press release

How does the recent net neutrality court case impact the public’s right to know? Learn how the Federal Communications Commission is addressing network neutrality issues at the 2014 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Las Vegas.

Gigi Sohn, special counsel for the Federal Communications Commission's External Affairs will discuss net neutrality during the conference session “Information Manipulation Part I: Net Neutrality,” which takes place June 28, 2014, in the Las Vegas Convention Center.

A panel of respondents will join Sohn in exploring the America Library Association’s actions to support an open Internet. Panelists include Vivian R. Wynn, chair of the American Library Association's Committee on Legislation and president of Wynn Library Consulting; Aaron Dobbs, Shippensburg University Systems and Electronic Resources Librarian; and Emily Sheketoff, executive director of the American Library Association’s Washington Office.

Leichtman Research Group found that the seventeen largest cable and telephone providers in the US -- representing about 93% of the market -- acquired nearly 1.2 million net additional high-speed Internet subscribers in the first quarter of 2014.

These top broadband providers now account for over 85.5 million subscribers -- with top cable companies having 50.3 million broadband subscribers, and top telephone companies having over 35.2 million subscribers. Other broadband findings for the quarter include:

• Overall, broadband additions in 1Q 2014 amounted to 105% of those in 1Q 2013
• The top cable companies accounted for 83% of the net broadband additions for the quarter versus the top telephone companies
• The top cable companies added about 970,000 subscribers, representing 121% of the net additions for the top cable companies in 1Q 2013
• The top telephone companies added about 200,000 subscribers, 64% of the total net additions for the top telephone companies in 1Q 2013
• AT&T and Verizon added 732,000 subscribers via U-verse and FiOS in 1Q 2014, while having a net loss of 638,000 DSL subscribers. U-verse and FiOS broadband subscribers now account for 49% of Telco broadband subscribers -- compared to 40% in 2013
• The top cable broadband providers have a 59% share of the market versus Telcos, with about 15.1 million more subscribers than the top telephone companies -- compared to 13.1 million more a year ago

The Federal Communications Commission Enforcement Bureau has cited Panasystem, a California-based online electronics retailer, for importing and marketing counterfeit smartphones marked with unauthorized or invalid labels falsely indicating that the devices were certified by the FCC.

“We will not tolerate the importation and marketing of counterfeit devices,” said Travis LeBlanc, Acting Chief of the Enforcement Bureau. “The trafficking of these devices not only robs the intellectual property of legitimate manufacturers, it harms consumers by failing to provide them with safe and certified smartphones that comply with the FCC’s equipment authorization process.”

The FCC investigation identified the smartphones imported by Panasystem as counterfeit Samsung models “Galaxy S Duos” and “Galaxy Ace.” Although these devices were labeled with seemingly-valid Samsung FCC Identifiers, the investigation showed that Samsung neither manufactured the devices nor authorized the FCC Identifier labels.

The investigation also revealed that another set of smartphones imported by Panasystem contained counterfeit BlackBerry model 9790 devices. These smartphones were labeled with invalid FCC Identifiers, which rendered them illegal for sale in the United States.

In response to the proposed merger of AT&T and DirecTV, the following statement can be attributed to NAB Executive Vice President of Communications Dennis Wharton:

"AT&T's proposed merger with DirecTV demands a hard look in an increasingly consolidated broadband and pay television marketplace. It is hard to see how decreasing competitors in the pay TV marketplace -- while increasing regulatory restraints on local TV stations -- truly benefits consumers."

House Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) continued the process leading to an update of the Communications Act with the release of a white paper focused on competition policy.

“On the Internet, everyone from 100 year-old blue-chip companies to startups that are little more than one person with a great idea compete head-to-head. The paper we released today seeks public input on how this dynamic affects competition policy - specifically how the Communications Act, as well as policies at the FCC, promote or limit competition in the marketplace,” said Chairmen Upton and Walden. “We have received great input from our first two white papers, Modernizing the Communications Act and Modernizing US Spectrum Policy, and look forward to continued public response as we work to ensure our laws appropriately reflect the realities of the innovation era.”

The committee encourages the filing of comment on any aspect of competition policy and updating the Communications Act by June 13, 2014.

