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Cops: Remote Shutdowns Would Curb Phone Thefts

They want FCC, carriers to put safeguard in place

(Newser) - With smartphone robberies soaring, frustrated police are calling for regulators and service providers to shut down stolen phones remotely to reduce their value, reports the Washington Post . About 40% of robberies in Washington in 2011 involved smartphones, iPods, or tablets, while in New York City the figure was nearly 50%....

FCC Moves to Block T-Mobile, AT&T Merger

Which means the government will have two cracks at stopping the deal

(Newser) - AT&T thought its muscular lobbying operation would ensure regulatory approval of its deal to buy T-Mobile , but it’s not working out that way. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski moved to block the merger yesterday, giving the government a second chance to break up the sale should an antitrust suit...

How Verizon and Other Wireless Companies Rip You Off
 How Wireless 
 Companies 
 Rip You Off 
editorial
Oct 26, 2011 12:40 PM CDT

How Wireless Companies Rip You Off

...and what the FCC can do about it

(Newser) - Wireless carriers call for minimum regulations on their industry, claiming their market is competitive. But with consumers bound by two-year contracts, it’s easy for companies like Verizon and AT&T to take advantage. It’s time for the FCC to get serious about protecting wireless users, the editors of...

Senator Says AT&T, T-Mobile Merger Must Die

Urges FCC, Justice Department to block it on anti-trust grounds

(Newser) - AT&T’s purchase of T-Mobile must be blocked on antitrust grounds, Sen. Herb Kohl declared today. The chair of the Senate subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights released a letter urging the FCC and Justice Department to step in before the two phone companies get hitched, the...

FCC to Crack Down on Mystery Phone Bill Fees

Agency proposes rules to outlaw 'cramming'

(Newser) - Federal regulators are proposing new rules to make it easier for consumers to detect and challenge mystery fees on their phone bills. The Federal Communications Commission voted today to seek public comments on the proposed rules, which are intended to crack down on the practice of "cramming." That...

Emergency Alerts Coming to Your Phone

FCC to bring emergency broadcast network to your pocket

(Newser) - The FCC will announce a new plan today for a system that will send warnings of impending emergencies to people’s cell phones. Dubbed the Personal Localized Alerting Network (PLAN, get it?), the system will be able to send geographically targeted messages to people who are in the paths of...

How to Make $500 Off a Telemarketer
How to Make $500
Off a Telemarketer
in case you missed it
May 8, 2011 5:48 PM CDT

How to Make $500 Off a Telemarketer

Start by asking for a copy of company's 'do not call' policy

(Newser) - Looking for a little telemarketer revenge? The Consumerist has just the thing: It points out that telemarketing companies are required to send you a copy of their "do not call" policy upon request. If they fail to do so, you can sue for $500. The site also points to...

Verizon Challenges New Network Neutrality Rules

Company thinks FCC overstepped its authority

(Newser) - Verizon has filed a court challenge to new federal regulations that prohibit broadband providers from interfering with Internet traffic flowing over their networks. In a filing in federal appeals court in the District of Columbia, Verizon argues that the FCC overstepped its authority in adopting the "network neutrality" rules...

FCC Approves Comcast Deal to Buy NBC

Justice Department is expected to follow suit later today

(Newser) - The FCC is giving Comcast, the country's largest cable company, the green light to take over NBC Universal, home of the NBC television network. The deal is still awaiting Justice Department approval, which is expected later today. With the deal certain to transform the entertainment industry landscape, regulators are attaching...

Get Ready for the Two-Speed Internet
Get Ready for the
Two-Speed Internet
analysis
Dec 21, 2010 5:46 PM CST

Get Ready for the Two-Speed Internet

Dan Lyons: Thanks to net neutrality, we'll probably have fast and slow lanes

(Newser) - So what can we expect from the new FCC rules to create the abstract-sounding concept of net neutrality? For one thing, we'll eventually have "two Internets—the fast one, with great content, that costs more (maybe a lot more) to use, and then the MuggleNet, which is free but...

