EXPLAINER: Will burglar alarms still work after 3G shutdown?
As telecom companies rev up the newest generation of mobile service, called 5G, they’re shutting down old networks — a costly, years-in-the-works process that’s now prompting calls for a delay because a lot of products out there still rely on the old standard, 3G.
Major wireless networks partially agree to delay 5G around airports
Following an eleventh-hour plea from the airline industry that warned of a catastrophic aviation crisis, Verizon and AT&T are delaying Wednesday’s 5G rollout near certain airports.. The temporary holdup is to address the overlapping of air-safety distress frequencies that may interfere with pilots.
EXPLAINER: Why airlines fear 5G will upend travel this week
The airline industry is raising the stakes in a showdown with AT&T and Verizon over plans to launch new 5G wireless service this week, warning that thousands of flights could be grounded or delayed if the rollout takes place near major airports.
Dems: Discovery, AT&T merger will hurt diversity, workers
House Democrats are raising concerns that the proposed merger of Discovery and AT&T’s WarnerMedia, a $43 billion effort to conquer the world of streaming, could affect diversity efforts in Hollywood and particularly hurt Latinos, who are already deeply underrepresented.
EXPLAINER: California's net neutrality law springs to life
In response, seven states and Puerto Rico enacted their own net neutrality policies. In response, seven states and Puerto Rico enacted their own net neutrality policies. Nine states have introduced net neutrality bills this session, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Ad___WHAT TELCOS WANTBig telecom companies hate the stricter regulation that comes with the net neutrality rules and have fought them fiercely in court. They say they prefer a national approach to a state-by-state one, but the industry has fought prior federal net neutrality rules.
SEC suing AT&T for telling analysts nonpublic information
FILE - In this Oct. 24, 2016, file photo, the AT&T logo is positioned above one of its retail stores in New York. The Securities and Exchange Commission is suing AT&T and three of its investor relations executives for telling Wall Street analysts about the telecom giant's sales data before it released quarterly results. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)The Securities and Exchange Commission is suing AT&T and three of its investor relations executives for telling Wall Street analysts about the telecom giant's sales data before it released quarterly results. The early warning helped AT&T avoid having its results fall short of Wall Street expectations, according to the SEC's complaint filed in Manhattan federal court. Dallas-based AT&T said in a statement that it did not tell analysts “material nonpublic information" and that it will fight the lawsuit.
AT&T spinning off DirecTV after losing millions of customers
AT&T is spinning off its DirecTV into a new company at a fraction of the $48.5 billion it paid in 2015. The satellite TV service has lost millions of customers on AT&T's watch. (AP Photo/File)AT&T is spinning off its DirecTV into a new company for a fraction of the $48.5 billion it paid for the satellite TV service in 2015. DirecTV has lost millions of customers on AT&T’s watch, and is valued in the deal at just $16.25 billion, including debt. The new DirecTV company will include AT&T TV, a streaming version of cable TV, and U-verse, AT&T's older cable service.
Report: Companies donated $170M to GOP election objectors
Giving by such trade groups and corporate PACs has come under intense scrutiny in the wake of the deadly insurrection by Trump supporters, who stormed the Capitol to stop the vote. Giving by corporate PACs and trade groups to individual candidates is limited to $5,000 per candidate each year, thus making up a small portion of each person's overall cash haul. Boeing said Wednesday that it is “not making political contributions at this time” and will “carefully evaluate” who receives future donations. Meanwhile, 46 of the PACs gave to at least half of the Republican objectors, the report found. Tanglis and other campaign finance experts say the big question about donations is whether companies and trade groups will stick by their pledges.
Nashville bombing spotlights vulnerable voice, data networks
The Christmas Day bombing in downtown Nashville led to communications outages over hundreds of miles in the southern U.S., raising concerns about the vulnerability of U.S. networks. The blast seriously damaged a key AT&T network facility, an important hub that provides local wireless, internet and video service and connects to regional networks. AT&T customers lost service — phones, internet or video — across large parts of Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama. At some hospitals, electronic medical records, internet service or phones stopped working. It's not as if the physical vulnerability of communications networks comes as a surprise.