Sprint will pay $7.5 million to resolve a Federal Communications Commission Enforcement Bureau investigation of the mobile wireless company’s failure to honor consumer requests to opt out of phone and text marketing communications. This represents the largest Do-Not-Call settlement that the FCC has ever reached.

In addition to the $7.5 million payment, Sprint will implement a two-year plan to ensure compliance with FCC requirements designed to protect consumer privacy and prevent consumers from receiving unwanted telemarketing calls. This follows a 2011 settlement with Sprint arising from complaints that Sprint made telemarketing calls to consumers who had requested to be placed on the company’s Do-Not-Call list. In its consent decree with the Enforcement Bureau, Sprint has agreed to:

• Make a payment of $7.5 million to the U.S. Treasury;
• Develop and put into action a robust compliance plan designed, among other things, to help ensure future compliance with the FCC’s rules requiring companies to maintain internal Do-Not-Call lists and honor consumers’ requests;
• Develop operating procedures and policies specifically designed to ensure that Sprint’s operations comply with all company-specific Do-Not-Call rules;
• Designate a senior corporate manager as a Compliance Officer to ensure that Sprint complies with the terms and conditions of the compliance plan and the consent decree;
• Implement a training program to ensure that Sprint employees and contractors are properly trained how to record consumers’ Do-Not-Call requests so that the company removes their names and numbers from marketing lists;
• Report to the FCC any noncompliance with respect to consumers’ Do-Not-Call requests; and
• File with the FCC an initial compliance report within 90 days and annual reports for two years.

While a vast divide remains between “media rich” and “media poor” Nigerians, household mobile ownership has surpassed that of radio and TV in Nigeria, and the use of Internet is trending upward, according to new findings on Nigerian media consumption habits presented by the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

The data, which comes from a national media survey conducted by Gallup in early 2014, shows that 87% of Nigerian adults have a mobile phone in their household. Personal mobile phone ownership has grown across all demographics, including women, Hausa speakers, and older Nigerians.

While use of new technologies is on the rise, radio remains the dominant news platform in Nigeria, with 77.4% overall and more than seven in 10 across all major demographic groups saying they listen to the radio for news at least weekly.

Nigerians are active consumers of news, with two-thirds (66.6%) saying they access news at least once a day. At the same time, Gallup World Poll data from July 2013 found a sharp decline in perceptions of media freedom in Nigeria, particularly in the north.

The Broadcasting Board of Governors announced an agreement with Channels Television, one of the 13 independent Nigerian TV stations. For the first time, Voice of America correspondents will report on events as they happen from around the world for the Channels evening newscasts.

“We are excited to deepen our innovative and interactive relationship with Channels TV,” said BBG Governor Matt Armstrong, who signed the agreement at an Association of International Broadcasters conference in London. ”We will work together collaboratively to cover local and global events, from Lagos, Washington, DC, and around the world based on VOA’s trusted news and information and the journalists at Channels TV. ”

VOA’s English-language reports will air on the Channels prime-time evening programs “The World Today” at 5:30 pm and ”News at Ten” at 10:00 pm local time. Channels TV is popular with English-speaking Nigerians and has approximately a 15 percent audience share of adults over age 15.

House Commerce Committee Ranking Member Henry A. Waxman (D-CA) wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler urging the FCC to move forward with a vote on proposed network neutrality rules.

Rep Waxman supports Chairman Wheeler's proposal to seek comment on adopting no blocking and nondiscrimination rules based on the FCC's authority under Section 706 of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, but calls on the FCC to also propose using its authority under Title II of the 1996 Telecommunications Act as a backup to ensure the rules survive a potential court challenge.

In the letter, Rep Waxman writes "The Internet is a great American success story thanks to our longstanding national commitment to communications policies that prevent broadband providers from acting like gatekeepers online. I urge you and your colleagues to move forward with your Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and to incorporate a Title II backup proposal as part of the item."

As part of a torrent of criticism pouring into the Federal Communications Commission, Sen Bernie Sanders (I-VT) delivered to the FCC nearly 19,000 comments from consumers demanding a free and open Internet.

In advance of a meeting of the FCC, Sen Sanders had invited visitors to use a form on his Senate website to weigh in what the senator called a “terribly misguided” proposal.