Wheeler not only has to manage an enormously complex spectrum auction next year, he faces two huge policy debates: the battle over net neutrality and the ramifications of the telecom industry's transition to IP.…
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The beast is back: The FCC’s net neutrality case gets its day in court
Verizon is arguing its net neutrality lawsuit Monday, and the case is important for consumers, web service providers and could even call the FCC's ability to regulate the internet into question. This is big.…
Read MoreRating 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 MoreFCC 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 MoreReport: 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 MoreWi-Fi expansion plan has automakers worried over the connected car’s future
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 MoreWhite space spectrum: What it is, and what it isn’t
The Federal Communications Commission has no grand plan to deploy free Wi-Fi networks across the country. But those recent reports have highlighted the "white space" spectrum that could have a major impact in the mobile industry in the coming years.…
Read MoreFCC 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 MoreCourt sides with FCC over Verizon in fight over data roaming
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 MoreDish will get its 4G network, but there’s a catch
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 MoreSOPA gets washed out in election
The entertainment industry lost a number of key allies on Capitol Hill as a result of the election and the returns have scrambled the leadership of key committees in both the House and Senate at a time when a number of major IP and telecom issues are being teed up.…
Read MoreThe 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 MoreFCC 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 MoreIs 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 MoreFCC 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 MoreHave 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 MoreWhat’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 MoreFCC 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 MoreNew 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 MoreThe 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 MoreCTIA: 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 MoreFCC 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 MoreNational 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 MoreIt’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.…
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