Policy & Industry
Carriers Deny Cell Shutdown Following Boston Bombings
April 16, 2013 10:14 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsWireless operators say they did not shut down cell service following the deadly bombings at the finsh line of the Boston Marathon yesterday. Amid the chaos and confusion immediately following the explosions, the Associated Press issued a report citing an unnamed source who claimed cell service had been terminated in the Boston...
Genachowski Signs On with Aspen Institute
April 15, 2013 9:48 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsFCC Chairman Julius Genachowski will become senior fellow at the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program upon his resignation from the Commission in the coming weeks. At the Aspen Institute, a non-partisan venue for values-based leadership, Genachowski will advise on the Institute's communications policy programs...
TV Stations Feel 'Squeezed' by Airwave Auction
April 12, 2013 10:03 am | by Ryan Nakashima, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsAs the federal government tries to encourage companies like AT&T and Verizon to create bigger, faster mobile networks, TV broadcasters are feeling like the farmers of yesteryear who were asked to sell their land to make way for the nation's highways...
Google's Android Target of New Antitrust Complaint
April 9, 2013 8:52 am | by Juergen Baetz, Associated Press | News | CommentsA group of companies led by Microsoft have called on European authorities to launch an antitrust investigation into Google's dominance of mobile Internet usage on smartphones. The "FairSearch" initiative of 17 companies — which includes Microsoft, Nokia, and Oracle...
CTIA Stresses More Spectrum as FCC Changes Leadership
April 4, 2013 10:42 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsCTIA President and CEO Steve Largent says he doesn't care who succeeds FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski so long as the next appointee continues to push for more spectrum. "Our goals and objectives for this year haven't changed that much...
NY Appeals Court OKs Aereo Live Television Service
April 2, 2013 9:48 am | by Larry Neumeister, Associated Press | News | CommentsAn Internet company offering inexpensive live broadcast television feeds to computers, tablets and smartphones doesn't violate U.S. copyright law, a divided federal appeals court said Monday. The 2-to-1 ruling by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals cleared...
Crisis Hotlines Turning to Text to Reach Teens
April 1, 2013 9:46 am | by Leanne Italie, Associated Press | News | CommentsThey stream in from teens around the United States, cries for help often sent in by text message. "I feel like committing suicide," one text read. "What's the suicide hotline number?" Another asked: "How do you tell a friend they need to go to rehab?"...
FCC Chairman Genachowski Announces Resignation
March 22, 2013 10:38 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsFCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced his resignation today, saying he will step down in the "coming weeks." Genachowski, a Democrat, was confirmed in June of 2009, succeeding then Republican chairman Kevin J. Martin. Genachowski's tenure as Chairman was...
FCC Prepares 1695-1710, 1755-1780 MHz Spectrum for Auction in 2014
March 22, 2013 9:53 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsThe FCC informed the National Telecommunications and Information Administration of its plans to auction licenses in the 1695-1710 and 1755-1780 MHz bands as early as September 2014. The NTIA recently picked out the 1695-1710 MHz band of spectrum to be reallocated for non-federal use.
Commissioner McDowell Announces Resignation
March 20, 2013 2:49 pm | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsFCC Commissioner Rob McDowell announced Wednesday that he will be stepping down from his post. In a statement, McDowell said that after 7 years of serving with the FCC, he will be turning more his energies to his family. McDowell said he will step down in a "few weeks."
ZTE Taps Intrepidus for Smartphone Security
March 19, 2013 10:18 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsChinese smartphone manufacturer ZTE today said it is partnering with Intrepidus on providing security for its devices. ZTE said it seeks to become a "leader in smartphone security." As part of the agreement, Intrepidus will evaluate the security mechanisms of ZTE...
Man Gets over 3 Years in iPad Data Breach Case
March 19, 2013 8:49 am | by David Porter, Associated Press | News | CommentsAn admitted online "troll" was sentenced Monday to the maximum prison term under federal guidelines — more than three years — for illegally gaining access to AT&T's servers and stealing more than 100,000 email addresses of iPad users. Dozens of Andrew Auernheimer's supporter...
Monitoring Your Kids on Facebook? That's so 2009
March 18, 2013 10:42 am | by Anne Flaherty, Associated Press | News | CommentsRelieved your kids aren't posting embarrassing messages and goofy self-portraits on Facebook? They're probably doing it on Instagram and Snapchat instead. The number of popular social media sites available on kids' mobile device...
