Rating the legacy of outgoing FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said he was stepping down from the role today. Let’s take a look back and see how he did against our hopes for him back in 2009. Read more »
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski confirms departure
After nearly four years as FCC chairman, Julius Genachowski is stepping down in “coming weeks”. President Obama will now get to appoint two new commission members in his second term. Read more »
Report: Genachowski resigning as FCC chairman Friday
The Democratic chairman is stepping down, according to the Wall Street Journal, just as a Republican commissioner is departing, preserving an administration-friendly majority on the commission. Read more »
Wi-Fi expansion plan has automakers worried over the connected car’s future
photo: GigaOM
The spectrum automakers plan to use for vehicle-to-vehicle networks sits right up against the airwaves the FCC wants to reallocate for Wi-Fi. The auto industry says that’s the perfect recipe for interference. Read more »
FCC set to release more spectrum to feed our need for Wi-Fi
FCC chairman Julius Genachowski is opening a proceeding to clear 195 MHz of new 5 GHz spectrum for Wi-Fi use. The allocation would be the biggest bonanza of new unlicensed airwaves since 2003 and would help bring about new gigabit wireless technologies. Read more »
Court sides with FCC over Verizon in fight over data roaming
photo: Flickr/steakpinball
Verizon Wireless challenged the FCC’s requirements that it make its data networks available to any competitor through roaming agreements, but in a appeals court decision on Tuesday, the commission prevailed. The unanimous vote means Verizon’s 3G and 4G networks remain open. Read more »
Dish will get its 4G network, but there’s a catch
photo: Flickr / Dave Lindblom
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski wants to grant Dish’s wish for an LTE network, but he’s attached a few caveats. He proposes that Dish rein its network, and the satellite provider is none too pleased. Read more »
The myth of the wireless spectrum crisis
The CTIA says wireless providers are in a desperate race against the clock and need more spectrum, yet their very own numbers reveal a different story. Tim Farrar of Telecom, Media, and Finance Associates, says wireless data growth is actually slowing. Read more »
FCC approves AT&T’s nationwide 4G band plan
The compromise plan turns a worthless hunk of airwaves into prime cellular real estate, while protecting neighboring satellite radio from interference. AT&T now just needs to consolidate the remaining 2.3 GHz licenses out there so it can build its new LTE network. Read more »
Is the FCC planning to propose some new broadband math?
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski spoke today on the state of U.S. broadband. He didn’t break new ground, but he did push for faster and higher capacity broadband in the U.S. The question is whether he plans to get the agency to do anything about it. Read more »
FCC Chairman: I’m concerned about data caps
The FCC chairman is concerned about data caps, but that may not mean he’s ready to take any action. At an event in Silicon Valley last night the chairman of the regulatory agency said he viewed anything that would depress broadband usage as a concern. Read more »
Have an opinion on broadband caps? Speeds? Tell the FCC.
The FCC doesn’t seem to realize it’s summer. The regulatory agency has been issuing decisions like crazy. And this week it also released a series of questions that indicate the FCC is thinking about the need for faster broadband speeds and questioning caps. Read more »
What’s up with special access: the $12B surcharge on Sprint and T-Mo?
The FCC halted the deregulation of special access charges, prices companies like Sprint and T-Mobile pay to connect their wireless networks to the Internet. Verizon and AT&T own those circuits, and the FCC wants to know if they charge their competitors a fair rate. Read more »
FCC working with startups, researchers to accelerate mHealth
Trying to give the still nascent mHealth sector a motivational kick in the pants, the Federal Communications Commission has begun working directly with startups and universities to help bring new wireless telemedicine and healthcare technologies to market faster. Read more »
New medical spectrum will untether patients from their monitors
Soon, a stay in intensive care will no longer mean being physically tethered to every monitoring device imaginable. The FCC has designated a slice of radio airwaves for medical body area networks, which will allow hospitals to cut the cord on bulky vital-signs monitoring gear. Read more »
The questions Genachowski should be asking about data caps
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski reiterated his acceptance of broadband data caps and tiered pricing at The Cable Show. That’s fine, but it would be awesome if he started asking questions about how those caps are set and what impact they have on consumer behavior. Read more »
CTIA: The good, the bad and the very, very ugly
I have a confession to make: I like CTIA Wireless. I’ll be the first to admit that the show is dying, but the problem isn’t it’s place on the calendar like most people think. The problem is much simpler: It’s the carriers. Read more »
FCC Chairman questions AT&T’s merger math
Performing a few mental calculations during his keynote at CTIA Wireless on Tuesday, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski quickly concluded that the same amount of mobile spectrum existed today as existed before the government slapped down AT&T-Mo. So where did this capacity crisis suddenly come from? Read more »
National database aims to catch smartphone thieves
The feds teamed up with law enforcement and the wireless industry to curb the theft of cellphones by essentially rendering the devices useless once pilfered and fingering the thieves if they try to re-activate them. Their plan: A new database that will track stolen phones. Read more »
It’s no T-Mo, but AT&T picks up Qualcomm airwaves
The FCC approved Qualcomm’s sale of its 700 MHz spectrum to AT&T. The deal is striking for two reasons; it closes a big chapter in the history of mobile TV and the FCC said it will look at interoperability in LTE bands next year. Read more »
Cable association to FCC: AllVid is DOA
Writing on behalf of the NCTA, former FCC Chairman Michael Powell cited the wide array of TV apps popping up on connected TVs, tablets and mobile devices at this year’s Cable Show were proof that the FCC’s suggested AllVid standard will be unnecessary. Read more »
FCC Chairman: Why We Need More Wireless Spectrum
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has come under fire from all sides over his and the FCC’s stance on Net Neutrality. But if there is one bright spot, it has been the recent order to free up under-utilized TV spectrum and use it for broadband. Read more »
Video: FCC Chief Answers Questions About the National Broadband Plan
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski spoke to a YouTube team about the National Broadband Plan and tried to respond to questions from Internet users across the country. The answers to put it politely, were at best nuanced. Watch this video below the fold. Read more »
Why the FCC's Plan to Provide Enough Mobile Spectrum Falls Short
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski today outlined the commission’s plans to create a blueprint for mobile broadband for the next 10 years as part of the National Broadband Plan. But just how effective the FCC can be in freeing up spectrum is far from clear. Read more »
Special Event: FCC Chairman to Talk Broadband Policy at GigaOM
On a first glance you might think the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has very little to do with greentech. But the FCC is not just focused on wardrobe malfunctions and expanding broadband access — in recent months the FCC has also started looking at how to […] Read more »
