fcc

Departing FCC chairman leaves behind mixed record

While departing Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski has talked a lot about pushing for high-speed broadband to more Americans and has championed the cause for getting more wireless spectrum on the market, critics say his record on these issues is spotty at best.

Genachowski today announced he would be stepping down from his post as FCC chairman. He has been chairman of the agency for four years. In a speech to colleagues announcing his resignation, he pointed out the FCC's many accomplishments including the drafting of the National Broadband Plan and its focus on promoting both traditional and … Read more

FCC Chairman announces resignation

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski said Friday that he is stepping down from his post as head of the agency.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday about the chairman's plans. Genachowski was nominated by President Obama to the chairmanship in March of 2009. In a speech to to his colleagues at the FCC, Genachowski pointed out accomplishments of the FCC over the past four years.

This included advancements in wireless, broadband and reforming outdated policies to reflect more modern needs.

"Over the past four years, we've focused the FCC on broadband, wired and wireless, working to … Read more

Shakeup at FCC: Chairman Genachowski to step down

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski will announce his intention to step down tomorrow, according to The Wall Street Journal which cited an "FCC official."

Earlier this week, the announcement that Republican FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell was leaving gave Genachowski, a Democrat, more political leeway to leave his post. As The Washington Post noted, even with Genachowski gone the Democrats would retain a 2-1 voting advantage. If he had left before McDowell, the votes at the FCC would be 2-2.

In recent weeks, rumors have circulated regarding Genachowski's plans, with the White House interviewing several candidates. The … Read more

FCC: Sprint buyout decision likely on track for late May

Sprint's buyout by Japanese carrier Softbank should be right on track for a late May conclusion, Julius Genachowski, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, hinted today.

Specifically, the FCC head said that his organization's review is on schedule with the typical 180-day review period, after which the FCC hands down a yay or nay decision. In this case, the 180-day count ends on May 29.

Just because the process is going well, doesn't mean it's a done deal. Even with full FCC approval, the Justice Department, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security could still stall the … Read more

FCC cracks down on campaign robocalls to cell phones

The Federal Communications Commission has issued citations that accuse two companies of bombarding wireless customers with millions of illegal robocalls during last year's presidential election.

Working for both the Democratic and Republican parties, the two companies placed more than 1 million artificial voice messages each without consumers' prior authorization, the FCC said Friday. The companies, Dialing Services and Democratic Dialing, also failed to provide proper identification as required by federal law, the FCC said.

"Consumers have increasingly been sounding the alarm on robocalls, rightly complaining about unwanted, intrusive cell phone calls and text messages from strangers, or worse … Read more

Feds approve T-Mobile merger with MetroPCS

The Federal Communications Commission today officially approved the merger between T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS. The Department of Justice also gave a green light for the deal.

In a statement, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said that the merger will strengthen the U.S. wireless market by "moving toward robust competition and revitalized competitors."

The Justice Department, meanwhile, said in its statement that because MetroPCS is a regional provider and T-Mobile is a nationwide carrier, competition should not be harmed at a national level by allowing the companies to combine. And because MetroPCS competes in markets where all four nationwide … Read more

Google tests 'white space' database for FCC certification

Google has begun testing a new database that would allow unlicensed TV broadcast spectrum to be used for wireless broadband and shared among many users.

The new database will keep track of the TV broadcast frequencies in use so that wireless broadband devices can take advantage of the unlicensed space on the spectrum, also called "white space."

Google is one of several companies that has built such a database, and it is the latest one to enter into the Federal Communications Commission's 45-day testing phase. Spectrum Bridge and Telcordia completed their trials, and there are another 10 … Read more

FCC has phone-unlock ban on its radar

The Federal Communications Commission might eventually investigate whether it should be illegal for consumers to unlock their mobile phones.

Speaking to TechCrunch in an interview published yesterday, FCC chairman Julius Genachowski said that the ban is "something that we will look at at the FCC to see if we can and should enable consumers to use unlocked phones." He went on to tell TechCrunch that the "ban raises competition concerns; it raises innovation concerns."

The U.S. in January made it illegal for consumers to unlock mobile phones -- a relatively common practice among unhappy carrier … Read more

FCC institutes new rules on cell phone signal boosters

The Federal Communications Commission yesterday announced new regulations for cell phone signal boosters.

Under the new rules, anyone who has a signal booster or plans to buy one must obtain permission to use it from their carrier. If permission is obtained, the signal booster must be registered with the carrier to ensure it meets specifications and all parties are aware of its use.

The FCC's rules, which were first brought to the floor in 2011, take aim at reducing interference with wireless networks. Signal boosters are designed to connect to cell phones to improve a connection with towers in … Read more