Posts Tagged ‘FCC’
Tuesday, December 20th, 2011
 The U.S. International Trade Commission says Taiwan-based HTC’s Android phones violated two Apple patent claims in a ruling that goes into effect April 19.
While this is good news for Apple and its iPhone, it may not be so good for consumers. Of the half dozen smartphones we tested last year (all Android or Windows phones), we like HTC’s hardware the best.
The ITC decision says HTC infringed on Apple patent claims that deal with software to make phone numbers and addresses actionable links.
HTC has said it has created workarounds to the patent difficulties. But the decision will afffect the Droid Incredible, EVO 4G, Nexus One and other HTC phones running Android 1.6 to 2.2, says Gizmodo.
Lightsquared may run out of money
Virginia-based LightSquared, the wholesale wireless network firm, could run out of cash by Q2 2012, according to an analysis of its most recent financial statement by Reuters.
The company, backed by Philip Falcone’s $5 billion Harbinger Capital Partners hedge fund, had a $427 million loss the first nine months of 2011. The financial statement seen by Reuters notes that the company may not be able to “continue as a going concern,” if it cannot raise additional capital.
Lightsquared is wrestling with FCC concerns that its plans for high-speed 4G wireless broadband services interferes with the GPS spectrum. It has submitted a plan to the FCC to circumvent the problem.
AT&T gives up on T-Mobile merger
 Just two weeks ago, an AT&T public relations person approached me with the firm’s position at the time that it was still working on its potential merger with T-Mobile despite dropping its bid with the FCC to focus on U.S. Department of Justice concerns. Yesterday, though, AT&T threw in the towel.
It will have to pay T-Mobile USA owner Deutsche Telekom the $4 billion fee it agreed to pay if the merger fell through, but says it will enter a mutually beneficial roaming agreement with the company.
In a statement, the company said:
“After a thorough review of options it has agreed with Deutsche Telekom AG to end its bid to acquire T-Mobile USA, which began in March of this year.
“The actions by the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice to block this transaction do not change the realities of the U.S. wireless industry. It is one of the most fiercely competitive industries in the world, with a mounting need for more spectrum that has not diminished and must be addressed immediately.
“The AT&T and T-Mobile USA combination would have offered an interim solution to this spectrum shortage. In the absence of such steps, customers will be harmed and needed investment will be stifled.”
AT&T chair and CEO Randall Stephenson said, ““To meet the needs of our customers, we will continue to invest. However, adding capacity to meet these needs will require policymakers to do two things.
“First, in the near term, they should allow the free markets to work so that additional spectrum is available to meet the immediate needs of the U.S. wireless industry, including expeditiously approving our acquisition of unused Qualcomm spectrum currently pending before the FCC. Second, policymakers should enact legislation to meet our nation’s longer-term spectrum needs.
Tags: Apple HTC patent dispute, Apple Inc., Apple wins HTC patent dispute, AT&T, broadband 4G wireless, DOJ, FCC, GPS spectrum, Harbinger Capital Partners, HTC, ITC, Lightsquared, Philip Falcone, T-Mobile
Posted in Apple, Government/Defense, Hardware, Internet/New Media, IT, Legal, Mobile, Telecommunications | Comments Off
Wednesday, August 10th, 2011
 The U.S. Federal Communications System says it won’t permit LIghtSquared’s proposed middle broadband service to interfere with GPS signals.
The FCC is considering whether or not to let LightSquared’s service proceed.
Some tests showed that GPS receivers pickup interference from spectrum beyond that used by the devices.
In a backgrounding event for reporters, FCC officials said that it won’t allow the LightSquared proposal to use spectrum from 1526 to 1536 MHz and a satellite service in part of the 1600 band if it interferes with nearby GPS spectrum at 1559 to 1610 MHz.
New Microsoft update fixes 22 security flaws
On 8/10, Microsoft issued 13 security updates that patch 22 security flaws in IE, Windows, Office, and other software. Three are rated critical.
The updates fix, among other things, critical vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer 9. Security experts say the IE9 updates should be deployed first. They prevent drive-by downloads of malware when visiting infected web sites.
