BROWSING: Policy

T-Mobile’s legal team reportedly called the class action suit 'unprecedented and speculative' T-Mobile US has been hit with an antitrust lawsuit related to its 2020 acquisition of Sprint after a U.S. judge ruled in favor of a class action filed by AT&T and Verizon subscribers...

Another $3.1 billion would fully fund eligible carrier requests The Biden administration has asked Congress for an additional $3.1 billion to fully fund small-and-medium-sized network operators' efforts to remove and replace network gear and services from banned Chinese vendors. The Secure and Trusted Communications Networks...

Federal E-Rate funds can be used to outfit school busses with Wi-Fi access points, the Federal Communications Commission has declared. The declaratory ruling was supported by the Commission's three Democrats, and opposed by its two Republicans. Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington argued both that...

The economics of access and adoption, plus the need for Wi-Fi equipment upgrades, are barriers to achieving universal gigabit service The European Union has laid out ambitious connectivity goals for member states, including universal access to 100 Mbps service by 2025 and gigabit-speed coverage of...

Chips, Open RAN, 6G ... governments around the world are pouring investment into tech, hoping to gain a strategic and economic advantage. The US government wants to offer relatively modest funding and maintain a market-driven approach—but it knows it can't afford to fall behind. WASHINGTON,...

AT&T and the Rural Wireless Association are taking issue with SpaceX's plans to launch and test a new satellite with cellular capabilities, part of Starlink's collaboration with T-Mobile US to leverage T-Mo's midband spectrum for satellite-based direct-to-cellular communications, including emergency SMS. The carrier and the...

Ligado claims that DoD has previously undisclosed systems running in its spectrum and has sued for compensation Ligado Networks has filed suit against the U.S. government, including the Department of Defense, the Department of Commerce and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, claiming that DoD...

New consumer broadband labeling must be in place next year The Federal Communications Commission has laid out the deadlines for broadband service providers to put in place new consumer labeling that, much like nutrition labeling, is meant to give consumers a thorough and standardized view...

New global organization will focus on "shared priorities" including open networks and diversifying the telecom supply chain The United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Japan have joined together to form the new Global Coalition on Telecommunications (GCOT). The partners say that they will...

Dish has six months to complete drive testing to confirm its network speeds The Federal Communications Commission has confirmed to Dish Wireless that it has met its 5G build-out requirements and two of three related commitments, with one set of test results still pending...

Carr, Starks confirmed to five-year terms The U.S. Senate has confirmed two FCC commissioners to five-year terms. Brendan Carr and Geoffrey Starks were confirmed by voice vote late Saturday, amid a rush by federal legislators to avoid a government shutdown. Carr, a Republican, was confirmed...

With a fifth Federal Communications Commissioner newly seated to round out a Democratic majority on the Commission, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel is reviving the prospect of Title II-based, or "net neutrality", regulation of mobile and fixed internet services by the Federal Communications Commission. Speaking at...

Big Tech companies have profited greatly from dominant market positions while riding largely for free over the top of fixed and mobile telecom networks and devices. The entire Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) ecosystem is enabled by a variety of interoperability technologies including 5G...

Anna Gomez confirmed to fill FCC seat Three years into the Biden administration, the Federal Communications Commission finally has all five seats filled. The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday to confirm telecom law and policy veteran Anna Gomez as an FCC Commissioner. “Congratulations to Anna Gomez...

NTIA holds firm that 'close to 90%' of materials involved in BEAD projects should be made in the United States With more than $42 billion poised to pour out in support of broadband deployment projects across the United States, the federal government is sticking closely...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is making its mark as a game-changer. With its ability to analyze vast amounts of data, automate processes and enhance customer experiences, AI is revolutionizing policy and connectivity like never before. My interest in AI dates back to 2009 when it wasn't...

Everybody else is doing it, so why can't we? A new CTIA report breaks down how lower-midband spectrum at is being used for 5G—and already co-existing—with U.S. military systems in use around the world, and urges federal regulators to segment the band at 3.3...

Intel announced the deal in February 2022 and hoped it would help scale its foundry services Intel has terminated the $5.4 billion deal to acquire Israel-based chip company Tower Semiconductor, citing regulatory hurdles. The deal, announced in February 2022, was intended to help scale Intel’s...

Rosenworcel expresses hope that AI can help deal with congested airwaves The Federal Communications Commission is asking for input on new technological approaches to assessing spectrum usage, so that it has better insights into current technologies that might help the agency to manage spectrum and...

One of the telecom industry's concerns about the massive amount of federal Infrastructure Act dollars that are poised to pour into the market to close the digital divide over the next few years, has been associated requirements on buying American-made products for use in...

New NOFO for Tribal funding provides up to $980 million More broadband funds are poised to flow to Tribal areas, with the Biden administration releasing a new Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) with a nearly billion-dollar pot to draw from. The National Telecommunications and Information...

The UK government has launched a £40 million fund for local authorities to deliver 5G-based IoT solutions to help in the fields of manufacturing, transport, agriculture, and healthcare, as well as with their own smart-city services. The money will go to create broad ‘5G...

Broadcom announced plans to acquire VMware for $61 billion in May 2022 Following a previous delay while regulators in both Europe and the U.S. asked for more time for consideration, Broadcom’s plan to acquire VMware for $61 billion, first announced in May 2022, has received provisional approval...

New FCC effort seeks alignment with NIST principles on cybersecurity The Biden administration and the Federal Communications Commission are working on a product labeling effort focused on standards for cybersecurity in consumer and IoT products. A new "U.S. Cyber Trust Mark" program has been proposed...