FCC Adopts Net Neutrality Rules for Web Traffic

Issue will be revisited in the courts

(Newser) - Net neutrality lives, for now: A divided FCC approved new rules today meant to prohibit broadband companies from interfering with Internet traffic flowing to their customers. The rules, however, are likely to face scrutiny in next year's Congress, and the issue will likely ultimately decided in the courts. The FCC's...

FCC Poised to Pass Net Neutrality Rules

'Fake' neutrality plan doesn't go far enough, critics say

(Newser) - New rules aimed at prohibiting broadband providers from becoming gatekeepers of Internet traffic now have just enough votes to pass the Federal Communications Commission today. The new "net neutrality" rules would prohibit phone and cable companies from abusing their control over broadband connections to discriminate against rival content or...

Our Most Urgent Free Speech Issue: Net Neutrality
Our Most Urgent Free Speech Issue: Net Neutrality
al franken
Dec 20, 2010 1:38 PM CST

Our Most Urgent Free Speech Issue: Net Neutrality

FCC's draft regulations 'worse than nothing'

(Newser) - Tomorrow, the FCC will discuss regulations on net neutrality—the principle that the biggest corporation and the humblest blogger should have equal access to viewers on the Internet. The FCC could protect this freedom, but its draft regulations “don't do that at all,” writes Sen. Al Franken on...

FCC Chair Pushes to Regulate ISPs
 FCC Chair 
 Pushes to 
 Regulate ISPs 

NET NEUTRALITY?
Dec 1, 2010 11:27 AM CST

FCC Chair Pushes to Regulate ISPs

Proposal might amount to net neutrality order

(Newser) - FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski is making yet another valiant stab at introducing net neutrality or something like it today. In a speech today, Genachowski will propose a new regulatory framework that would forbid Internet broadband providers from blocking lawful content, the New York Times reports. The rules would also allow...

911 May Allow Emergency Texts

FCC chair proposes upgrading antiquated call centers

(Newser) - You may soon be able to text an emergency message to 911—and send a photo to boot. The FCC is exploring ways to bring 911 into the "digital age," says chair Julius Genachowski, noting that 70% of 911 calls come from mobile phones. No timetable yet, but...

Sen. Rockefeller: Fox, MSNBC Should 'Go Away'

Senator wishes FCC could kill cable news

(Newser) - Sen. Jay Rockefeller apparently isn’t a fan of cable news. In a hearing on television retransmission consent yesterday, Rockefeller went off-topic to rail against the “endless barking” of a news media that “has all but surrendered to the forces of entertainment.” Then he went off-script to...

Verizon Pays Record $25M Fine for 'Mystery Fees'

It's the largest settlement in FCC history

(Newser) - Verizon Wireless will pay a record $25 million fine to the federal government to settle accusations it overcharged customers. Separately, Verizon is refunding $52.8 million to about 15 million customers over so-called "mystery fees" in which they were charged for data services they didn't use.

FCC Hasn't Tested Cell Phones Kept in Pockets

Safety guidelines of 2001 are based on using holsters

(Newser) - The jury's very much out on the dangers of cell phones, and Time points out an "odd quirk" in FCC testing guidelines that doesn't help matters. When it determined safe emissions of radio-frequency levels in 2001, the agency tested phones kept in holsters. It didn't, however, test phones kept...

FCC Battles Cell Phone 'Bill Shock'

Haiti volunteer hit with $30K in roaming charges

(Newser) - A FEMA worker supporting the earthquake relief effort in Haiti was hit with a $30,000 bill for roaming charges when she arrived back in the US. Federal regulators say this kind of cell phone "bill shock" is all too common, and they hope to curb it with regulations...

Verizon Refunding Up to $90M in Overcharges

Decision made after FCC launches investigation

(Newser) - Verizon Wireless is refunding as much as $90 million to cell phone consumers for data overcharges that occurred over the last several years. The decision was made after the FCC launched an investigation following consumer complaints. Most refunds will be between $2 and $6. “When we identify errors, we...

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