The Latest: Driver charged after truck stopped in Tennessee
The Tennessee Highway Patrol has said a robot was sent to investigate the truck and no device was found. The company suffered widespread outages in Tennessee and other states after a bomb in a recreational vehicle exploded near one of its facilities in downtown Nashville. Sheriff’s officials said the truck had been playing the audio when it was parked at a convenience store around 10:30 a.m. at the Crossroads Market in Walter Hill. Sheriff's officials did not specify what the box truck was playing. ___1:15 p.m.Nashville Police say a Tennessee man named Anthony Quinn Warner is under investigation in connection with the Christmas Day bombing that rocked downtown Nashville.
US officials: Suspect in Nashville explosion died in blast
Federal officials now turn to exploring the monumental task of piecing together the motive behind the Christmas Day explosion that severely damaged dozens of buildings and injured three in downtown Nashville, Tenn. While officials have named 63-year-old Warner as the man behind the mysterious explosion in which he was killed, the motive has remained elusive. (Courtesy of FBI via AP)NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The man believed to be responsible for the Christmas Day bombing that tore through downtown Nashville blew himself up in the explosion, and appears to have acted alone, federal officials said Sunday. “Nashville is considered safe," said Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake. Officials said their identification of Warner relied on several key pieces of evidence, including DNA found at the explosion site.
FBI at home of possible person of interest in Nashville bomb
FBI and ATF agents investigate a home Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. An explosion that shook the largely deserted streets of downtown Nashville early Christmas morning shattered windows, damaged buildings, and wounded three people. Asked whether the AT&T building could have been a possible target, Korneski said, “We’re looking at every possible motive that could be involved." Mayor John Cooper has enforced a curfew in the downtown area until Sunday via executive order to limit public access to the area. “We have two portable cell sites operating in downtown Nashville with numerous additional portable sites being deployed in the Nashville area and in the region.”Ray Neville, president of technology at T-Mobile, said on Twitter that service disruptions affected Louisville, Nashville, Knoxville, Birmingham and Atlanta. The outages had even briefly grounded flights at the Nashville International Airport, but service was continuing normally as of Saturday.
Police: Explosion in Nashville may have been ‘intentional’
Emergency personnel work near the scene of an explosion in downtown Nashville, Tenn., Friday, Dec. 25, 2020. Police believe the blast was intentional but don’t yet know a motive or target, and Drake noted that officials had not received any threats before the explosion. Buildings shook and windows shattered streets away from the explosion near a building owned by AT&T that lies one block from the company's office tower, a landmark in downtown. The Federal Aviation Administration temporarily halted flights out of Nashville International Airport because of telecommunications issues associated with the explosion. McCoy said he heard gunfire 15 minutes before the explosion rocked his building, set cars in the street on fire and blew trees apart.
'Jaws,' 'Black Panther' and more coming back to the drive-in
Jaws, Black Panther and Back to the Future are just a few of the modern popcorn classics coming to the drive-in this summer. Its in Tribecas DNA to bring people together in times of need, said Jane Rosenthal, Tribeca Enterprises and Tribeca Film Festival co-founder and CEO. We dont want to lose going to the movies, Tribeca CCO Paula Weinstein added. Other forms of mass entertainment have been jumping on the drive-in bandwagon too: Live Nation on Monday announced its first-ever drive-in concerts series in the U.S. for July. The Tribeca Drive-In series is not exclusively for movies either.
Job losses continue, suburbs appealing to homebuyers
Following are developments Wednesday related to the national and global response, the work place and the spread of the virus. Target is also giving out one-time bonuses of $200 to reward workers on the front lines of the coronavirus. TRAVEL: Shares of cruise operators are falling Wednesday as Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings announced it's extending its suspension of global cruise voyages to include all trips embarking between Aug. 1 and Sept. 30. The extension applies to all three cruise brands, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Time on market increased by 25% in rural areas, 30% in suburban areas and 35% in urban areas year-over-year.
