1
fcc
fcc
FCC Chair Calls AT&T/T-Mobile Failure "Reminder Of The Benefits Of Competition"
By Chris Morran on January 11, 2012 8:26 PM
10 Comments
In less than a year, AT&T went from swallowing up T-Mobile USA for for $39 billion to owing T-Mobile's German parent company $3 billion in cash and another billion in spectrum because that deal slammed into the regulatory roadblock at the FCC and the Justice Dept. Speaking for the third year in a row at the Consumer Electronics Show, FCC chair Julius Genachowski defended his agency's actions against the deal. More »
FCC Voices Concern Over Verizon Wireless Fee
By Chris Morran on December 30, 2011 3:15 PM
23 Comments
Someone at the FCC must be a Verizon Wireless customer. The agency has just announced that it will look into the nation's largest cell phone service provider's plan to charge a $2/month fee to customers who don't enroll in auto-pay or pay directly from their bank accounts. More »
New Bill Would Prevent FCC Commissioners From Jumping Ship To Companies Whose Mergers They Just Approved
By Chris Morran on December 21, 2011 4:02 PM
55 Comments
Remember last May when then-FCC commissioner Meredith Atwell Baker (pictured at left) ruffled a lot of feathers by taking a job at Comcast, only a few months after approving the cable company's controversial merger with NBC? Well, Congresswoman Maxine Waters hasn't forgotten, and she's introduced legislation aimed at preventing these kinds of obvious shenanigans. More »
FCC: TV Commercials Will Be A Lot Quieter One Year From Now
By Mary Beth Quirk on December 13, 2011 10:00 AM
66 Comments
Today the Federal Communications Commission is expected to pass regulations requiring that all commercials on TV be at a constant level — which means no sudden blaring of Wacky Wild Wally screaming at you about the best RV deals in town. Well, he might still be screaming but he won't permanently damage your hearing. More »
AT&T Mulling Over Revisions To T-Mobile Deal To Appease Regulators
By Chris Morran on December 12, 2011 4:15 PM
36 Comments
We're guessing that when AT&T announced it was going to buy T-Mobile USA for $39 billion that it didn't expect the deal would receive such jeers from the regulators at the Justice Dept. or the FCC. But with the former ready to go to trial to block the merger and the latter saying it will hold its own hearing if the DOJ fails, AT&T now appears to be looking at the Darth in the mirror. More »
(andy_57)
AT&T Pulls FCC Application For T-Mobile Merger
By Chris Morran on November 24, 2011 3:23 PM
15 Comments
Two days after the FCC announced it intends to hold a rare administrative hearing on AT&T's proposed purchase of T-Mobile USA, the folks at the Death Star have decided to pull their merger application to the regulator, at least until the end of its legal battle with the Dept. of Justice. More »
FCC To Add Yet Another Speed Bump To AT&T/T-Mobile Deal
By Chris Morran on November 22, 2011 4:01 PM
18 Comments
While we all wait for the legal fireworks that are sure to come from the Justice Department's lawsuit to stop the AT&T purchase of T-Mobile, the folks at the Federal Communications Commission are reportedly looking to hold an administrative hearing on the deal, which could make things even more difficult for the merger. More »
Consumers Union To Wireless Providers: Don't Wait To Implement "Bill Shock" Alerts
By Chris Morran on November 2, 2011 11:45 AM
29 Comments
A couple weeks ago, details were announced about the Wireless Consumer Usage Notification Guidelines, which give wireless providers one year to roll out a system that lets customers know when they are nearing or over their allotted data, text, voice or international roaming limits. But our cohorts at Consumers Union are urging these companies to not wait until the last minute. More »
Wireless Customers To Receive Free Text Alerts To Avoid Overage Charges
By Chris Morran on October 17, 2011 11:30 AM
41 Comments
After months of talking about the issue, the FCC and the nation's wireless providers have announced a deal that will provide almost every wireless customer in the country with free text alerts to help them avoid "bill shock" from unexpected overage charges. More »
FCC Throws Hitch Into AT&T's Plans For 4G Roll-Out
By Chris Morran on August 9, 2011 2:15 PM
14 Comments
Last December, AT&T spent nearly $2 billion to purchase a big chunk of wireless spectrum from Qualcomm, with the plan of using it to expand 4G access across the country. But that deal has since been stuck in regulatory review, and it looks like it's going to be there for some time as the FCC has decided to make that decision part of its review process for the pending AT&T purchase of T-Mobile. More »
