Tag Archive
Skype to FCC: Keep the Internet Open & Neutral
Skype, a big proponent of open networks and net neutrality, in a filing today with the Federal Communications Commission argued that net neutrality was “about growing the broadband ecosystem and preserving a borderless, open Internet” and said it would “promote investment, jobs and innovation.” The company said that it “welcomes the Commission’s focus on preserving... »
FCC looks at ways to assert authority over Web access
The Federal Communications Commission is considering aggressive moves to stake out its authority to oversee consumer access to the Internet, as a recent court hearing and industry opposition have cast doubt on its power over Web service providers. The FCC, which regulates public access to telephone and television services, has been working to claim the... »
US Spectrum Space Cleared For Wireless, Public Safety
The FCC adopted an order Friday that will clear the way for the deployment of the next generation of wireless devices and for the rollout of public safety communication services. The FCC’s order bans the further distribution and sale of wireless microphone and other devices that operate in the 700 megahertz band of spectrum.... »
Skype to FCC: Keep Internet Open & Neutral
Skype, a big proponent of open networks and net neutrality, in a filing today with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), argued that net neutrality was “about growing the broadband ecosystem and preserving a borderless, open Internet” and said it would “promote investment, jobs and innovation.” The company said that it “welcomes the Commission’s focus on... »
FCC Won’t Force TV Broadcasters To Relinquish Airwaves
The FCC won’t force TV broadcasters to hand over their airwaves to free up spectrum for broadband.In fact, the agency was never seriously considering such a possibility, according to an interview in BroadcastingCable. Phil Bellaria, director of scenario planning for the FCC’s national broadband team, told BC the FCC would …(162 words) Related Topics: broadband,... »
FCC Won’t Force TV Broadcasters To Relinquish Airwaves
The FCC won’t force TV broadcasters to hand over their airwaves to free up spectrum for broadband.In fact, the agency was never seriously considering such a possibility, according to an interview in BroadcastingCable. Phil Bellaria, director of scenario planning for the FCC’s national broadband team, told BC the FCC would …(162 words) ... »
T-Mobile drops @Home VoIP service
T-Mobile has announced that they will no longer be offering their land-line replacement service @Home which allowed customers to make wireless VoIP calls over their home broadband connection. Users of the service could make calls from their mobile phones by connection to T-Mobile’s @Home HiPort wireless router–allowing for unlimited nationwide VoIP calls for $9.99... »
Court Unconvinced of FCC’s Authority to Punish Comcast
Federal judges spent much of Friday hearing arguments for and against the FCC’s 2008 hand-slapping of Comcast Corp. for slowing peer-to-peer Internet traffic – the court’s ruling will help determine how much authority the FCC holds over net neutrality decisions. So far, judges’ reactions indicate the FCC is in for …(288 words) Related Topics: 2008,... »
Court Unconvinced of FCC’s Authority to Punish Comcast
Federal judges spent much of Friday hearing arguments for and against the FCC’s 2008 hand-slapping of Comcast Corp. for slowing peer-to-peer Internet traffic – the court’s ruling will help determine how much authority the FCC holds over net neutrality decisions. So far, judges’ reactions indicate the FCC is in for …(288 words) ... »
FCC to Miss Feb. National Broadband Plan Deadline
The FCC says it will miss the Feb. 17 deadline for delivering a national broadband plan to Congress, and the news shouldn’t come as a surprise. That’s not to imply the agency hasn’t been working to meet the date, because it has – with extra help from consultants and economists …(187 words) ... »
FCC to Miss Feb. National Broadband Plan Deadline
The FCC says it will miss the Feb. 17 deadline for delivering a national broadband plan to Congress, and the news shouldn’t come as a surprise. That’s not to imply the agency hasn’t been working to meet the date, because it has – with extra help from consultants and economists …(187 words) Related Topics: broadband,... »
FCC’s Broadband Plan Delayed By a Month
The Federal Communications Commission says it will need another month to deliver its national broadband plan. The deadline to originally submit the plan to the U.S. Congress was Feb. 17. The FCC has been using stimulus funds and has hired many consultants to put together a plan that looks at getting affordable broadband to... »
FCC asks Congress to extend deadline for broadband plan by one month
The Federal Communications Commission said Wednesday it won’t meet the deadline set by Congress to create a plan to bring affordable high-speed Internet access to all U.S. homes. Instead, it has asked Congress to extend the deadline by one month. The FCC was supposed to hand a national broadband plan to Congress on Feb.... »
US administration urges FCC to look at spectrum for wireless broadband
As the Federal Communications Commission works toward developing a national broadband plan by a congressionally mandated Feb. 17 deadline, the Obama administration on Monday weighed in with its views, urging the commission to identify spectrum for wireless broadband in an effort to increase competition in the residential broadband market. “Given the projections of explosive growth... »
Justice Dept. to FCC: U.S. Needs More Spectrum
The U.S. Justice Department is calling on the FCC to open more spectrum to handle high-speed wireless Internet services. FCC officials, including Chairman Julius Genachowski, already have warned that demand for mobile data soon will outpace network capacity, so the Justice Department’s plea should fall on receptive ears. The Justice …(198 words) Related Topics: call,... »