FCC calls hours-long T-Mobile service outage 'unacceptable'
NEW YORK The head of the U.S. communications regulator said T-Mobile's nationwide, hours-long outage Monday was unacceptable and that the Federal Communications Commission will investigate. T-Mobile, one of the country's three largest cellphone service providers, said it had a voice and text wireless issue" that began around noon EDT Monday. The company blamed an internet-traffic issue that caused problems with its network for the outage. But calls between their customers and T-Mobile customers could have run into trouble because of T-Mobiles issues, creating the impression of a widespread communications failure. T-Mobile paid a $17.5 million fine for two nationwide service outages on the same day in August 2014, which together lasted three hours and prevented customers from being able to call 911.
Too much TV? Enter HBO Max, the latest streaming wannabe
(Richard Termine/Sesame Workshop via AP)Is a pandemic the perfect time to launch a new and relatively expensive streaming service? The phone company is investing billions in HBO Max, its first big entertainment venture since it spent $85 billion for Time Warner in 2018. HBO Max costs $15, same as the HBO Now streaming service it's supposed to replace, with discounts after the launch limited to some AT&T customers. Disney launched Disney Plus and the sports-focused ESPN Plus and took control of Hulu from an industry joint venture. It's easy to prompt HBO Now users to switch to Max if they signed up directly through HBO, and many big cable companies have agreed to promote HBO Max to their existing HBO customers.
AT&T to drop misleading '5G' marketing for non-5G networks
AT&T says it will stop advertising its wireless network as 5G Evolution after an industry group determined it was misleading, as it is not, in fact, 5G. Now, a division of the Better Business Bureau that regulates the ad industry has recommended that AT&T stop using 5G Evolution and 5G Evolution, The First Step to 5G claims in its marketing. It's not clear what that means and how much AT&T uses the 5G Evolution branding today in its stores and ads today. "5G Evolution" is on the companys website, and AT&T phones carry a 5G E icon when you connect to the 4G network. AT&T spokeswoman Kate MacKinnon declined to comment on how AT&T uses the 5G Evolution branding today or what would change.
Employees inside Sterling Heights AT&T store tied up during robbery
STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. – Employees inside a Sterling Heights AT&T store were tied up during a robbery Tuesday afternoon. Police said it happened just after 3 p.m. at a store on Van Dyke Avenue between 14 Mile and 15 Mile roads. Police said two suspects, a man and a woman, tied the employees up in a backroom. Police are still trying to figure out what the suspects got away with. Police said the robbers fled the scene in a white Pontiac Grand Prix.
AT&T fined $60M for misleading with 'unlimited' plans
AT&T will pay $60 million to settle the government's allegation that it misled customers of unlimited-data plans by slowing down service for heavy users. The Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday that AT&T will automatically provide partial refunds to customers who signed up for unlimited wireless plans before 2011. It said then that AT&T had throttled at least 3.5 million customers. The agency says AT&T is required to say prominently if data speeds or amounts are restricted. Today, AT&T's website says it may slow speeds of unlimited plans after a certain amount of data is used.
AT&T says HBO Max streaming service to launch in May for $15
AT&T said Tuesday that its HBO Max streaming service will launch in May for $15 a month, joining a crowded field of emerging rivals to Netflix. It is also the same price as HBO Now, the current HBO streaming service for people who don't get the cable channel. Some existing subscribers to HBO's cable channel or HBO Now will get free access to HBO Max, AT&T said. AT&T will bundle HBO Max with some unlimited wireless plans as well as certain "premium" home TV and internet plans to promote the streaming service. It will work with other cable and satellite companies to get them to offer the HBO Max service for their customers too.
