auction process will indeed begin as planned on March 29, and that he...
Officials: Carrier claims that network voice service is "unbeatable" are not substantiated
A recent print and Web advertising campaign by Vodafone makes claims about the carrier's U.K. voice service that the Advertisement Standards Authority this week banned.
Specifically, Vodafone marketing materials boasted that, "Our network is...
Shares of Frontier Communications up on the news of FCC approval
Verizon Communications sale of its local wireline network assets and operations in California, Florida and Texas to Frontier Communications for $10.54 billion is a go.
The Federal Communications Commission on Sept. 2 gave the sale...
Google could face up to $6B in fines if found in violation of European laws
WASHINGTON – The battle between Google and the European Commission intensified this week with Google giving its formal reply to the commission’s statement of objections, in which the regulators outlined...
Regulators want to expand the Lifeline Assistance Program to include broadband Internet access
WASHINGTON – The Federal Communications Commission is seeking comment on its plan to expand the Lifeline subsidy program to include broadband Internet services in addition to the existing wired and wireless voice services.
Civic leaders...
Money is part of Connect America Fund to foster rural broadband
WASHINGTON – The Federal Communications Commission announced that 10 communications service providers accepted $1.5 billion from the federal government as part of the regulatory agency’s Connect America, a subsidy designed to encourage the development of broadband infrastructure...
Copper or fiber, past or future? Is new FCC rule a 'major step back?'
WASHINGTON – Bruce Mehlman, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Tech Policy under the George W. Bush administration and Internet Innovation Alliance founding co-chairman, spoke with RCR Wireless News about the Federal...
