FCC

mobile
June 15, 2012
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FCC to review cell phone radiation guidelines

By on June 15, 2012 at 10:00 PM.

FCC to review cell phone radiation guidelines

Cell Phone Radiation FCC

Julius Genachowski, chairman of the United States Federal Communications Commission, announced on Friday that he plans to ask his fellow commissioners to open a formal inquiry that will evaluate whether or not its standards protect humans from dangerous cellphone radiation, BusinessWeek reported. Despite the increased demand for mobile phones, it is the first time in 15 years that the question has been asked by the FCC. The agency is confident, however, thats its current guidelines pose no risk to consumers. “Our action today is a routine review of our standards,” Tammy Sun, a spokeswoman for the agency, said. “We are confident that, as set, the emissions guidelines for devices pose no risks to consumers.” The FCC last updated its guidelines setting maximum radiation-exposure levels in 1996, at which time about 44 million people in the U.S. owned mobile phones. That number has since swelled to more than 332 million mobile phone owners as of 2011. More →

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Business
April 25, 2012
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FCC approves AT&T spectrum transfer to T-Mobile

By on April 25, 2012 at 12:30 PM.

FCC approves AT&T spectrum transfer to T-Mobile

Following AT&T’s failed attempt to acquire T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom for $39 billion, AT&T had to pay a lofty break-up fee as per the terms of its agreement. AT&T’s related expenses totaled $4 billion, and included in that sum was the transfer of AWS spectrum licenses to T-Mobile in 128 different markets. On Wednesday, T-Mobile announced that the Federal Communications Commission has approved the transfer. ”We applaud the FCC for acting swiftly to approve the transfer of these spectrum licenses,” T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray said in a statement. The nation’s No.4 carrier will use its newly acquired spectrum to help build out its next-generation 4G LTE network, which it hopes to launch next year.

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mobile
April 17, 2012
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FCC fines T-Mobile $819,000 over accessibility issues

By on April 17, 2012 at 10:10 PM.

FCC fines T-Mobile $819,000 over accessibility issues

The Federal Communications Commission on Monday determined that T-Mobile must pay a fine of $819,000 for “willfully and repeatedly” failing to comply with rules regarding hearing-aid compatible handsets. According to the FCC, the carrier violated the rules during 2009 and 2010. The Hearing Aid Compatibility Order requires each carrier to have at least 10 handsets, or 50% of all devices, that support acoustic coupling and 7 phones, or 33% of all devices, with inductive coupling. T-Mobile may reduce or negate the proposed fine by proving to the FCC that it did not violate the rule, or that it didn’t violate it as severely as the FCC alleges. More →

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Business
April 16, 2012
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FCC fines Google $25,000 for unauthorized data collection and impeding investigation

By on April 16, 2012 at 7:55 PM.

FCC fines Google $25,000 for unauthorized data collection and impeding investigation

The Federal Communications Commission has fined Google $25,000 for impeding a U.S. investigation into the data collection scandal surrounding its Street View project, in which the Internet giant allegedly accessed unsecured networks and collected personal information without users’ permission. The FCC said the Mountain View-based company did not cooperate with the investigation and refused to reveal the names of its engineers associated with the project. “Google refused to identify any employees or produce any e-mails. The company could not supply compliant declarations without identifying employees it preferred not to identify,” the FCC said. “Misconduct of this nature threatens to compromise the commission’s ability to effectively investigate possible violations of the Communications Act and the commission’s rules.” More →

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mobile
April 10, 2012
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U.S. carriers partner with FCC to track stolen cell phones

By on April 10, 2012 at 5:10 PM.