AT&T says HBO Max streaming service to launch in May for $15
In a story Oct. 29 about AT&T's upcoming streaming service HBO Max, The Associated Press reported erroneously when it will become profitable. A corrected version of the story is below:AT&T says HBO Max streaming service to launch in May for $15AT&T says its HBO Max streaming service will join a crowded field in MayBy TALI ARBELAP Technology WriterAT&T said Tuesday that its HBO Max streaming service will launch in May for $15 a month, joining a crowded field. It is also the same price as HBO Now, the current HBO streaming service for people who don't get the cable channel. Some existing subscribers to HBO's cable channel or HBO Now will get free access to HBO Max, AT&T said. AT&T will bundle HBO Max with some unlimited wireless plans as well as certain "premium" home TV and internet plans to promote the streaming service.
AT&T says HBO Max streaming service to launch in May for $15
AT&T said Tuesday that its HBO Max streaming service will launch in May for $15 a month, joining a crowded field. It is also the same price as HBO Now, the current HBO streaming service for people who don't get the cable channel. Some existing subscribers to HBO's cable channel or HBO Now will get free access to HBO Max, AT&T said. AT&T will bundle HBO Max with some unlimited wireless plans as well as certain "premium" home TV and internet plans to promote the streaming service. It will work with other cable and satellite companies to get them to offer the HBO Max service for their customers too.
Samsung's folding phone hits the US
Samsungs folding phone is finally hitting the U.S.Samsung will start selling the Galaxy Fold, a phone with a screen that folds together like a book, on Friday. There will be an AT&T version as well as an unlocked version sold at Best Buy and Samsung stores. The South Korean tech giant had put the Galaxy Folds launch on hold for months after reviewers encountered problems with the devices innovative folding screen. Some reviewers peeled back a protective layer meant to stay on the screen, other devices flickered and turned black. The nearly $2,000 phone launched on Sept. 6 in South Korea and Sept. 18 in France, Germany and Britain, with versions for next generation 5G networks available in the latter two countries.
Samsung's Galaxy Fold hits US stores this week
(CNN) - Samsung's Galaxy Fold will officially go on sale later this week in the United States after several months of delays. The phone is launching on Friday at select locations of Best Buy, AT&T outlets and Samsung Experience Stores. The Galaxy Fold is a 4.6 inch-smartphone that opens up into a 7.3-inch tablet. Noticeably absent from the launch is T-Mobile, which initially offered pre-orders in April but had to give buyers' refunds after Samsung scrapped the launch. AT&T, which owns CNN parent company WarnerMedia, also canceled preorders and offered customers a $100 gift card for the inconvenience.
AT&T is reportedly exploring sale of DirecTV
Andrew Burton/Getty Images(CNN) - AT&T is considering selling DirecTV, according to the Wall Street Journal. AT&T, which owns CNN's parent company WarnerMedia, is looking into "various options" for DirecTV including a spinoff of the unit, the paper reported. The telecommunications giant is also exploring the option of combining DirecTV's assets with rival Dish Network, according to the Journal, citing sources. AT&T purchased DirecTV for $49 billion, or $67.1 billion including debt, in 2015. The Journal also reported that AT&T may "ultimately decide to keep DirecTV in the fold."
Activist investor takes big stake in AT&T
CNN imageEllliott Management, a top activist shareholder firm, disclosed Monday that it has taken a $3.2 billion stake in AT&T. The activist investor also called for AT&T to buy back more stock, increase its dividend and pay down debt. Trump said in two tweets that the Elliott stake was "great news," adding that perhaps Elliott "will now put a stop to all of the Fake News emanating from its non-credible 'anchors.'" It's also worth noting that Elliott's stake, while significant, makes it just the sixth-largest institutional owner in AT&T, at a little more than 1%. Elliott Management is run by billionaire investor Paul Singer, who famously battled Argentina over its mutlibillion dollar debt defaults.
AT&T promotes WarnerMedia boss John Stankey
AT&T announced two promotions on Tuesday that place John Stankey, the CEO of its subsidiary WarnerMedia, firmly in line to succeed the wireless giant's CEO, Randall Stephenson. DALLAS, Texas - AT&T announced two promotions on Tuesday that place John Stankey, the CEO of its subsidiary WarnerMedia, firmly in line to succeed the wireless giant's CEO, Randall Stephenson. Stephenson, who has led AT&T since 2007, is installing Stankey as president and chief operating officer of the entire company. At the same time, Stankey will remain the head of WarnerMedia, the entertainment and news unit that includes CNN. Another contender was John Donovan, the head of the AT&T Communications unit, but Donovan announced his retirement last week.
