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Reality Check: How should the government regulate Internet interconnections?

Editor’s Note: Welcome to our weekly Reality Check column where C-level executives and advisory firms from across the mobile industry share unique insights and experiences. DARPA, NSF and the commercialization of the Internet With the president’s support for increased regulation now publicly known (see the corresponding...

Auction 97 tops $34.6B in bids, activity remains hot across top markets

Total potential winning bids for the ongoing Auction 97 proceedings have now nearly matched the combined proceeds gleaned from the three previous significant spectrum auctions, with no end yet in sight. Through this morning’s round 28, total potential winning bids topped $34.6 billion. The latest...

$31B and counting: Auction 97 continues record-setting run

Auction 97 action blew past the $30 billion mark Friday morning as bidders continued to throw billions of dollars at the 1,614 spectrum licenses up for grabs. Following this morning’s round 24, total potential winning bids sat at just over $31 billion. The latest...

Worst of the Week: Auction 97 has me on edge

Hello! And welcome to our Friday column, Worst of the Week. There’s a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column is a chance for us at RCRWireless.com to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way....

Auction 97 continues record-setting pace, bids hit $25.7B

The need for spectrum is becoming grossly apparent as bidding in the ongoing Federal Communications Commission Auction 97 has surpassed just about every estimate through one week of bidding. Following round 20 on Thursday morning, total potential winning bids had topped $25.7 billion, with...

FCC spectrum auction hits $10.5 billion in round 12

Round 12 of the Federal Communications Commission’s Auction 97 of AWS-3 spectrum closed with $10.5 billion in bids, already topping the minimum bid amount set by the FCC. Yesterday's bidding closed at $8.91 billion. Major East Coast metropolitan areas that drew nine-figure bids during...

Auction 97 tops $5 billion in bids

The Federal Communications Commission’s Auction 97 is already more than halfway to the agency's minimum goal of $10.5 billion in total auction proceeds. At the end of today's first round, the total bid stood at $5.5 billion. Bidding was heated on Friday with total potential...

Auction 97 surpasses $2.8B in bids after round 4

After just four rounds of bidding, the Federal Communications Commission’s Auction 97 has surpassed $2.8 billion, or just over one quarter of the auction’s total reserve price. At the end of the latest round this morning, 1,141 of the 1,614 licenses up for bid had received...

Worst of the Week: Neutral on net neutrality?

Hello! And welcome to our Friday column, Worst of the Week. There’s a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column is a chance for us at RCRWireless.com to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way....

Auction 97 generates $1.8B in opening-round bids

In just the first round, the Federal Communications Commission quickly garnered nearly 20% of what it was hoping to generate from Auction 97, with more than 1,000 licenses attracting bids totaling nearly $1.8 billion. As is customary in spectrum auctions, the bigger markets generated the most...

Large mobile operators expected to dominate Auction 97

The Federal Communications Commission is set to begin its second wireless spectrum auction of the year this week, with 70 bidders officially qualified to participate in Auction 97. Those participants will be throwing money at a total of 65 megahertz of spectrum in the 1.7/2.1...

Policy: Telecom operators threaten legal action in net neutrality feud

The already contentious net neutrality issue became even more so this week as the president laid out his thoughts on the subject, which drew threats of legal action from at least one telecom company. President Barack Obama this week seemingly threw his support behind the Federal...

Policy: AT&T counters T-Mobile US’ data roaming push

AT&T continues to counter T-Mobile US’ requests that the Federal Communications Commission move forward with clarifying the “commercially reasonable” standard in its 2011 data roaming rule. Joan Marsh, VP of federal regulatory at AT&T, noted in a recent blog post that roaming rates T-Mobile US...

FTC claims AT&T Mobility’s ‘unlimited’ data throttling ‘unfair and deceptive’

The Federal Trade Commission has filed a court complaint against AT&T Mobility over the mobile operator’s throttling of data speeds for “unlimited” data customers. The court action, which was coordinated with the Federal Communications Commission, alleges “unfair and deceptive” practices tied to the unlimited...

FCC pushes 600 MHz incentive auction to 2016

The Federal Communications Commission’s ambitious plan to auction off 600 MHz spectrum licenses returned by broadcasters has been pushed until at least 2016. The FCC was looking to hold the auction proceeding in mid-2015. In a blog post, Gary Epstein, chair of the FCC’s Incentive...

Policy: FCC looks at ‘millimeter wave’ spectrum for ‘5G’ support

With consumer demand for mobile services continuing to grow, the Federal Communications Commission is looking to free up additional spectrum assets that would allow mobile operators to meet the demand. The latest move involved a recent notice of inquiry by the FCC to look...

Policy: FCC to look at 600 MHz spectrum auction bidding rules

The Federal Communications Commission late last week rolled out a notice of proposed rulemaking connected to bidding plans for the planned spectrum auction of 600 MHz licenses. The NPRM includes the potential to change rules tied to the FCC’s controversial designated entity program, which offers...

AT&T Mobility docked record $105M fine for ‘bill cramming’

AT&T Mobility is set to fork over $105 million in fines to the Federal Communications Commission connected to bogus charges to consumers for third-party subscriptions and premium text messaging services. The fine, which the FCC said is the largest enforcement action in its history, is...

Policy: 600 MHz incentive auction process set for significant FCC attention

RCR Wireless News recently spoke with Trey Hanbury, a partner in Hogan Lovell’s Washington, D.C., office and a member of the law firm’s Technology, Media and Telecoms practice, on a number of Federal Communications Commission proceedings scheduled for the next couple of months tied...

FCC has its hands full of near-term tasks tied to incentive auction

The Federal Communications Commission is in the midst of piecing together the framework for the planned 600 MHz incentive auction, one of the most highly anticipated spectrum auctions in recent memory. That anticipation is not just due to the potential market-changing characteristics of the...

Mobile Martyr: Will the FCC please sit down

Editor’s Note: RCR Wireless News has made many questionable decisions over the years. One of which is agreeing to let a long-time industry observer provide commentary on what is chapping his hide across the wireless industry. His name is Hunter Gates. We call him...

Verizon Wireless, AT&T, T-Mobile US, Dish among 80 set for AWS-3 spectrum auction

The Federal Communications Commission’s upcoming AWS-3 spectrum auction — officially known as Auction 97 — is set to include up to 80 participants, including three of the nation’s four largest operators and Dish Network. Those three nationwide operators include Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility and...

Policy: FCC releases information package for broadcasters tied to 600 MHz incentive auction

The Federal Communications Commission continues to make progress on crafting rules for the planned 600 MHz incentive auction, this week rolling out an information package targeted at television broadcasters. The package is being sent to the owners of “Class A broadcast stations that Congress determined...

Verizon Wireless pulls LTE ‘network optimization’ plan

Verizon Wireless has decided to not implement a controversial “network optimization” program across its LTE network that would have limited network speeds for customers with “unlimited” data plans in some instances. In a statement, Verizon Wireless noted: “Verizon is committed to providing its customers with an...