U.S. carriers partner with FCC to track stolen cell phones

The four major wireless providers in the United States have partnered with the Federal Communications Commission in an effort to curb cell phone theft, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. The wireless companies will build a central database of stolen cell phones, which will track phones that are reported as lost or stolen and deny them voice and data service. The goal of the database is to reduce crime by making it very difficult to use a stolen device. Verizon Wireless and Sprint currently block phones that are reported stolen from being reactivated. AT&T and T-Mobile do not, although all four carriers have now agreed to be part of the new database. Members of Congress are also expected to propose legislation to make it a crime to alter a cell phone’s unique identification number, according to the report. Similar stolen-phone databases are already in place in the U.K., Germany, France and Australia. While crime hasn’t completely stopped, the number of incidents has apparently declined. Carriers will roll out individual databases within six months that will be centralized over a 12-month period, with smaller regional wireless providers expected to join the database over the next two years. More →

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Business
April 5, 2012
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LightSquared considering bankruptcy after being derailed by regulators

By on April 5, 2012 at 11:00 PM.

LightSquared considering bankruptcy after being derailed by regulators

LightSquared founder Phillip Falcone said he may consider voluntary bankruptcy for his troubled wireless broadband venture, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. “There are arguments that we would be better off in bankruptcy than not,” Falcone said. “LightSquared, if I have to, I’ll put it into bankruptcy. I don’t care,” adding that he would maintain control of the company if it were to file. LightSquared planned to build a high-speed data network that would cover as many as 260 million users, however it failed to gain approval from federal regulators. The FCC blocked LightSquared’s LTE network in February due to concerns surrounding interference with GPS systems. Through his hedge fund Harbinger Capital Partners, Falcone has invested roughly $3 billion in the failed venture. Bankruptcy is “not what I want, not what I desire, I’d rather find a different way out,” he said. More →

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mobile
April 5, 2012
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Unannounced LG Windows Phone for Sprint revealed by FCC

By on April 5, 2012 at 12:15 AM.

Unannounced LG Windows Phone for Sprint revealed by FCC

The Federal Communications Commission recently published documents that reveal information about an unannounced Windows Phone device from LG. According to the documents, the LG LS831 supports CDMA in the 800 MHz and 1900 MHz bands, indicating that the handset will land on Sprint’s 3G network. Images reveal that the smartphone features a 5-megapixel rear camera, a front-facing camera, a headphone jack and a microUSB port. Sprint hasn’t launched a Windows Phone device since the HTC Arrive was released in early 2011, however the carrier is rumored to be prepping an LTE-equipped Windows Phone for a fall launch. More →

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mobile
March 19, 2012
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Dish Network’s spectrum should avoid GPS issues suffered by LightSquared, analysts say

By on March 19, 2012 at 9:30 PM.

Dish Network’s spectrum should avoid GPS issues suffered by LightSquared, analysts say

Philip Falcone’s startup LightSquared planned to deploy a nationwide 4G LTE network in the United States. The firm’s service was found to cause interference with spectrum used by various GPS navigation and tracking solutions, however, forcing the Federal Communications Commission to block the network’s launch. Dish Network is looking to build a similar network and is currently awaiting government approval. Executives and analysts have said that Dish will probably avoid the interference concerns that killed LightSquared’s network, Bloomberg reported on Monday. The satellite company’s frequencies, which are above 2GHz, are far away from those used by GPS devices and Lightsquared’s 1600Mhz band, and are less likely to interfere. “It’s not as close to GPS, so it’s unlikely to interfere,” said Matthew Desch, chief executive officer of Iridium Communications, which operates more than 60 satellites. “But the approval is going to take some time. The FCC is going to make sure they don’t have another LightSquared problem on their hands.” Bryan Kraft, an analyst at Evercore Partners, believes that Dish will gain FCC approval in 6 to 12 months. More →

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Tablets
March 14, 2012
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BlackBerry PlayBooks with HSPA+ and LTE radios pass through the FCC

By on March 14, 2012 at 5:20 PM.

