Not much new came out of yesterday’s Senate subcommittee panel on whether cellphone use is dangerous to one’s health. Scientists by and large said more research is needed, that the data is lacking, and long-term effects are the most area of concern. CTIA came...
On the surface, there isn't much to suggest that this newly Democratic-led FCC will make any radical regulatory changes in the wireless industry. There is a loud camp cheering for new FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski to take a more heavy-handed approach in wireless affairs,...
The converging telecom and IT space is set to become a $5 trillion global business, fueled by relentless demand from individuals and businesses to be able to access information across any device at any time. The wireless/telecom/media/IT sector is growing two to five...
President Obama called for spectrum license fees in a record $3.9 trillion budget, released today, reviving a proposal that has failed to move in the past. But with the new Democratic administration intending to halve the projected $1.7 trillion budget deficit by 2013, the...
For all the hoopla that preceded congressional approval of broadband funding in the $787 billion stimulus bill signed into law by President Obama - and the controversy apt to follow the vaguely defined $7.2 billion grant programs - the most profound impact on the...
The Federal Trade Commission today issued revised guidelines for how wireless and other communications companies should police themselves to protect consumers' privacy in behavioral advertising. But a top watchdog group said the report reflects the hands-off regulatory philosophy of the past administration and criticized...
So it seems the hottest item to sneak into a prison cell is no longer contraband cigarettes, or a knife baked in a cake, but a cellphone. Clearly a prisoner with too much time on his hands and lack of access to the outside...
Editor's Note: Welcome to our weekly Reality Check column. We've gathered a group of visionaries and veterans in the mobile industry to give their insights into the marketplace.The concept of open wireless networks is not new. In fact, an obligation to support "reselling" was...
The mobile-phone industry called for changes to the $6 billion broadband component of Congress' $825 billion economic stimulus bill, requesting open-access provisions be stripped out and language added to require local action within 75 days on tower siting applications sought by wireless recipients of...
The current economic climate has trickled down to technology tradeshows as the first major showcase of the year experienced a decline in attendance. How severely wireless-specific trade shows are impacted by the recession will be tested next month.The International Consumer Electronics Show in Las...
Industry insiders say Barack Obama's inauguration today is likely to spark record-high SMS usage among U.S. mobile consumers. But the event may also serve as a kind of coming-out party for SMS as an interactive communications channel in the United States.VeriSign Inc. saw a...
Vice President-elect Joe Biden's prophecy has been realized: The new president will indeed confront a crisis of global proportions during his first six month's in office. In fact, the moment of reckoning has already arrived for Barack Obama. It is the DTV transition -...
Congressional Republican and industry opposition are mounting over President-elect Barack Obama's call to delay next-month's digital television transition, with the nation's two largest telecom carriers divided over how Congress should proceed." is freeing broadcast spectrum for firefighters, police officers and other life-savers and also...
A top tech member of the Obama transition team today said the broadband component of the increasingly contentious economic stimulus package in Congress is not designed to completely meet the president-elect's overarching goal of increasing the availability of high-speed Internet connections - in part...
Editor's Note: Welcome to our weekly feature, Yay or Nay. Every week we'll review a new wireless application or service from the user's point of view, with the goal of highlighting what works and what doesn't. If you wish to submit your application or...
The National Safety Council has called for a wholesale ban on motorist use of wireless devices, creating a public-relations dilemma for a cellphone industry that advocates safe driving and no longer opposes state hands-free prohibitions, but likely would oppose more sweeping legislation."Studies show that...
The telecom leadership facelift in Congress continues as lawmakers suddenly find themselves confronted with President-elect Obama's request to postpone next month's digital TV transition, a possible shift that could force wireless providers to wait longer to obtain spectrum they paid nearly $20 billion for...
The District of Columbia cancelled today's scheduled cellphone jamming demonstration at a city jail, but the controversy apparently is not over.Cellular industry association CTIA yesterday petitioned a federal appeals court to overturn the Federal Communication Commission's Jan. 2 order permitting the D.C. Department...
When mobile-phone carriers advertise to consumers or lobby policymakers, they speak unabashedly in the most glowing terms about their services and products. Sometimes they go overboard and get their wrists slapped by advertising watchdogs, or worse get hit with class-action lawsuits. Politicians are no...
There's a chill in the air, the malls are packed and my daughters are taking Christmas ornaments off the tree and breaking them like there's money inside. So in the spirit of the season - and in light of the predictable, holiday-related news vacuum...
Cellular association CTIA released a document aimed at helping messaging companies develop interoperable EM (enhanced messaging) offerings.The 67-page document addresses presence-enabled services and includes instructions on creating groups, allowing mobile marketers to more efficiently deploy cross-carrier text campaigns. The "Final Set of Uses Cases...
After Barack Obama ran for president promising change and openness, and making a point of refusing to accept lobbyists' contributions, the president-elect's transition team secretly held a meeting with broadcasting lobbyists to discuss the digital TV changeover.The unannounced meeting was held Friday in Washington....
The backup-power court battle could be about to flame out. But regardless of what happens with litigation on the issue, the Federal Communications Commission plans to revisit how wireless companies deploy backup power at cell sites.The wireless industry said it supports the Federal Communications...
The Federal Communications Commission will avoid a direct confrontation with the Bush administration over the backup-power rule, informing a federal appeals court it will not override the Office of Management and Budget's rejection of reporting requirements associated with the cell-site regulation. At the same...