Wireless Telecommunications

1. Social media sites have emerged as a go-to platform for connecting with others, finding news and engaging politically. 
2. Around the world and in the US, social media has become a key tool for activists, as well as those aligned against them.
3. Smartphones have altered the way many Americans go online. 
4. Growth in mobile and social media use has sparked debates about the impact of screen time on America’s youth – and others.
5. Data privacy and surveillance have become major concerns in the post-Snowden era.

The Times Privacy Project obtained a dataset with more than 50 billion location pings from the phones of more than 12 million people in this country.

As the $26 billion blockbuster merger between T-Mobile and Sprint teetered this summer, Makan Delrahim, the head of the Justice Department’s antitrust division, labored to rescue it behind the scenes, according to text messages revealed in a lawsuit to block the deal. Delrahim connected company executives with the Federal Communications Commission and members of Congress.

House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Ranking Member Greg Walden (R-OR), Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle (D-PA) and Subcommittee Ranking Member Bob Latta (R-OH) sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai in response to the FCC’s recent announcement that the Mobility Fund Phase II (MF II) will be replaced with a new 5G Fund.

Almost 20% of Americans are still on 3G networks – even as many of these networks face decommissioning next year, according to Opensignal. Only 4.1% of the approximately 30 million Americans who still use 3G do not have a 4G-capable device. This is “unsurprising,” according to Opensignal, because most carriers have sold nothing but 4G-capable phones for years as a way to accelerate the move of subscribers away from older networks. In all, 83% of users still served by 3G have 4G-capable devices but do not have a 4G plan.

Current law requires that spectrum auction proceeds are automatically deposited in the US Treasury, barring a few exceptions. Legislation would be required to direct C-Band auction proceeds to other causes, such as a transition fund or incentive payments to satellite operators. The Senate Commerce Committee approved a bill called the 5G Spectrum Act, which would direct at least 50% of C-Band auction proceeds to the Treasury and 10% to rural broadband.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced availability of a suite of enhancements to Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) that will enable Americans to receive more geographically precise, effective, and informative alerts on their mobile phones during emergencies, which will help save lives. Local officials are now better able to send geotargeted wireless alerts to areas affected by an emergency without reaching unaffected communities, which will increase confidence in alerting and promote public safety—especially during evacuations.

Makan Delrahim, the Justice Department’s antitrust chief, urged the chairman of Dish Network to enlist US senators to help win the Federal Communications Commission’s approval for the merger of Sprint and T-Mobile US, which would involve asset sales to the satellite TV provider. “Today would be a good day to have your Senator friends contact the [FCC] chairman,” Delrahim said in a text one day before the states sued to block the deal.

With the first year of the 116th Congress coming to a close, House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Communications Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle (D-PA) highlighted the Subcommittee’s work to restore network neutrality, combat the robocall epidemic, secure America’s telecommunications supply chain, fix faulty broadband maps, and more. The Subcommittee held 12 hearings, three markups, and passed 11 bills in 2019. Accomplishments listed include:

US technology companies have rebuffed a Trump administration request that they pledge to stop sourcing supplies from some Chinese companies, amid concerns that such a policy could break competition laws. The state department asked telecoms carriers and chipmakers to sign up to a set of principles which would have in effect shut out Huawei, and possibly others, according to three people briefed on the proposals.