Tech

Biden praises ISPs for price cuts even as they “sabotage” his FCC nominee

Enlarge / US President Joe Joe biden at an event on broadband discounts for low-income Americans, in the Rose Garden of the White House on May 9, 2022. (credit: Getty Images | Drew Angerer ) Consumer advocates are not impressed by President Biden’s announcement that Internet service providers have agreed to provide cheap broadband to […]

Tech

Stung by 3 court losses, ISPs stop fighting California net neutrality law

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | nevarpp) The broadband industry has abandoned its lawsuit against California’s net neutrality law after a series of court rulings went against Internet service providers. The four broadband lobby groups that sued California “hereby stipulate to the dismissal of this action without prejudice,” they wrote in a filing Wednesday in US […]

Tech

FAA urges airlines to replace altimeters that can’t filter out 5G signals

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | BackyardProduction) The Federal Aviation Administration is reportedly urging airlines to retrofit or replace altimeters that receive transmissions from outside their allotted frequencies. The FAA is meeting Wednesday “with telecom and airline industry officials on a push to retrofit and ultimately replace some airplane radio altimeters that could face interference from […]

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FCC Republican backs Musk’s Twitter purchase, slams “restrictions on speech”

Enlarge / FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington testifies during a House committee hearing on March 31, 2022 in Washington, DC. Federal Communications Commission member Nathan Simington says the FCC should “applaud” Elon Musk for buying Twitter, arguing that Musk’s “stated intention to ease Twitter’s restrictions on speech… would almost certainly enhance competition and better serve those […]

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Airlines’ faulty altimeters spur FCC plan to regulate wireless receivers

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | Andriy Onufriyenko) The Federal Communications Commission unanimously voted to launch an inquiry into poorly designed wireless devices that receive transmissions from outside their allotted frequencies. The Notice of Inquiry (NOI) approved Thursday could result in new receiver regulations and is the first major step in the FCC’s quest to prevent future […]

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Router and modem rental fees still a major annoyance despite new US law

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | Jill Ferry Photography) Consumer Reports wants the Federal Communications Commission to take a closer look at whether Internet service providers are complying with a US law that prohibits them from charging hardware rental fees when customers use their own equipment. In a filing submitted to the FCC this week, Consumer Reports […]

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FCC considers crackdown on bad wireless receivers after 5G/altimeter debacle

Enlarge / Airbus 320 cockpit. (credit: Getty Images | Skyhobo) The Federal Communications Commission will consider issuing new rules for wireless receivers that could prevent future conflicts like the ongoing battle between the aviation and cellular industries. There are strict rules requiring wireless devices to transmit only in their licensed frequencies. That means, for example, […]

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Biden FCC pick advances in Senate by 14-14 vote amid Republican opposition

Enlarge / Gigi Sohn testifies during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing examining her nomination to the Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022. (credit: Getty Images | Pool) The Senate Commerce Committee today approved President Biden’s nomination of consumer advocate Gigi Sohn to the Federal Communications Commission. Sohn’s nomination was advanced with a 14-14 […]

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Rebuffing cable lobby, FCC bans deals that block competition in apartments

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | niknikon) The Federal Communications Commission has voted to ban the exclusive revenue-sharing deals between landlords and Internet service providers that prevent broadband competition in apartment buildings plus other multi-tenant environments. The new ban and other rule changes were adopted in a 4-0 vote announced yesterday . Although the FCC “has […]

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Vote on Biden’s FCC pick delayed; Sohn faces another hearing and rocky path

Enlarge / Gigi Sohn testifies during a Senate committee hearing on June 21, 2012. (credit: Getty Images | Alex Wong ) Although the Senate Commerce Committee was scheduled to vote yesterday on the nomination of Gigi Sohn to the Federal Communications Commission, it didn’t happen. The vote on President Joe Biden’s nomination of Sohn was […]