The Federal Communications Commission is setting up a task force that could free up to 90 MHz of spectrum for mobile broadband providers. This is just the latest move by the FCC in its push for mobile broadband. The task force will focus on the mobile satellite service bands and this could open up more…
FCC inches toward deeper broadband regulation
The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 Thursday to look at strengthening its authority to regulate the broadband industry. This move could eventually lead to broadband being reclassified as a common carrier and it could have large ramifications on mobile data providers. This vote officially opens the public comment portion of the debate and you can…
Diving into San Francisco’s cell phone radiation law
We talked about San Francisco’s move to make retailers label the amount of radiation given off by cell phones yesterday and we wanted to dive into the full text of the proposed legislation. The San Francisco cell phone move would make retailers display signs about the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) that each cell phone has.…
Verizon doesn’t like FCC’s plan to reclassify broadband
The Federal Communications Commission is planning to vote today about whether it should take public comment on reclassifying broadband as a common carrier and the major players are already giving its opinions. If reclassified, broadband connection providers wouldn’t be able to prioritize their content over competitors. Comcast, for example, wouldn’t be able to deliver its…
FCC looking at broadband classification this week
The Federal Communication Commission is set to vote Thursday about whether it will take public comment on reclassifying broadband as a common carrier. We’ve touched upon this before because this could have a major impact on your home and mobile data connections. The move would eventually help us determine how, if anything, the government will…
San Francisco moves toward cell phone radiation law
The city of San Francisco is one step away from having retailers post warnings about how much cell phone radiation handsets emit. The city’s Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 for the move, which is expected to be signed into law by Mayor Gavin Newsom shortly. The move is intended to give consumers all the information…
Garmin-Asus Nuvifone E600 Passes FCC on Way to AT&T
Garmin-Asus has another Garminfone/nuvifone on the way to AT&T, so sayeth recent FCC filings. The filing shows support for 850 / 1900 MHz, suggesting AT&T availability at some point. T-Mobile just launched the Garminfone, so the branding strategy right now is pretty unclear – AT&T may has some kind of exclusive on the nuvifone name,…
Apple iPhone 4 hits FCC, rocks 5 3G bands
The timing isn’t much of a surprise but it’s interesting to see that the iPhone 4 has hit the Federal Communications Commission with five 3G bands. All handsets in the United States have to go through the FCC to ensure it plays nice frequency-wise, and the iPhone 4 is called Model # A1332 and it…
FCC Chairman pushes mobile broadband
The future of broadband in the United States may be dependent on 4G services, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said during the Wall Street Journal’s D8 conference. Since coming in with the Obama administration, Genachowski has been a big advocate of using mobile technologies to bridge the so-called “digital divide” – the lack of high-speed Internet…
FCC: 1 in 6 customers face cell phone ‘bill shock’
The Federal Communications Commission said one in six U.S. cell phone customers have been hit with unexpected fees on their monthly bills. Yes, friends, this is the dreaded “bill shock” we’ve all heard so much about. The governmental agency conducted a survey which found that nearly 30 million Americans have been hit with a sudden…