Net neutrality restored as FCC votes to regulate internet providers
The FCC on Thursday restored rules to prevent broadband internet providers such as Comcast and AT&T from favoring some sites and apps over others โ for instance, by slowing or blocking certain content or by offering higher speeds to customers willing to pay extra.
FCC adopts rules to eliminate 'digital discrimination' for communities with poor internet access
The Federal Communications Commission is implementing new rules banning internet providers from discrimination in how they provide service to communities based on income level, race and other protected classes.
After several turbulent days, flight disruptions ease despite worries about 5G signals
Airline passengers who have endured tens of thousands of weather-related flight delays this week got a welcome respite from the headaches Saturday, despite concerns about possible disruptions being caused by new wireless 5G systems rolling out near major airports.
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.
Congressional leaders urge FCC to perform equity audit
Congressional leaders and a media advocacy organization are urging the Federal Communications Commission to investigate how policy decisions have disparately harmed Black Americans and other communities of color, according to a letter sent Tuesday to the acting FCC chair.
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.
China slams US plan to expel phone carriers in tech clash
FILE - In this Oct. 14, 2020, file photo, people wearing face masks to protect against the coronavirus look at a display from Chinese telecommunications firm China Unicom at the PT Expo in Beijing. China's government on Thursday called on Washington to drop efforts to expel three state-owned Chinese phone companies, including China Unicom Americas, a unit of China Unicom, from the United States in a new clash over technology and security. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)BEIJING โ Chinaโs government on Thursday called on Washington to drop efforts to expel three state-owned Chinese phone companies from the United States in a new clash over technology and security. The latest action targets China Unicom Americas, a unit of China Unicom Ltd.; Pacific Networks Corp. and ComNet (USA) LLC, a unit of Pacific Networks. Trump also blocked access to most U.S. technology for telecom equipment giant Huawei Technologies Ltd. and some other Chinese tech companies.
EXPLAINER: Why impeachment evidence tested TV's standards
(Senate Television via AP)NEW YORK โ All the words abounded โ the ones that you're not supposed to hear on broadcast television or, for that matter, in a lot of other places. Many of the networks bleeped out the offending language when repeating videos later, but not when they were broadcast live. WHAT'S THE LIKELIHOOD THAT BROADCAST NETWORKS WILL BE PENALIZED? Networks could argue the same thing with the impeachment trial; it strengthens that point when they โbleepedโ out the bad language for later reruns. Given the explicitness of the language used this week, during daytime hours, Levinson said he believes it's a watershed moment in broadcast standards.
Senate OKs Trump pick for FCC, adding hurdle to Biden plans
The shield from liability for social media companies has been grounded in Section 230 of a landmark 1996 telecommunications law. Trump and Republican lawmakers have persistently accused the social media companies, without evidence, of suppressing conservative viewpoints, and Trump portrayed his executive order as a remedy for bias. With Simington confirmed to the five-member FCC, there will then be a 2-2 split between Democratic and Republican commissioners. That likely will stymie Bidenโs agenda until heโs able to get a fifth, Democratic FCC member confirmed, with an extended delay possible if the Republicans continue to control the Senate after the two Georgia Senate runoff elections. During Paiโs tenure, the FCC worked to free up spectrum for cellphone companies to enable them to roll out 5G.
Wayne-Westland school buses deliver internet to students learning remotely
Thatโs why the Wayne-Westland Community Schools District has found a unique way to get its children to school while staying at home. On another day, at another time in history, school buses would be bringing children to school, but amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the school buses in Westland are delivering school to the children. The Wayne-Westland district has about 10,000 students learning remotely. In the mornings, 21 buses are deployed to various communities in the Wayne-Westland Community Schools district and, during school hours, the buses beome beacons for technology. The Wayne-Westland Community School District has the big yellow bus hotspot program funded through the rest of the year and, if needed, will find additional funding next year.
