Communication at a distance, especially the electronic transmission of signals via cell phones
Wireless Telecommunications
FCC investigating reports website flaw exposed mobile phone locations
The Federal Communications Commission said it was referring reports that a website flaw could have allowed the location of mobile phone customers to be tracked to its enforcement bureau to investigate. A security researcher said that California-based LocationSmart data could have been used to track AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile US consumers without consent within a few hundred yards of their location. Sen Ron Wyden (D-OR) urged the FCC to investigate, saying on Twitter a “hacker could have used this site to know when you were in your house so they would know when to rob it.
Welcome to the wireless industry’s Cambridge Analytica
[Commentary] The U.S. wireless industry is now facing its own version of a Cambridge Analytica-style public relations disaster. Specifically, a hack into the website of a company called LocationSmart reportedly allowed anyone to obtain real-time location information for any mobile device from AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint.
Chairman Pai's Response to Sen McCaskill Regarding CAF II Auction
On Dec 12, 2017, Sen Claire McCaskill (D-MO) sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission to urge the FCC to ensure that the Connect America Fund (CAF) Phase II Auction has sufficient safeguards to ensure a fair auction and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse. On May 10, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai responded by writing, "I agree that safeguards in any broadband funding program are critical to ensure success in getting Internet access to as many unserved Americans as possible and in preventing waste and fraud.
A global race to deploy 5G networks is on, with investors, regulators, and equipment manufacturers now fully engaged. But even as the nature of 5G technology is coming into sharper focus, consumers and some policymakers are still unclear on what it is and what it will do for them. Is 5G merely a faster network? Or will its unique architecture make possible revolutionary new applications and services, pushing the mobile revolution into even higher gear? How can U.S. spectrum policy stay ahead of the country’s rapidly escalating demand for 5G capabilities?
Remarks of Assistant Secretary Redl at the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) Meeting
A year ago, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order aimed at strengthening the cybersecurity of federal networks and critical infrastructure. The order mandated that all federal agencies use the Cybersecurity Framework developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. In April, NIST released version 1.1 of the Framework, which shows how this voluntary approach can provide a first line of cyber defense for companies.
FCC Announces Tentative Agenda for June 2018 Open Meeting
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced that the following items are tentatively on the agenda for the June Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, June 7, 2018:
FCC Must Choose Between Many or Few with Spectrum Rule Change
A proposed rule change before the Federal Communications Commission for spectrum licenses in the 3.5 GHz band presents a clear choice between the needs of the few and the needs of the many—though with some complications. The FCC is on the cusp of making a decision about a spectrum auction that has pitted the nation’s largest wireless carriers against a broad and eclectic coalition of shippers, railroads, ports, electric companies, manufacturers, and rural internet service providers.
Is Sprint a victim of 'The Rule of Three and Four?'
[Commentary] Bruce Henderson hypothesizes that a stable, competitive industry will never have more than three significant competitors and that the industry will find equilibrium when the market shares of the three competitors reach a ratio of 4:2:1. Taking a closer look at the wireless businesses of the four major operators in the U.S., the market share in revenue terms at the end of 2017 was: Verizon (38%); AT&T (31%); T-Mobile (17%); and, Sprint (14%). In terms of profitability as measured in operating income before depreciation and amortization (OIBDA), the relative differentials wer
The telecom industry's identity crisis
The internet age has become an identity crisis as they face increasing competition from Silicon Valley, an uncertain merger landscape and global pressures in the race to 5G networks. It's no longer enough to power the pipes and cell towers that send internet traffic coursing around the world. The services that ride on top of that traffic, -- Google, Facebook and Amazon -- now dominate the internet ecosystem.
Cutting off communication for Puerto Rican hurricane victims is just cruel
[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission is pushing forward with changes to the Lifeline program, which would hamper recovery efforts and cut off hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans — who are also US citizens — from vital telecommunications services. The Trump administration’s FCC has proposed changes that would sharply alter the purpose and scope of the program, further antagonizing hurricane victims who are still struggling to rebuild. Before the catastrophic 2017 hurricane season, over 500,000 island households relied on the Lifeline program to stay connected.