The Federal Communications Commission is usually enthusiastic about opening up additional spectrum for commercial use. Not in the case of the T-Band—which has long been used by public safety agencies in some major cities, but under a Congressional mandate, has to be auctioned off...
SCOTUS upholds robocall ban, strikes down exception for government debt
The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the 1991 law which bans robocalls to mobile phones, while striking down a 2015 exception which Congress passed to allow such robocalls for the collection of government debt.
"Americans passionately...
FCC cuts off Universal Service Fund money to buy and maintain US networks that use Chinese kit
It's been a long time coming but, despite the protracted journey, reaching the destination still stings for the small and rural domestic mobile network operators that use network...
Making good on Chairman Ajit Pai's vow to investigate a major recent outage on T-Mobile US' network, the Federal Communications Commission is asking for information from individuals, businesses and first responder agencies who were impacted by the outage to try to determine the extent...
Before a Senate subcommittee, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai argued that American 5G leadership and expedited 5G mid-band deployments are worth the $9.7 billion in incentive payments that the agency plans to pay in order to get C-Band spectrum cleared rapidly.
At last week's...
5G has seen unprecedented traction; many flagship devices are already in the market, and many more are on the way, including the much-rumored and anticipated iPhone 5G. After the excitement of limited initial launches, when operators are starting the large-scale deployments, the basic question...
Intelsat said that it has contracted for six new satellites in order to meet the Federal Communication Commission's accelerated spectrum-clearing timeline for the C-Band.
The company recently went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring, and said that "one of the primary catalysts" for the timing was...
FCC declines to comment beyond a tweet from Chairman Ajit Pai
T-Mobile US customers experienced widespread voice and text outages that the carrier said were "resolved," as of 10:03 p.m. PST yesterday. U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai on Twitter yesterday wrote, "The T-Mobile...
The Federal Communications Commission a number of actions at its monthly meeting, covering streamlined 5G deployment, rural broadband deployment, advanced broadcasting using the ATSC 3.0 standard and potentially expanded use of spectrum at 70/80/90 GHz.
The agency approved of the anticipated 5G upgrade order by a...
Proposed fine of $225 million for men accused of placing at least a billion robocalls
In its ongoing battle against unwanted and scam robocalls, the Federal Communications Commission has proposed the largest fine in its history: $225 million, levied against two men in Texas and...
The 5G Upgrade Order clarifies the FCC’s 2014 tower upgrade rules
On June 9, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will vote on a long-awaited “5G Upgrade Order” that will clarify siting rules for wireless deployment. After the FCC’s 2014 rules regarding cell tower modifications proved...
Closing the urban/rural digital divide and expanding broadband access has been a federal policy goal for decades, and there are multiple new and existing programs underway that attempt to address disparities in broadband access across the United States.
The United States is a country of...
Ligado Networks has raised more than $100 million in a first wave of investment for the build-out of its planned 5G/IoT network, even as a federal agency recently asked the Federal Communications Commission to pause and reconsider Ligado's ability to operate in its L-Band...
A group of American tech trade organizations and think tanks is pushing the Federal Communications Commission to open up additional satellite spectrum for 5G use -- and it's not the C Band. In a recent letter to the FCC, the organizations, which include the...
NTIA asks for stay, reconsideration of L-Band license changes
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration has asked the Federal Communications Commission to rethink its recent decision to modify Ligado Networks' spectrum licenses, warning that the changes "threaten to harm federal government users of the Global...
The Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission gave three gateway companies 48 hours to cut off robocalls peddling COVID-19-related scams, or else the FCC will authorize U.S. telecom companies not to accept calls which originate from those gateway providers.
The calls include a scam...
Editor’s Note: RCR Wireless News goes all in for “Throwback Thursdays,” tapping into our archives to resuscitate the top headlines from the past. Fire up the time machine, put on the sepia-tinted shades, set the date for #TBT and enjoy the memories!
Do-Not-Call lists gather...
In April, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai put forward a proposal for a $9 billion Rural 5G Fund that aims to “help ensure that rural Americans enjoy the same benefits from our increasingly digital economy as their urban counterparts—more than 200 million of...
What is the Rural 5G Fund?
The Federal Communications Commission doesn't want rural areas to have to wait for 5G. To that end, in April, Chairman Ajit Pai put forward a proposal for a $9 billion Rural 5G Fund that aims to "help ensure that...
We measured spectrum usage in two markets and were able to verify that T-Mobile and AT&T are using spectrum licenses on loan from others to improve their wireless services.
National U.S. operators T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T were loaned spectrum licenses that were not being used...
Siemens has struck a deal with private network provider Ondas Networks to range the California firm’s wireless radio systems under its own brand in North America, as part of its offer to the railroad sector.
The German industrial giant will integrate radio technology from Ondas...
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has voted to approve usage of six megahertz of 900 MHz spectrum for private networking by utility companies in the US, declaring the ‘juice is worth the squeeze’ despite its diminutive spread.
The six-megahertz is split between two five-megahertz holdings...
What is the state of broadband deployment in the United States? The simple answer is that despite years of substantial funding and programs focused on broadband expansion, there is no single federal data source for an accurate answer to that question. The range of...
The year 2020 will certainly go down in history as a remarkable one for Wi-Fi, as the industry is being awarded massive increases in spectrum.
On April 23, the U.S. FCC voted to make available 1,200 megahertz of spectrum in the 6 GHz band for...