BlackBerry PlayBooks with HSPA+ and LTE radios pass through the FCC

Research in Motion’s BlackBerry PlayBook may be down, but it’s definitely not out. Over a year ago, the company revealed plans to release an LTE-compatible PlayBook as well as a 3G model that will work on HSPA+ networks. Details surrounding these variants have been few and far between, with some assuming they were simply canceled. As it turns out, two tablets from Research in Motion recently passed through the FCC equipped with HSPA+ connectivity and AT&T compatible LTE radios. BGR in January exclusively reported details about RIM’s plans to introduce a new PlayBook tablet around May or June that will be equipped with a 1.5GHz processor, built-in HSPA+ and NFC support. More →

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Business
March 7, 2012
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Sprint to end deal with LightSquared, report claims

By on March 7, 2012 at 12:00 PM.

Sprint to end deal with LightSquared, report claims

Sprint is reportedly planning to walk away from its planned network-sharing deal with LightSquared as early as next week, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. Sprint and LightSquared in June agreed to an 11-year deal that would share network expansion costs and equipment if LightSquared could secure regulatory approval for its 4G LTE network build-out. The carrier first gave LightSquared until the end of 2011 to receive FCC approval, and then extended the deadline to March 15th. The FCC blocked LightSquared’s LTE network in February, however, due to concerns that it was interfering with GPS systems. Meanwhile, LightSquared repeatedly claimed that the blame lies with the GPS industry. According to the Bloomberg’s sources, Sprint has no plans to extend the March 15th deadline and will instead kill its deal with LightSquared. Sprint is expected to return $74 million of the $310 million it has collected from LightSquared so far once the deal is terminated. More →

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mobile
March 2, 2012
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Verizon explains locked bootloader stance in letter to FCC

By on March 2, 2012 at 12:30 AM.

Verizon explains locked bootloader stance in letter to FCC

In a response to the FCC following a formal complaint, Verizon Wireless has outlined the company’s policy on locked bootloaders. An irate Droid-Life reader became fed up with the carrier’s consistent locking of bootloaders on its flagship devices and decided to file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission. The reader claimed Verizon’s policy was in violation of the “Block C license,” an agreement the company made when it purchased its 700MHz LTE spectrum. Within the agreement, it is stated that Verizon should not be allowed to “lock a phone,” which many interpreted as a statement that should include a phone’s bootloader. Read on for more and a copy of Verizon’s letter. More →

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mobile
February 22, 2012
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T-Mobile asks FCC to block Verizon spectrum deal

By on February 22, 2012 at 6:10 PM.

T-Mobile asks FCC to block Verizon spectrum deal

T-Mobile is urging federal regulators to block Verizon’s planned spectrum acquisition from SpectrumCo, a joint venture formed by Comcast, Time Warner and Bright House Networks. Verizon’s pending purchase could be worth $3.9 billion and would help the company build out its nationwide LTE network. In a filing late Tuesday, T-Mobile said the Federal Communications Commission should block the deal because it would place an “excessive concentration” of wireless spectrum in Verizon’s hands, reports the Associated Press. The AWS bands that Verizon is looking to acquire uses the same frequencies that T-Mobile uses for its HSPA+ network. T-Mobile claims that the nation’s No.1 carrier already has a large amount of spectrum and does not need any more, and T-Mobile can “quickly, more intensively, and more efficiently” put the spectrum to use compared to Verizon. MetroPCS, the nation’s fifth-largest wireless provider, also urged the FCC to block the deal, claiming both parties had not provided enough information to prove that the acquisition is in the public’s best interest. Verizon and SpectrumCo hope to close the deal by the middle of this year. More →

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mobile
February 21, 2012
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LightSquared plans to lay off 45% of its staff

By on February 21, 2012 at 7:00 PM.

LightSquared plans to lay off 45% of its staff

LightSquared announced on Tuesday that the company plans to cut its workforce by 45% in an effort to cut costs. ”This and other cost savings measures will allow LightSquared to continue to navigate the regulatory process as it works with the appropriate government agencies to find solutions to the GPS interference issue and bring its $14 billion privately funded wireless broadband network to more than 260 million Americans,” the company said in a statement to Reuters. Last week, the FCC announced that it would block the company’s planned 4G LTE network due to issues concerning GPS interference. LightSquared currently employs 330 people and according to Reuters, the company is not currently considering bankruptcy. More →

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