FCC Broadband Study Shows Which Companies Actually Come Close To Meeting Advertised Download Speeds
By Chris Morran on August 2, 2011 10:50 AM
70 Comments
Today, at — of all places — a Best Buy in Washington, DC, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced the results of the agency's Measuring Broadband America study, which looked to put a more accurate number on what consumers should be expecting from their broadband providers. More »
FCC Proposes Anti-Cramming Regulations For Landline Bills
By Chris Morran on July 12, 2011 3:15 PM
38 Comments
Last month, FCC chair Julius Genachowski said the commission was preparing to take on the problem of landline bill cramming, the practice of placing mysterious third-party charges for everything from long-distance to yoga classes on your landline bill. Earlier today, the FCC announced more details of its proposed plan. More »
FCC Stays Neutral On State Of U.S. Wireless Competition
By Paul Eng on June 28, 2011 4:21 PM
22 Comments
Is there enough competition among the wireless service companies in the U.S.? The Federal Communications Commission's annual report on the matter, released yesterday, didn't definitively answer that question. And its neutral stance is causing many to wonder how the regulatory agency will rule on the pending merger of AT&T and T-Mobile. More »
Cable Boxes Slurp More Electricity Than Refrigerators
By Ben Popken on June 27, 2011 11:00 AM
94 Comments
The biggest energy hog in your house is probably sitting right under your TV. That little ol' set-top box could be using up more electricity in your house than your refrigerator or central air conditioning, according to a new study by the National Resource Defense Council. More »
FCC Chair: 15 To 20 Million Americans Are Seeing Mystery Fees On Landline Bills
By Chris Morran on June 20, 2011 3:30 PM
35 Comments
Eight months after the FCC settled with Verizon Wireless for $25 million over mystery charges on cell phone bills, the Commission's Chairman Julius Genachowski says he's ready to take on the bigger problem of so-called "cramming" on landline bills. More »
(ash)
Today Is The Last Day To Tell The FCC How You Feel About The AT&T/T-Mobile Merger
By Chris Morran on June 20, 2011 2:26 PM
20 Comments
While AT&T's pending purchase of T-Mobile may still be many, many months away from a final ruling by the Federal Communications Commission and Justice Department, today is the deadline for members of the public to add their comments to the FCC record. More »
Sprint Officially Asks FCC To Block AT&T Purchase Of T-Mobile
By Chris Morran on June 1, 2011 8:30 AM
41 Comments
Since AT&T announced its plans to purchase T-Mobile USA for around $39 billion, the folks at Sprint have been quite public about their opposition to the deal, taking out mocking ads and testifying before lawmakers in Washington. Yesterday, Sprint made its stance official, filing a "Petition to Deny" the deal with the Federal Communications Commission. More »
Comcast Pulls $18,000 Donation Over Tweet About FCC Commissioner Turned Kabletown Flunky
By Chris Morran on May 20, 2011 12:14 PM
68 Comments
Comcast is apparently very unhappy with the fact that it was eliminated in the Final Four of this year's Worst Company in America contest. First, it goes and makes the ethically questionable move of hiring a still-active FCC commissioner, and now comes a report that the Kabletown Krew have pulled $18,000 in funding to a non-profit organization all because of a Tweet about that commissioner's hiring. More »
Verizon Sues FCC Over New Rules For Data Roaming
By Chris Morran on May 19, 2011 9:15 AM
14 Comments
Last month, the Federal Communications Commission voted to enact new rules that require national wireless broadband providers like Verizon and AT&T to provide data roaming to other carriers "on commercially reasonable terms and conditions." Not surprisingly, Big Red is against this idea and has thus filed a lawsuit against the FCC in an attempt to have the rules reversed. More »
FCC Commissioner Turned Comcast Flunky Defends Herself
By Chris Morran on May 16, 2011 3:37 PM
98 Comments
Last week, FCC commissioner Meredith Atwell Baker raised a lot of eyebrows when — only months after voting to approve the controversial merger of Comcast and NBC — she announced she would be jumping ship to become Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, NBCUniversal. The lame duck commissioner recently released a statement to defend herself against allegations of impropriety. More »