5G will soon change your life. But first, you'll have to find it
This is the future 5G technology promises in less than a decade's time; internet connections so fast they'll support an entirely new way of life. This was my experience testing the newly launched Verizon 5G network in Chicago last month. My 5G network tests, often performed via the Speedtest app, were inconsistent. But without a map on hand in Dallas, I was left guessing which areas would give me 5G Sprint coverage (I was usually wrong). Beyond phonesNarrowly focused on businesses, AT&T's 5G network is invitation-only for now and not available to the general public (though it will be soon).
CBS, AT&T reach new deal to end 20-day blackout
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images(CNN) - CBS and AT&T have reached a new carriage deal to end a nearly three-week blackout that affected millions of viewers. "CBS and AT&T regret any inconvenience to their customers and viewers and thank them for their patience," they said in joint a statement. At the heart of the dispute was the renewal rate that AT&T was willing to pay to carry CBS' programming. AT&T accused CBS of charging too much, while CBS said it was "simply looking to receive fair value for its popular programming." For several weeks, viewers on DirecTV and U-Verse were deprived of popular shows like "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" and "Big Brother."
DOJ approves T-Mobile's mega-merger with Sprint
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images; Joe Raedle/Getty Images(CNN) - T-Mobile's mega-merger with Sprint can move forward, the Justice Department said Friday, paving the way for an unprecedented combination of America's third- and fourth-largest wireless providers. For weeks, Sprint and T-Mobile have been negotiating an agreement with the DOJ to address concerns that the merger may harm competition. Those airwaves could help rural Americans gain access to mobile Internet, according to the Justice Department. The Sprint and T-Mobile merger would help fulfill those goals, he said. The states, Sprint and T-Mobile have agreed to a trial date of Oct. 7 in federal court in New York.
NYC might ban wireless companies from selling your location data
In the terms of service cell phone customers have to sign (and few read), people give wireless companies the ability to collect and sell their location data. He added, "It's Big Brother Big Business, and if we don't act, it's going to get worse." Under the proposal, law enforcement agencies could still request and obtain location data legally, and so can emergency services. Federal, state or city law can still require data, and customers can still willingly provide their location data. In January, T-Mobile CEO John Legere said in a tweet that the company would end the practice of sharing location data with aggregators.
AT&T now automatically blocking spam calls
Ferre Dollar/CNN(CNN) - AT&T customers could soon be free of having to deal with annoying spam calls or at least that's AT&T's plan. The free service comes after a June Federal Communications Commission ruling that allows phone service providers to offer call-blocking on an opt-out basis. Spam calls are an annoyance for just about everyone with a cell phone. Other carriers offer similar options, though AT&T is so far the only to automatically block calls. Sprint offers a caller ID service, which it says may identify spam calls, for $2.99 per month.
AT&T to pull 'Friends' from Netflix for its streaming service
NEW YORK - AT&T is pulling "Friends" from Netflix to beef up its own upcoming streaming service. The wireless company, which owns the WarnerMedia entertainment business, said Tuesday that its service will be called HBO Max. As more companies unveil their own streaming services, they're trying to make them more appealing with exclusive shows and deep libraries and pulling some of their stuff from Netflix. Disney's upcoming service will be the exclusive streaming home for its big movies. "Friends" is the second-most watched show on Netflix, according to Nielsen.
What is net neutrality and what would a repeal mean to you?
Net Neutrality is the internet’s guiding principle: It preserves our right to communicate freely online. Big phone and cable companies and their lobbyists filed suit almost as soon as the Net Neutrality rules were adopted. The vote for net neutrality in 2015 was also along party lines, but Democrats dominated then. The attempt to repeal net neutrality has triggered protests from consumer groups and internet companies. Google said in a statement that net neutrality rules "are working well for consumers and we're disappointed in the proposal announced today."