Verizon today boosted its upload speeds across its FiOS fiber-to-the-home broadband packages, which leads me to wonder if upload speeds are the new download speeds in a saturated market for broadband. Om and I both have complained about anemic upload speeds, which are becoming more of a handicap in today’s world of video uploads and online backup. Given Verizon’s history as an innovator in broadband (spending $23 million billion on fiber is a bold move), and a renewed package of incentives out today to drive subscription rates (you get a netbook or a Flip camcorder with a triple-play subscription), upstream speeds may get more competitive. Continue »

FCC acting chairman Michael Copps said yesterday afternoon that the agency would investigate exclusivity deals between carriers and handset makers, and “take action” if they were found to cause harm to consumers. While the largest cellular carriers are protesting the probe, consumer advocates are thrilled. However with two of the four largest U.S. carriers operating on a CDMA network and the other two operating on a GSM network, eliminating exclusivity would mean handset makers would have to build a minimum of two versions of each phone, not that the phones would be interchangeable on U.S. networks. Continue »

Updated: Rep. Eric Massa (D-Corning) today introduced legislation that would force Internet Service Providers that want to implement usage-based pricing plans to go through several regulatory hurdles, including public hearings, to determine if such pricing is anti-competitive. Such usage-based plans may involve tiered pricing or caps based on the amount of data downloaded.

Massa is one of the two New York congressmen who spoke out strongly against efforts by Time Warner Cable to expand its tiered billing trials. Under its plan, announced March 31, residential customers in five cities would have paid a different price based on the amount of data downloaded each month. However, a little more than two weeks after it was proposed, the trials were canceled after the public and members of Congress protested. AT&T has a similar trial underway in Beaumont, Texas and in Reno, Nev. Continue »

The iPhone  has sure brought a lot of whiners out of the woodwork. Today Sen. John Kerry joined them by publishing a blog post on the Save The Internet blog arguing against exclusivity of certain phones on some wireless networks. Yesterday, Kerry sent a letter to the FCC in preparation for hearings scheduled tomorrow that called for investigation into exclusivity arrangements such as AT&T’s lock on the iPhone or Sprint’s six-month exclusive on the Pre, asking if those arrangements hurt consumers.

As an example, the letter asks if such deals result in a consumer not being able to use the full features on a device (for example, if a carrier prohibits tethering). Other concerns are whether these deals are becoming more common, and whether it stifles innovation in the handset market.

In March, I wrote about exclusivity arrangements, and questioned whether the government should get involved. I think that most consumers still have access to a variety of competitive devices on other networks. Plus, in most areas they can choose whatever cell phone provider they want and still have an array of devices to choose from. If you want an iPhone, you can get one in most places in the U.S. by signing up for AT&T’s network and forking over a few hundred dollars. These crusaders are confusing a lot of issues with complaints about exclusivity, associating it with higher prices for devices and net neutrality on wireless networks.  Continue »

Sling Media is developing a version of its SlingPlayer application, which allows users to access TV content from their mobile phones, for the Palm Pre that would work on both on Wi-Fi and 3G. But Sling’s hopes for 3G support could be dashed by the Pre’s mobile carrier, Sprint, which is currently locked in an agreement with privately held MobiTV to deliver mobile television content. That’s a shame, because allowing SlingPlayer on Sprint’s 3G network would help Palm gain more traction in the smartphone landscape — and give the Pre an edge over the iPhone.

AT&T, of course, opted against supporting the SlingPlayer app on its 3G network, which resulted in an outcry from iPhone users. Depending on what Sprint decides, it’s a decision that could end up working heavily in Palm’s favor. Continue »

Given my views on AT&T’s network and my recent breakup with my iPhone, I have watched the release of the new iPhone 3G S with mild amusement. Many on our team are looking to upgrade and, like many of their fellow current iPhone owners, have been complaining about the AT&T $200 surcharge for upgrading to the recently announced iPhone 3G S. The unsubsidized price of the new iPhone 3G S is $599/$699, depending on the total storage space of the device. Ronald Lewis, author of a soon-to-be-released book called “Stick it to the man,” has figured out a way to beat the subsidy. Continue »

Apple unveiled the new iPhone today, and once again the device is inspiring lust while the network inspires loathing. While a lot of sites are hacked off that AT&T will not support tethering (using your phone as a modem) and MMS picture messaging on the iPhone 3G right away, owners of older 3G iPhones in the U.S. may have a bigger beef. Sources are telling me — and AT&T doesn’t deny — that the network upgrades AT&T announced two weeks ago won’t boost the old 3G iPhone’s data connections to the promised 7.2 Mbps speeds. Continue »