The FTC Takes on the Cloud
The Federal Trade Commission is urging the FCC to take into account the privacy and security concerns it has regarding cloud services when the FCC presents its recommendations for a national broadband policy next month. The FTC is concerned with who has jurisdiction over data as it loses a geographic …(306 words) Related Topics: 4G,... »
US DOJ calls for FCC to release spectrum, focus on wireless broadband
The Department of Justice said wireless broadband services may be an attractive option for users without high-speed Internet access and could provide more competition to cable, fiber and DSL services. But such options can’t be possible unless federal regulators release more spectrum for mobile broadband services. The comments by the antitrust division of Justice were... »
AT&T to FCC – Kill the PSTN
AT&T has an answer to the FCC’s questions about moving to an all-IP network: Kill the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and do it sooner rather than later so we can get on with it. AT&T has asked the FCC to set a firm deadline much like the deadline given to television broadcasters to switch from... »
AT&T Takes Step Toward Landline Phase-Out
The estimated one in five people who rely solely on landlines for their phone service better think about leaping into the 21st century before too much longer.In a response to an FCC inquiry about the future of all-IP telecommunications, ATT said it wanted to see requirements to support a wireline …(170 words) Related Topics: AT&T,... »
AT&T Takes Step Toward Landline Phase-Out
The estimated one in five people who rely solely on landlines for their phone service better think about leaping into the 21st century before too much longer.In a response to an FCC inquiry about the future of all-IP telecommunications, ATT said it wanted to see requirements to support a wireline …(170 words) ... »
AT&T Wants to Kill The PSTN
TMCnet contributor Gary Kim has an excellent article about AT&T asking the Federal Communications Commission to create a timetable to shutdown the analog PSTN phone system in the United States. AT&T explains that maintaining two networks – IP and PSTN is retarding the deployment of the newer broadband IP network. Ok, I’ll grant you... »
FCC moves toward net neutrality rules
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission, in taking the first step toward creating net neutrality rules earlier this year, has reignited a contentious debate about government regulation of the Internet. Opponents of new net neutrality rules argue that an FCC proposal released in October would create intrusive new rules for the Internet and would mark a... »
Top Stories of 2009: Google gets serious about VoIP
In some ways, the story of Google getting into VoIP isn’t quite finished. The moves the Internet company has made are intriguing, but we haven’t seen their end product yet. The roots of Google’s VoIP play began in 2007 when it acquired Grand Central, a Unified Communicaitons (UC) company. When the acquisition was completed, Grand Central... »
FCC issues proposals to meet US national broadband plan
The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday unveiled a laundry list of proposals to meet a congressional mandate to give every U.S. home access to high-speed Internet service. The recommendations, which come just two months before the agency must present its final national broadband plan to Congress, include revising a rural phone subsidy program, revamping the... »
Verizon: Marketing, Capex Merit $350 ETFs
Verizon Wireless has responded to the FCC’s demand for an explanation of its new $350 early termination fee for smartphones including the Motorola Droid and certain BlackBerry models. The service provider’s defense? Advertising to get new subscribers costs a lot of money, and investing in broadband networks costs a lot …(189 words) ... »
Verizon Perfects the Art of the Non-answer
When the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) a few weeks ago asked Verizon to explain why it doubled its early termination fees, I thought it was a good idea that the FCC was raking the wireless giant over the coals. You know, keeping them honest and whatnot. My stance prompted one Verizon spokesperson to jokingly... »
Verizon Gets Until Monday to Explain $350 ETF to FCC
Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) has until Monday to explain its high “advanced devices” early termination fees (ETFs) to the FCC.The nation’s largest wireless carrier recently hiked the ETFs on netbooks and smartphones to $350 from $175. That raised eyebrows at the FCC. Verizon was to have responded to the FCC’s request …(152 words) ... »
Take ‘Em Down
I can hear the music video now, playing in my head. The song is from The seminal New Wave band of the 70’s, The Talking Heads, and it’s “Burning Down the House” as the AT&T network goes down in tatters all around a bunch of stunned and wide eyed executives in Dallas and Atlanta. Start... »
AT&T Mobile/Wireless – In Spin Control Mode
Let’s face it, AT&T made an error two years ago and miscalculated what the iPhone would mean. I don’t mean that people inside AT&T didn’t know what would happen. They did. Executives inside the mobile division expressed that it would take at least seven billion dollars to double the capacity of their aging mobile... »
AT&T Changing Outlook on Net Neutrality?
ATT Inc. (T) is hitting up the FCC with what it calls a compromise on net neutrality rules, although one group lambastes the move as nothing more than a “bait and switch.”ATT on Tuesday said the FCC should enforce broad rules prohibiting discrimination rather than create strict ones that require ISPs …(389 words) ... »