To the cable, phone, wireless and broadcasting companies in the U.S., the Federal Communications Commission can sometimes seem to be a big wet blanket on all their merger-happy fun. Thus, Congress is now considering legislation that would revise the way the FCC does everything from introducing regulations to reviewing mergers. [More]
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FCC Reminds Everyone That Cellphone Jamming & Jamming Devices Are Illegal
By 3.6.12
Even while the Federal Communications Commission is asking for comments on the temporary blocking or disabling of wireless signals by law enforcement, it wants to stress to everyone that there is no legal gray area when it comes to cellphone jamming and jamming devices. [More]
FCC Wants To Know If It Sometimes Might Be Okay To Jam Cellphones In Interest Of Public Safety
By 3.2.12
Chief among the reasons given by the Federal Communications Commission for outlawing the practice of using signal-jamming devices for cellphones is public safety. With 70% of 911 calls now made on wireless devices, the FCC has argued that deliberately blocking cell signals could put people at risk. That being said, the agency is now willing to hear from people who think it might occasionally be in the public interest to jam wireless signals. [More]
FCC To Make Robocalls Opt-In Only, But Human Telemarketers May Still Annoy You
By 2.15.12
In spite of the fact that more than 200 million numbers have been placed on the National Do Not Call Registry, robocalling telemarketers are continuing to either ignore the list or find ways around its restrictions. But the FCC is set to unveil new rules that would shrink the size of those loopholes. [More]
Lawmakers Call For End To NFL Blackouts; Jacksonville Jaguars Fan Rejoices
By 2.14.12
For fans of football teams with poor stadium attendance, Sunday afternoons can be a dreary experience of having to watch Cheers re-runs while occasionally checking the score of the game you’d be watching if it weren’t blacked out. But if a quintet of senators get their way, these black outs would come to an end. [More]
FCC Chair Calls AT&T/T-Mobile Failure "Reminder Of The Benefits Of Competition"
By 1.11.12
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 12.30.11
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 12.21.11
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 12.13.11
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 12.12.11
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]
AT&T Pulls FCC Application For T-Mobile Merger
By 11.24.11
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 11.22.11
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 11.2.11
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 10.17.11
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 8.9.11
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 8.2.11
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 7.12.11
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 6.28.11
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]