More US than Europeans Drivers Are on the Phone
March 15, 2013 9:31 am | by Joan Lowy, Associated Press | News | CommentsDistracted driving is more widespread in the U.S. than in Europe, according to a study released Thursday that surveyed drivers about their cellphone and texting habits. More U.S. drivers reported talking on their cellphones behind the wheel than their counterparts in seven European countries...
Apple CEO Required to Testify in NY eBooks Case
March 14, 2013 9:17 am | by Associated Press | News | CommentsApple CEO Tim Cook has been ordered to testify in a New York court case the Justice Department brought against the company over the pricing of eBooks for consumers. Federal Judge Denise Cote on Wednesday granted a government request to depose Apple Inc.'s chief executive...
More Objections to T-Mo, MetroPCS Deal, but FCC May Be Close to Approval
March 12, 2013 10:17 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsThe FCC may be looking to approve Deutsche Telekom's proposed merger of its T-Mobile USA subsidiary and MetroPCS. According to a filing with the FCC by the Communication Workers of America (CWA), which vehemently opposes the merger, the FCC may be seeking an order...
AP Source: Google to Pay $7M to Settle Wi-Fi Case
March 11, 2013 10:49 am | by Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsGoogle will pay a $7 million penalty to settle a multistate investigation into the Internet search leader's collection of emails, passwords and other sensitive information sent over wireless networks several years ago in neighborhoods scattered around the world...
T-Mobile Says DOL Report Irrelevant to MetroPCS Deal
March 11, 2013 9:24 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsT-Mobile USA says the Communications Workers of America's (CWA) reference of a Department of Labor (DOL) investigation on T-Mobile call centers is not relevant to the carrier's proposed acquisition of MetroPCS. In a letter to the FCC last week, CWA suggested that the FCC examine the DOL's investigation...
LTE Just the Beginning of the Network Evolution
March 5, 2013 12:33 pm | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsThere's no question that LTE is where it's at if you're an operator. According to a recent report from 4G Americas, more than 150 operators globally have now launched LTE services in 67 countries, 50 of which were launched in the past five months. That's not just a trend it's a technological paradigm shift...
White House Responds in Favor of Legalizing Phone Unlocking
March 4, 2013 1:54 pm | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsAfter more than 114,000 people signed a petition asking the White House to reverse a recent decision by the Library of Congress to criminalize the unlocking of cellular phones, the office of President Obama has responded in support of legalizing the practice.
FCC to Investigate New U.S. Phone Unlocking Rules
March 1, 2013 10:03 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsWhile the 112,440 signees of a petition to make unlocking phones legal again await a response from the White House, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has said that he will look into the matter. Speaking with TechCrunch, Genachowski said the ban, recently instituted by the Library of Congress, raises competition and innovation concerns.
MobileSmarts February: Enterprise Eyes the Many Perks of BYOD
March 1, 2013 9:52 am | by Wireless Week Staff | News | CommentsFrom now until the CTIA 2013 conference (May 21-23), CTIA and Wireless Week will be bringing you a bi-weekly newsletter aimed at getting you up to speed on the topics and issues that wireless industry will address this year. From BYOD to Next-Gen networks to apps and the connected home, we'll cover it all.
Signal Boosters: The “Robin Hoods of the Industry”
February 26, 2013 10:13 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsHongtao Zhan seems relieved by the FCC’s recent ruling on wireless signal boosters. The CEO of Cellphone-Mate, a company manufacturing both commercial and residential models of signal boosters, believes the Commission made the right decision and made it clear that signal boosting is an important part of the U.S.’s wireless infrastructure.
Telecom CEOs: US regulators better than Europe
February 25, 2013 10:08 am | by Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsThe CEOs of AT&T, Vodafone and Telefonica — three of the world's largest cellphone companies — had some rare words of praise for U.S. regulators Monday, saying they're doing better than their European counterparts in promoting faster wireless data networks...
CCA, CTIA Shake, Move Forward on 2014 Shows
February 21, 2013 9:29 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsThe Competitive Carriers Association (CCA), formerly the Rural Carriers Association (RCA), and CTIA today announced that their organizations have reached an agreement of cooperation to ease the friction created by the two organizations’ overlapping conferences scheduled for September 2014...