China: US oppressing Chinese companies in new Huawei move
BEIJING China on Wednesday demanded Washington stop oppressing Chinese companies after U.S. regulators declared telecom equipment suppliers Huawei and ZTE to be national security threats. A foreign ministry spokesman accused Washington of abusing state power to hurt Chinese companies without any evidence.We once again urge the United States to stop abusing the concept of national security, deliberately discrediting China and unreasonably oppressing Chinese companies, said the spokesman, Zhao Lijian. Huaweis founder, Ren Zhengfei, said last year he would refuse official demands to reveal its customers secrets despite a law that obliges Chinese companies to cooperate with intelligence agencies. The FCC has designated Huawei and ZTE as national security risks, said the agencys chairman, Ajit Pai, in a statement. He said the companies threaten our national security.The decision affects mostly small, rural carriers because major U.S. phone companies dont use Chinese equipment.
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.
Insurance telemarketers fined $225M for a billion robocalls
The U.S. communications regulator on Tuesday proposed a $225 million fine, its largest ever, against two health insurance telemarketers for spamming people with 1 billion robocalls using fake phone numbers. The Federal Communications Commission said John Spiller and Jakob Mears made the calls through two businesses. The FCC said the robocalls offered plans from major insurers like Aetna and UnitedHealth with an automated message. The telemarketers faked their calls to make them appear they came from other companies, which then received angry calls and were named in lawsuits from consumers. He declined to provide contact information for Mears and said neither would speak before talking to an attorney.
FCC: Sprint may have wrongfully claimed federal subsidies
The company, which is currently seeking the FCC's permission to merge with T-Mobile, claimed monthly credits for as many as 885,000 customers under the US government's Lifeline program. But Sprint was ineligible to claim the federal funds, the FCC said, because it failed to report that the customers were not actually using the subsidized service. "It's outrageous that a company would claim millions of taxpayer dollars for doing nothing," said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. The investigation into Sprint comes at a delicate time for the company as it seeks to complete its merger with T-Mobile. "When companies abuse the Lifeline program, we should throw the book at them," Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democratic FCC Commissioner, tweeted.
SpaceX wants to beam internet across the American South by late 2020
(CNN) - SpaceX wants to become one of the world's largest internet providers by deploying a constellation of thousands of satellites to beam broadband from space. One key benefit of reaching those areas: satellite internet access wouldn't be wiped out by bad weather. And SpaceX has faced pushback from potential competitors in the satellite internet business, including Softbank-backed OneWeb. Creating a successful satellite internet business could be extremely lucrative. OneWeb, which is backed by Softbank, and Amazon have their own plans to build megaconstellations of internet satellites, though SpaceX is considered the frontrunner to become the first to market.
FCC fines 'Jimmy Kimmel Live', 'The Walking Dead' over use of emergency tones
Mark Wilson/Getty Images(CNN) - An episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live" last year featured emergency tones in a sketch mocking the presidential alert system. The emergency alert system (EAS) tone is used on television and cellphones to warn people of impending emergencies such as tornadoes and floods. "THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. AMC's "The Walking Dead" got fined $104,000 for using simulated EAS tones in two scenes in February. Television series "Lone Star Law" also misused the emergency alert system tone, the agency said.
Trump proposal targets social media censorship
A White House spokesperson declined to comment on the draft order, but referred CNN to Trump's remarks at a recent meeting with right-wing social media activists. It claims that the White House has received more than 15,000 anecdotal complaints of social media platforms censoring American political discourse, the summary indicates. The Trump administration, in the draft order, will offer to share the complaints it's received with the FTC. In May, the White House launched a website inviting consumers to report complaints of alleged partisan bias by social media companies. From the start, the legislation has been interpreted to give tech companies the benefit of the doubt.
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.
US government announces nationwide crackdown on robocallers
Copyright 2019 CNN(CNN) - The US government announced a nationwide crackdown on illegal robocalls on Tuesday, targeting companies and individuals who have collectively placed over 1 billion unwanted calls for financial schemes and other services, according to the Federal Trade Commission. The crackdown involves nearly 100 cases, five of which are criminal enforcement actions. They were brought by the FTC, Justice Department, 15 states and a slew of local authorities. It marks the latest effort by regulators to battle back the tide of unwanted and illegal calls from telemarketers and scammers. It comes as lawmakers in both chambers of Congress are preparing legislation that would expand the government's power to limit illegal robocalls.
What is net neutrality and what would a repeal mean to you?
Net Neutrality is the internetโs 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."