Federal-communications-commission

AT&T-Mo what happens next?

The Federal Communications Commission put up a roadblock to the AT&T and T-Mobile merger when it referred the merger to an administrative hearing, and even AT&T seems a bit daunted by the opposition lined up against the $39 billion deal.

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Sprint Formally Asks FCC to Block AT&T/T-Mo Merger

Third-place U.S. cellular carrier Sprint filed a petition with the FCC today formally requesting a block of the AT&T-T-Mobile merger saying it would harm consumers, competition and the broadband economy and would produce little to no tangible public interest benefits. How will AT&T respond?

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FCC OKs Comcast-NBCU, But the Devil Is in the Details

FCC chairman Julius Genachowski issued a draft order to the other commissioners today that gave the Comcast-NBCU deal the “OK,” with some “carefully tailored conditions.” But what those conditions are, and what they mean for the future of online video, remains to be seen.

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FCC Opens the Door for Metered Broadband

The FCC today opened the door to metered pricing plans on wireline broadband networks such as those attempted by Time Warner Cable and AT&T. In a speech outlining his network neutrality proposal, Julius Genachowski condoned usage-based pricing as a means to ensure continued investment in networks.

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New Pew Stats To Fuel Net Neutrality Fans

With network neutrality poised to make a potential return to Capitol Hill, the latest surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center will be s…

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FCC Fines Verizon $25M for Mystery Fees

The FCC proved it does indeed have consumer’s backs by handing out a $25 million fine to Verizon for charging its customers spurious fees over a period of years. The fine was the result of a 10-month investigation into the carrier’s billing practices.

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Broadband Speed Is the Tail Wagging the Policy Dog

As the FCC promotes the National Broadband Plan, it appears convinced that making 100 Mbps speeds available to 100 million households within 10 years will have a positive impact on economic development. But is there too much emphasis on speed as a predicator of economic success?

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People With Cell Phones, The FCC Has Your Back

The FCC may be struggling in its attempts to create real network neutrality rules, but it’s having better luck with pushing consumer-friendly reforms in the wireless business. This week it plans to help consumers stop incurring giant and unexpected data charges on their mobile phones.

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Comcast’s NBC-U Dreams May Be Online Video’s Nightmare

There’s a very good chance that most people in America will soon have just one choice for truly high-speed Internet access suitable for watching video — their local cable monopoly. With cable’s DOCSIS 3.0 as an intermediate step, we’re reaching the era of true convergence.

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Seriously, FCC, Get a Move On

The FCC today released a new report, Internet Access Services, which gives the state of Internet in the US — at the end of June 2009. The problem is that the report has data that is 14 months old, which makes it pretty much worthless.

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Did Net Neutrality Just Get Knifed in The Back?

Google has reached an agreement with Verizon over Internet traffic management. It is the first step in what would amount to slow asphyxiation of network neutrality. The deal apparently prevents Verizon from blocking traffic but allows prioritization of certain types of traffic.

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Why U.S. Tech Policy Needs Silicon Valley's Input

The enormous economic impact of Silicon Valley’s edge and cloud companies isn’t adequately reflected in the policy debates taking place in D.C. But the Valley can no longer simply come up with tech solutions to get around what’s going on in Washington.

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A View of Wireless Competition in Charts and Graphs

The FCC today released a 237-page report detailing the state of competition in the wireless industry. The report offers no conclusions, but I’ve taken several of the images provided in the report to paint a picture of the industry that shows it’s very profitable.

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FCC Seeks Rules to Avoid $24,000 Mobile Bills

The Federal Communications Commission today sought comment on proposed regulations that would lead to wireless operators notifying cell phone users when their data usage reached a certain threshold. The rules are aimed at preventing the nightmare cell phone bills can reach media-worthy proportions.

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The FCC Wants to Test Your Broadband Speed Limit

The FCC wants to know how fast your broadband speed is, so it’s looking for volunteers to install gear that will provide accurate assessments. Since data seems to be its only solution to the lack of broadband competition, it’s trying to get the best it can.

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Why Google & Verizon Won't Be BFFs Forever

Google and Verizon today penned an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal praising certain aspects of the National Broadband Plan, but what is driving these two firms closer together? I think it’s a dislike of greater FCC power and the Apple-AT&T alliance.

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FCC's Broadband Plan: Mobile Broadband Will Save Us!

The Federal Communications Commission issued the long-awaited National Broadband Plan this week, a 376-page document that makes clear the agency accepts the reality of the current wireline duopoly — and as such, has decided to put the burden of competitive pressure on mobile broadband.

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Comcast-NBC Universal Pitch Deal To FCC

With a lengthy pitch on the public interest value of creating a new content-focused joint venture that will boost quantity, quality, diversi…

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2 Years of Chips, Broadband and You!

Two years ago today I wrote my first post for GigaOM. But while initially, the community of experts that populated the site intimidated the heck out of me, as it turns out, it’s been that very community that’s taught me the most.

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AT&T to FCC: Let My Landlines Go!

The copper landline is dying, and AT&T has suggested some regulatory changes to speed the death along. What it doesn’t address is what an all-IP future means for the almost 20 percent who rely exclusively on a landline or the 33 percent without broadband.

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Verizon Perfects the Art of the Non-answer

I thought it was a good idea when the FCC asked Verizon to explain why it doubled its early termination fees. Verizon has responded with a letter that tries to pass itself off as a manifesto that anything it does is good for the people.

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FCC Wants to Know Why Verizon Increased Termination Fees

The FCC sent a letter to Verizon Wireless seeking answers to two key questions: Why did it increase the early termination fee and how does it determine what it charges? The FCC also wants to know if Verizon was charging $1.99 to accidental mobile web users.

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@ CTIA: The Data Tsunami Is Here

While the general observation by everyone is that this year’s CTIA I.T. & Entertainment show is small, it’s not because there isn’t dramatic…

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FCC Lays Out Blueprint For The Open Internet

As expected, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski outlined the agency’s plans this morning for new rules that will prevent telecom companies from…

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Wireless Industry Prepares To Defend Itself

As the Obama administration becomes more determined to bring additional scrutiny to the wireless industry, the CTIA is getting ready to defe…

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FCC Names Wireless Bureau Staff

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has appointed four new senior-level staff members to the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, mostly hiring p…

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White Space Supporters Bend FCC’s Ear

Last week, opponents of the FCC’s plan to auction off white-space spectrum ramped up their lobbying effort. This week, proponents of the pl…

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FCC’s Planned Free WiFi Is For Five Year Olds

The FCC’s plan for a nation-wide free wireless network has received a number of criticisms, including that previous free WiFi plans haven’t…

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The FCC’s Next Two Spectrum Auctions

Has the FCC gotten into the wireless business? Instead of simply auctioning off airwaves, it’s been taking it a step further recently by lay…

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FCC Pushes For Emergency Text Message Alerts

The FCC is thinking about developing a nationwide emergency alert system that would send out text messages in a crisis, USA Today reports. T…

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