Market volatility scotches some tech IPO plans
The Wall Street Journal reports (requires a subscription to read entire article) that two of four tech firms planning initial public offerings of stock this week have “hit the pause button.” Both Pandora and LinkedIn shares fell substantially in August and the S&P downgrade, political instability and economic uncertainty are shuttering what once looked like a wide-open IPO window for Internet companies and other tech firms.
VC-backed 3D motion sensor maker InvenSense and Portuguese mobile payment company TIM and Wageworks have all gone into drop back ten and punt mode. Boston-based online backup company Carbonite, still plans to price Thursday night (after slashing its offering range from $15-$17 to $11 to $12.
Amazon releases Kindle Cloud Reader
Amazon For over two years, Amazon has been offering a wide selection of free Kindle reading apps that enable customers to “Buy Once, Read Everywhere.” Customers can already read Kindle books on the largest number of the most popular devices and platforms, including Kindles, iPads, iPhones, iPod touches, PCs, Macs, Android phones and tablets, and BlackBerrys.
Today, Amazon.com has released the Kindle Cloud Reader, its latest Kindle reading application that leverages HTML5 and enables customers to read Kindle books instantly using only their web browser – online or offline – with no downloading or installation required. As with all Kindle apps, Kindle Cloud Reader automatically synchronizes your Kindle library, as well as your last page read, bookmarks, notes, and highlights for all of your Kindle books, no matter how you choose to read them. Kindle Cloud Reader with its integrated touch optimized Kindle Store is available starting today for Safari on iPad, Safari on desktop and Chrome at www.amazon.com/cloudreader.
Features of Kindle Cloud Reader include:
- An immersive view of your entire Kindle library, with instant access to all of your books
- Start reading over 950,000 Kindle books instantly within your browser
- An embedded Kindle Store optimized for your web browser makes it seamless to discover new books and start reading them instantly
- New Kindle Store for iPad is built from the ground up for iPad’s touch interface
- Your current book is automatically made available for offline use, and you can choose to save a book for reading offline at any time
- Receive automatic software updates without the need to download new software
- Select any book to start reading, customize the page layout to your desired font size, text color, background color, and more
- View all of the notes, highlights, and bookmarks that you’ve made on other Kindle apps or on Kindle
- Sync your last page read across your Kindle and free Kindle apps so you can always pick up where you left off
Kindle Cloud Reader is available for Safari on iPad, Safari on desktop and Chrome starting today. Kindle Cloud Reader on the iPad is optimized for the size and unique touch interface of iPad. Without even leaving the app, customers can start shopping in the Kindle Store and will find a unique and immersive shopping experience built specifically for iPad’s Safari browser.
Kindle Cloud Reader will be available on additional web browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox, the BlackBerry PlayBook browser, and other mobile browsers, in the coming months.
Amazon.com customers can start reading their Kindle books immediately using Kindle Cloud Reader at www.amazon.com/cloudreader.
Tags: Amazon Kindle Cloud Reader, critical IE9 update, FCC, GPS interference, Lightsquared, LinkedIn, Microsoft update, Pandora, tech firms postpone IPOS, tech IPO window
Posted in Amazon, Cloud, Government/Defense, Internet/New Media, IPOs, IT, LinkedIn, Microsoft | Comments Off
Friday, August 6th, 2010
 WASHINGTON, DC – The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has halted talks with large telecommunications, cable and Internet companies on proposed network neutrality rules that would ensure companies do not favor any types of broadband traffic transmitted over their systems.
The FCC said Thursday that it would abandon the talks, although Edward Lazarus, FCC chief of staff said in a statement that the talks had been “productive on several fronts, but has not generated a robust framework to preserve the openness and freedom of the Internet – one that drives innovation, investment, free speech, and consumer choice. All options remain on the table as we continue to seek broad input on this vital issue.”
The decision to halt the current discussions on the issue comes on the heels of separate talks between Google and Verizon, both involved in the FCC discussions. Google and Verizon said they will release details of a proposal of their own they hope will be a framework for Congressional action on the issue.
The New York Times, however, said in a report on the Google Verizon talks that their proposal could eventually lead to broadband users paying higher fees for higher use of networks.
