The FCC today proposed modifications to its Part 15 rules that allow unlicensed spectrum use in white spaces between TV stations. The changes to the rule would help facilitate the use of television bands, 600 MHz guard bands and channel 37. “Following the incentive auction, with the repacking of the television band and the repurposing…
FCC’s Incentive Auction Repacking Clarification Draws Dissent
The FCC today issued a declaratory ruling in order to clarify the repacking approach it adopted as part of the notice of public rulemaking governing the upcoming incentive auctions. The Commission said its repacking plan is designed to meet “Congress’s mandate to make all reasonable efforts to independently preserve TV station coverage areas and population…
FCC Considering New Rules for OTT Video Services: WSJ
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will begin looking into new rules and regulations for Over-The-Top (OTT) video services aimed at providing subscription TV over the internet, according to the Wall Street Journal. As Verizon and Dish Network work to bring online video services to consumers without pay-TV subscriptions, the FCC is considering whether those services…
Samsung, BlackBerry Poke Apple Over Bending iPhone 6 Plus
Samsung Thursday fired off a tweet capitalizing on Apple’s bendable iPhone 6 Plus troubles while touting its own Galaxy Note Edge. “Curved. Not bent” the tweet reads above an image of Samsung’s upcoming Note 4 iteration with a screen that curves around the side bezel and shows notifications. The sick burn garnered nearly 4,000 retweets,…
BlackBerry Officially Unveils Square-Screen Passport
BlackBerry today officially took the wraps off the Passport, its new smartphone rocking a square display. The Passport’s 4.5-inch Gorilla Glass 3 screen has a 1:1 aspect ratio and a 1440×1440 pixel (453 dpi) resolution. Inside its packing a big 3450 mAh battery and a huge 4GB of RAM. It also features 32GB of internal…
AT&T Sees the Body Becoming the Hub for Wearables
SAN FRANCISCO – During a wearables industry roundtable at Qualcomm’s Uplinq annual developer conference, David Garver shared AT&T’s vision of a new hub for wearables as the devices continue to proliferate. The area vice president of business development said in the future people could have up to 10 wearables on at a time and that…
Qualcomm Releases AR SDK for Gear VR, Epson, BDG
SAN FRANCISCO – Qualcomm released an SDK for its Vuforia augmented reality (AR) platform. The Vuforia SDK for Digital Eyewear is designed specifically to work with Samsung’s Oculus-powered Gear VR, the Epson Moverio BT-200, and the ODG R-7. The SDK is geared toward helping create “applications in hybrid VR/AR gaming, shopping, and education, as well…
Facebook Using LTE Broadcast to Streamline App Updates
SAN FRANCISCO – Facebook and Qualcomm are working together on leveraging LTE Broadcast to streamline the update process for the popular social media application. Jay Parikh, vice president of infrastructure at Facebook, said the two companies have been partners for years and that they’ve just begun to scratch the surface of what can be done…
Qualcomm Outs General Availability of LTE Broadcast SDK
SAN FRANCISCO – Qualcomm today announced general availability of its LTE Broadcast Software Developer Kit (SDK). Developers will now have access to APIs for all regions and networks that are testing and deploying the network technology. During his keynote at Qualcomm’s annual Uplinq developer conference, CEO Steve Mollenkopf said network operators are using the LTE…
BlackBerry Offering BBM Money to iOS, Android Users in Indonesia
BlackBerry today announced it will begin offering BBM Money, its secure mobile payments platform, to Android and iOS users in Indonesia. The expansion comes after the service was initially launched in early 2013 for BlackBerry users. BBM Money allows users to make secure payments at participating retailers and online. With a new partnership with TransferTo…
Keynote Panel Highlights Safety for the Connected Car
With a pair of shiny automobiles parked just off the stage, the Day 2 keynote session began Wednesday with a panel focused on preparing for the emerging market for the connected car. Newly appointed CEO of AT&T Mobility, Glenn Lurie, and Ralph de la Vega, now CEO of Mobile and Business Solutions, hosted a connected…
SMW: BlackBerry’s John Sims Maps the Enterprise Road Ahead
John Sims hasn’t been with BlackBerry long but he goes way back with CEO John Chen. The president of global enterprise services Sims is excited to be a part of Chen’s quest to rebuild BlackBerry. Ahead of his Day One CTIA talk outlining new mobile challenges for IT and the risks of not making mobility…
FCC Slaps T-Mobile with $819,000 Fine
This story has been updated with comment from T-Mobile. The FCC has levied a $819,000 fine against T-Mobile, citing the carriers has for more than two years failed to offer its customers enough hearing aid-compatible digital wireless handsets. Originally spotted by Phone Scoop, the FCC’s complaint against T-Mobile alleges the carrier “willfully and repeatedly” violated…
