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Verizon faces final regulatory hurdle in cable deal

Verizon Wireless faces one last regulatory hurdle in its bid to buy cable spectrum in a deal valued at $3.9 billion: the Federal Communications Commission.

Earlier this week, Verizon and the cable companies involved in the deal won approval from the Department of Justice. But the approval didn't come without strings. Verizon and the cable companies were required to scale back certain parts of their commercial agreements in an effort to satisfy anticompetitive concerns that the DOJ and the FCC had with the deal.

Verizon has also already agreed to sell some spectrum to competitor T-Mobile USA in … Read more

Regulators OK Verizon's $3.9B bid to buy cable spectrum

Verizon Wireless and a consortium of cable operators, which includes Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Communications, today won approval from U.S. regulators to go through with their $3.9 billion deal to exchange wireless spectrum.

The Department of Justice announced it has negotiated a settlement with Verizon Wireless and the cable companies. And FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said he supports the deal and will recommend approval with certain conditions in place. The full FCC has yet to vote on the deal. Once that's completed, the sale of the spectrum will be allowed to proceed.

Genachowski said … Read more

Verizon and cable make concessions to close $3.9B deal

Verizon and a consortium of cable companies have struck a deal with regulators to scale back their joint marketing arrangement to gain approval for their $3.9 billion wireless-spectrum deal, according to sources in a Wall Street Journal report.

Verizon and the cable consortium -- which includes Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Communications -- have supposedly agreed to terms put forth by the Department of Justice that will limit the joint marketing agreement to five years and will prevent Verizon and cable operators from reselling each other's services in markets where their broadband, television, and phone services … Read more

The coming wireless spectrum apocalypse and how it hits you

C Spire Wireless, a small, southern wireless provider formerly known as Cellular South, has an ambitious plan to build a fast, 4G LTE network to reach its 900,000 customers. To do it, C Spire bought $192 million worth of 700 MHz wireless spectrum, which is considered some of the most valuable wireless spectrum that's still available because it can travel long distances and penetrate obstacles.

But there's a problem. C Spire claims it hasn't been able to use this spectrum and hasn't been able to deploy its 4G network. It says the bigger carriers, especially … Read more

The main perk of Starbucks-Square deal

Wednesday's top headlines are served with a low-fat triple shot of mobile news:

You may wonder why it matters that Square partnered with Starbucks. Customers could already pay for coffee by using the Starbucks app and show their phone screen to the barista. And how much time does that really save compared to taking out your wallet?

This deal is all about awareness. Seeing the Square logo in stores will help people get more comfortable with the idea of phones being a wallet replacement. Apple will also be pushing this concept in iOS 6 with the Passbook app that … Read more

Will the FCC ever force AT&T and Verizon to revive unlimited data?

More than a year after the unlimited data plans were eliminated from AT&T and Verizon, subscribers are still grumbling, especially as these carriers further tweak their policies for those grandfathered into the plans. Is it time for the FCC to step in and investigate?

In this edition of Ask Maggie, I explain why I think it's unlikely the FCC will fight to force carriers to revive the unlimited data plan. And I explain why I think frustrated wireless subscribers may have a good argument for getting reduced service fees when they bring their own device to a … Read more

What Verizon's FCC tethering settlement means to you (FAQ)

The Federal Communications and Verizon Wireless agreed to a $1.25 million settlement that will also allow Verizon subscribers to use their smartphones as Wi-Fi hotspots at no extra charge.

The agreement may save some Verizon Wireless subscribers $20 a month. But figuring out who exactly benefits isn't so straightforward. So we've put together this FAQ to help you understand what it means.

What did the FCC settle with Verizon Wireless?

On Tuesday the FCC and Verizon announced that they had agreed to settle a 10-month long investigation into Verizon's management of the 700 MHz wireless spectrum … Read more

Verizon to pay $1.25M FCC fine; forced to allow tethering apps

Verizon Wireless is no longer allowed to block apps that allow people to use their 4G LTE smartphones as Wi-Fi hotspots. And the carrier will pay the Federal Communications Commission a $1.25 million fine, the government agency said Tuesday.

The FCC has been investigating Verizon's business practices for the last 10 months to make sure that its 4G LTE service complies with so-called open access rules that were established as part of the 700 MHz spectrum auction in 2008. Verizon is using this spectrum to offer its 4G LTE service.

During its investigation, the FCC found that Verizon … Read more

Feds to mobile users: Drop dead

WASHINGTON--The federal government is slinking away from a promise by President Obama to free up badly-needed radio spectrum for mobile users and the already over-taxed networks that serve them.

Just months after the publication of the National Broadband Plan in early 2010, the president issued a memorandum ordering the FCC and the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration to "make available a total of 500 MHz of Federal and nonfederal spectrum over the next 10 years" for mobile users.

The goal was to clear unused or underutilized spectrum the FCC could then auction off for use … Read more