Tags: DC, FCC, Google, net neutrality, Verizon
Posted in Government/Defense, Internet/New Media | Comments Off
Monday, June 28th, 2010
 Janna Anderson By 2020, most computer users will carry powerful pocket-sized computing devices that connect to networks using data and applications in the cloud rather than on the device, Robert Cannon, senior cousel for Internet law at the Federal Communications Commission told the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project.
Cannon responded to a Pew study that surveyed about 900 Internet and technology experts that found 72 percent believe future technology users will do business on shared mobile platforms and smart phones rather than desktops in coming years.
Some experts in this survey said that for many individuals the switch to mostly cloud-based work has already occurred, especially through the use of browsers and social networking applications.
They point out that many people today are primarily using smartphones, laptops, and desktop computers to network with remote servers and carry out tasks such as working in Google Docs, following web-based RSS (really simple syndication) feeds, uploading photos to Flickr and videos to YouTube, doing remote banking, buying, selling and rating items at Amazon.com, visiting with friends on Facebook, updating their Twitter accounts and blogging on WordPress.
“It’s obvious that people are enthusiastically embracing the ideal of ambient intelligence — being able to share and access data and create things anywhere, anytime,” said Janna Anderson, an associate professor at Elon University’s School of Communications and the report’s author.
Anderson pointed out, though, that the shift requires overcoming obstacles such as security and privacy concerns and limited broadband spectrum.
The desktop will survive
Among the other observations made by those taking the survey were: large businesses are far less likely to put most of their work “in the cloud” anytime soon because of control and security issue
This does not mean, however, that most of these experts think the desktop computer will disappear soon. The majority sees a hybrid life in the next decade, as some computing functions move towards the cloud and others remain based on personal computers.
Some survey participants said they expect that a more sophisticated desktop-cloud hybrid will be people’s primary interface with information. They predicted the desktop and individual, private networks will be able to provide most of the same conveniences as the cloud but with better functionality, overall efficiency, and speed.
Among the defenses for a continuing domination of the desktop, many said that small, portable devices have limited appeal as a user interface and they are less than ideal for doing work.
The Web-based survey was conducted with Elon’s Imagining the Internet Center. It is the fourth of five reports this year.
Previously on TechJournal South:
The Future Internet
Contact Tech Journal South Editor and writer Allan Maurer:
Allan at TechJournalSouth dot com.
Tags: cloud computing, FCC, Imaginging the Internet, Janna Anderson, Pew study
Posted in Carolinas, Internet/New Media, North Carolina, Studies, surveys, reports, Viewpoint | 1 Comment »
Friday, February 5th, 2010
 WASHINGTON, DC – New regulations on net neutrality proposed by the FCC could “Bring a high degree of uncertainty and could have unintended consequences,” and actually impede goals of connecting all Americans, says David Sutphen, co-chair of the Internet Innovation Alliance (IIA), a broad-based coalition that has supported broadband development since 2004.
Sutphen cites ten reasons why the IIA thinks new regulations are a bad idea. Here are five from his list we think of most importance to those in the Internet business:
1 - The open Internet exists today. We have been living with ‘net neutrality’ since 2004, when it was established that companies cannot control the content and applications that people are able to access online.
2 - It is impossible to konw for sure how new Internet regulations would impact private investment, and a decline in capital investment could have a harmful effect on jobs and the U.S. economy. A reduction by 5 percent would reduce employment by 47,073, according to research from the ITIF, or more than 78,000, according to former FCC commissioner and economist Harold Furchtgott-Roth.
3 – The net neutrality debate, which only concerns those already online, is a distraction from creating an effective National Broadband Plan.
4 - Today’s open Internet is making possible huge innovation. We reduce the possibilities and raise barriers if we don’t give everyone access to smart networks.
5 – Lack of net neutrality regulations cannot be reduced to “charging more fees and extracting more money from wealthier customers.”
For the full list see: Internet Innovation Alliance
Tags: broadband, FCC, Internet Innovation Alliance, net neutrality
Posted in Internet/New Media, Legal, Potomac, Washington, DC | Comments Off
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