Wireless Telecommunications

New York’s Public Service Commission has approved T-Mobile's acquisition of Sprint with some conditions related to jobs and benefits provided to employees in the fourth most populated state in the country. The state agency determined that the merger is “not expected to cause interruptions or changes in service for existing Sprint wireline customers.” Moreover, as a condition for approval, the commission is requiring the company to continue to operate its relay call center in Syracuse and honor existing contracts until they expire.

As a commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission, Geoffrey Starks said he hopes to make a leading priority of closing that digital divide — that is, the gulf between those with internet access and those without. It's one item on a consumer welfare-centered policy wishlist he said he hopes to push, alongside holding wrongdoers like illegal robocallers accountable and expanding the use of telehealth services. “I’m going to be focused on real solutions,” Commissioner Starks said. “I think everyday Americans expect that as well.

AT&T’s decision to label some of its most advanced 4G LTE mobile network as “5G Evolution” has drawn scorn from rivals and some analysts who claim the carrier is misleading consumers about the real arrival date of faster fifth-generation technology called “5G.” Competitor Sprint went a step further and filed a lawsuit to block AT&T from using the term and having a label show on customers’ phones as “5GE.” “AT&T has employed numerous deceptive tactics to mislead consumers into believing that it currently offers a coveted and highly anticipated fifth generation wireless network, k

T-Mobile’s pricing is under scrutiny as both federal and state regulators continue to evaluate its proposed merger with Sprint. CEO John Legere recently sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission chair Ajit Pai pledging not to raise prices for three years on any of its current mobile plans if the merger is approved. Critics said perhaps T-Mobile’s pledge was leaving wiggle room for higher-priced, new 5G plans. Legere said emphatically that was not the case. 

Around 250 bounty hunters and related businesses had access to AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint customer location data, according to documents obtained by Vice. The documents also show that telecommunication companies sold data intended to be used by 911 operators and first responders to data aggregators, who sold it to bounty hunters. The data was in some cases so accurate that a user could be tracked to specific spots inside a building.

President Donald Trump is preparing an ambitious plan to ramp up the government’s role in speeding next-generation technologies such as 5G wireless and artificial intelligence, two key areas of competition with China. Administration officials say the president is preparing to issue a series of executive orders aimed at boosting the US strength in advanced technology.

I’m constantly meeting with the National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) and its members for a very practical reason. Actually, make that two practical reasons: One is the race to 5G and the other is the broadcaster repack stemming from the FCC's incentive auction.

In Nov 2018, Sens Ed Markey (D-MA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) wrote AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile, asking them to respond to a study that showed possible network neutrality violations on their networks. Specifically, the study, which used data collected by the app “Wehe,” showed numerous instances of bandwidth throttling for certain video providers. In response to the Sens’ letters, the four major mobile carriers denied Wehe’s findings that they selectively impair or degrade video streaming.

House Commcerce Committee Vice Chair Yvette Clarke (D-NY) and Rep John Curtis (R-UT) spoke at The Hil event titled "Boundless: Building a 5G World". They touted the potential benefits from emerging 5G technology, but warned that Congress must act quickly in a bipartisan fashion before the US falls behind. "We've got to remember to keep 5G nonpartisan, because the moment it becomes owned by a single party, then that's when it loses,” said Rep Curtis.

The Senate Commerce Committee drilled down on the 5G rollout in a hearing titled "Winning the Race to 5G and the Next Era of Technology Innovation in the United States." It was the first hearing of the committee in the 116th Congress, and the shadow of Chinese tech in US telecom loomed large over the proceedings.