CTIA Chief Urges FCC to Revise Wireless Siting Process
CTIA CEO Meredith Attwell Baker implored the FCC to revise rules in order to speed up the process for building and updating cellular network sites. In an op-ed, Attwell Baker said a “commonsense national approach to further streamline and modernize the wireless siting process is long overdue.” Specifically, she outlined four reforms that curtail state…
T-Mobile Urges FCC to Reserve Half of 600 MHz Spectrum for Smaller Carriers
T-Mobile is asking the FCC to consider reserving half or more of the 600 MHz spectrum cleared for auction for smaller carriers to bid on. In an FCC filing, T-Mobile said adjusting the spectrum reserve based on different clearing scenarios would “promote robust competition among service providers and ensure the continued vitality of four nationwide…
FCC Expands Text-to-911 to Smaller Carriers, Messaging Apps
The FCC today announced new rules that will require all carriers as well as OTT messaging apps to support text-to-911. In a push to make the service more uniformly available, the new rules expand availability beyond the U.S.’s big four carriers, all of which agreed to support the service by May 2014. Now all other…
Verizon to FCC: Throttling Unlimited Users “Widely Accepted”
Verizon has officially responded to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler after the Commissioner criticized the carrier’s decision to start slowing data speeds for some unlimited plan customers on its LTE network. The United States’ largest carrier called the practice “widely accepted,” according to Reuters. Verizon CEO Dan Mead, to whom the FCC’s letter was addressed, said…
Report: DoT Leans Toward Banning In-Flight Cell Phone Calls
The Department of Transportation (DoT) is leaning toward an outright ban on in-flight cell phone calls, according to the Wall Street Journal. The agency plans to publish a NPRM by the end of the year that will outline its objections and open the conversation for public comments. The DoT’s focus is on calls and not…
FCC May Spoil Sprint, T-Mo Joint Bidding Plans
The FCC is circulating an NPRM that could dash the hopes of T-Mobile and Sprint to form a joint venture for bidding in the upcoming 600 MHz incentive auctions. In efforts to promote wider participation in those auctions, the FCC said the combined bidding power and resources of two major wireless carriers could make it…
CCA Calls FCC’s Rural Broadband Experiments Unfair to Mobile
The Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) today expressed concerns over a new FCC Report and Order detailing rural broadband experiments and competition for available funding. Of the $100 million the FCC pledged toward driving broadband coverage in rural areas, $75 million is being offered up to test networks capable of reaching 25 Mbps download and 5…
AT&T Calls T-Mobile’s Data Roaming Proposals Unlawful
AT&T has responded to T-Mobile’s petition of the FCC to rewrite data roaming rules, calling the proposal unlawful. In a blog post today, AT&T Vice President of Regulatory Joan Marsh said T-Mobile’s revised roaming agreement rules proposal would violate the Telecommunications Act and “push the Commission’s regime over the line into impermissible common carrier regulation.”…
FTC Sues Amazon Over In-App Purchases Made by Kids
The Federal Trade Commission is suing Amazon over unauthorized in-app purchases made by children. The FTC is seeking refunds for consumers and is looking to permanently stop Amazon from billing account holders for purchases made without their consent. According to the complaint, Amazon keeps 30 percent of all revenue from in-app purchases. “Amazon’s in-app system…
FCC Details Proposed Spectrum Screen Changes
The FCC has spelled out the proposed changes to its spectrum screen, detailing which airwaves are in and which are out along with other moves geared toward public interest. In a NPRM issued yesterday, the FCC added spectrum to the screen: 40 megahertz of AWS-4, 10 megahertz of H Block, 65 megahertz of AWS-3, when…
FCC Commissioner Pushes for Unlicensed Spectrum in 600 MHz Band
Unlicensed spectrum advocates are trying to secure more space on the 600 MHz Band. Those advocates appear to have a common voice on the FCC as the Commission considers rules and technical guidelines for its upcoming repurpose and auction of those airwaves. FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, speaking at a WiFiForward event, said the Commission needs…
AT&T: “Our Desire to Participate in [600 MHz] Auction is Unchanged”
AT&T is throwing cold water on the notion that it will skip the FCC’s upcoming 600 MHz incentive auctions over rules favoring smaller carriers. In an FCC filing, AT&T said it has “expended significant resources” in working with the Commission to develop rules geared toward a successful auction and supporting legislation which authorized the auctions.…