FCC
FCC begins rollout of $10B in connectivity aid through emergency funds
After months of deliberations, the FCC is ready to start helping people cover the cost of broadband and connected devices through two emergency funds amounting to more than $10 billion.…
80% of the 22 million comments on net neutrality rollback were fake, investigation finds
Of the 22 million comments submitted to the FCC regarding 2017’s controversial rollback of net neutrality, some 18 million were fake, an investigation by the New York Attorney General’s office…
FCC proposes rules for emergency broadband program to keep struggling families online
The FCC has taken a major step toward offering financial support for people struggling to pay broadband bills during the pandemic. If approved, the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program could provide…
Earlier this week, Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei spoke rather diplomatically about the company’s hopes of holding talks with the new U.S. administration. The hardware giant is also taking a less…
The FCC has a new acting chairwoman in Jessica Rosenworcel
The Biden administration has officially appointed Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel acting FCC chairwoman, and she very well may be the first woman to hold the official position if she is nominated…
Senate confirms Nathan Simington as FCC Commissioner, potentially setting up years of stonewalling
The Senate today confirmed the appointment of Nathan Simington to the FCC, which with the imminent departure of Chairman Ajit Pai sets up the agency for years of deadlock unless…
SpaceX snags $885M from FCC to serve rural areas with Starlink
The FCC has just published the results of its Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction, which sounds rather stiff but involves distributing billions to broadband providers that bring solid…
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai will step down to make way for the Biden administration
The chairman of the FCC, Ajit Pai, has announced he will leave his position on January 20 as President-elect Biden is sworn in. Pai’s tenure has been a controversial one,…
The FCC rejects ZTE’s petition to stop designating it a ‘national security threat’
The Federal Communications Commission has rejected ZTE’s petition to remove its designation as a “national security threat.” This means that American companies will continue to be barred from using the…
Featured Article
Who regulates social media?
Social media platforms have repeatedly found themselves in the United States government’s crosshairs over the last few years, as it has been progressively revealed just how much power they really wield, and to what purposes they’ve chosen to wield it. But unlike, say, a firearm or drug manufacturer, there is no designated authority that says…
FCC dings company for $164K after its false broadband claims distorted national report
The FCC was deeply embarrassed last year when it was found that its rosy broadband deployment report was off by millions, owing to a single, extremely suspect filing that conjured…
FCC invites public comment on Trump’s attempt to nerf Section 230
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has decided to ask the public for its thoughts on an attempt initiated in Trump in May to water down certain protections that arguably led to…
Dish closes Boost Mobile purchase, following T-Mobile/Sprint merger
T-Mobile today announced that it has closed a deal that divests Sprint’s pre-paid businesses, including Boost and Virgin Mobile. The news finds Dish entering the wireless carrier game in earnest,…
FCC set to finalize 988 as the new National Suicide Prevention Hotline phone number
The FCC said Tuesday it will vote next month to designate 988 as the new three-digit U.S. nationwide number to reach the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. In a notice, the…
FCC Commissioner disparages Trump’s social media order: ‘The decision is ours alone’
FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks has examined the President’s Executive Order that attempts to spur FCC action against social media and found it wanting. “There are good reasons for the FCC…
Republican senators ask FCC to examine Section 230, following Trump order
On May 29, the president of the United States of America tweeted, simply, “REVOKE 230!” The message was all caps, with an exclamation mark for good measure. The message was…
Robocallers face $225M fine from FCC and lawsuits from multiple states
Two men embodying the zenith of human villainy have admitted to making approximately a billion robocalls in the first few months of 2019 alone, and now face an FCC fine…
‘Deficiencies’ that broke FCC commenting system in net neutrality fight detailed by GAO
Today marks the conclusion of a years-long saga that started when John Oliver did a segment on Net Neutrality that was so popular that it brought the FCC’s comment system…
The FCC has finally gotten around to updating its 15-year-old orbital debris rules, adding new requirements and streamlining the approval process. With hundreds of satellites going up every year into…
FCC shoots down petition to label Trump’s coronavirus broadcasts as hoaxes
The FCC has denied a request that it investigate and take action on a broadcast the petitioners allege has made material and deadly contributions to the spread of COVID-19: President…
FCC enacts $200M telehealth initiative to ease COVID-19 burden on hospitals
The FCC has developed and approved a $200 million program to fund telehealth services and devices for medical providers, just a week or so after the funding was announced. Hospitals…
FCC mandates strict caller ID authentication to beat back robocalls
The FCC unanimously passed a new set of rules today that will require wireless carriers to implement an tech framework to combat robocalls. Called STIR/SHAKEN, and dithered over for years…
Be on guard for coronavirus robocalls, warns FCC
Robocalls have been targeting the vulnerable and unsuspecting for years, so it’s no surprise that the scumbags would take advantage of the current global catastrophe to enhance their scams. The…
Lawmakers look to bridge ‘homework gap’ with subsidized Wi-Fi hotspots for students
Schools around the country are closing, and while some universities are able to switch to online classes, that’s not really an option for K-12 students, many of whom lack the…
FCC looks to mandate anti-robocall tech after prodding from Congress
The FCC is finally going to require wireless carriers to implement an anti-robocalling technology, after asking them nicely for more than a year to do so at their convenience. Of…
FCC proposes $208M in fines for wireless carriers that sold your location for years
The FCC has officially and finally determined that the major wireless carriers in the U.S. broke the law by secretly selling subscribers’ location data for years with almost no constraints…
Carriers ‘violated federal law’ by selling your location data, FCC tells Congress
More than a year and a half after wireless carriers were caught red-handed selling the real-time location data of their customers to anyone willing to pay for it, the FCC…
Robocall-crushing TRACED act passes Senate and heads to Oval Office
Somehow during all the partisan furor of the last few days, the Senate found a moment to vote some bipartisan legislation into law — presuming, of course, it survives the…
FCC bans spending on Huawei, ZTE and other ‘national security threats’
The FCC has finally put the seal of approval on its plan to cut funding to hardware from companies it deems a “national security threat,” currently an exclusive club of…
FCC approves T-Mobile/Sprint merger despite serious concerns
The FCC has given its stamp of approval to T-Mobile and Sprint’s proposed merger, saying the deal will “enhance competition” and hasten 5G deployment. Those opposed say the merger defies…
