President Trump’s nomination this week of Jessica Rosenworcel − a Democrat who previously served on the Commission from 2012 through the end of last year − continues to bring in support from various sectors of the broadband industry. During her tenure at the FCC, Rosenworcel was known as a vocal advocate for net neutrality and…
FCC Deadline Is Soon for MVPDs to Comply with Second Screen Device Accessibility
The FCC reminded multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) this week of their upcoming obligation to pass through a secondary audio stream containing audible emergency information when they permit subscribers to access linear programming on second screen devices over their network as part of their video services. The deadline for compliance is July 10. Providing emergency…
FCC to Consider Giving OneWeb Broadband Service Access
Among the topics on the agenda for the FCC Open Meeting on June 22 are the OneWeb market access request, and consideration of a notice of inquiry on improving competitive broadband access to multiple tenant environments. “One of our top priorities remains promoting broadband competition and deployment,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai writes in a blog.…
Consumer Reports Survey: More Than Two-Thirds of Respondents Oppose an ISP Blocking Access to Movie Streaming Service of a Competitor
A new Consumer Reports survey concludes a majority of Americans value the regulatory framework created in 2015 around net neutrality despite recent news that the FCC voted to advance the effort to end the utility-style regulation of internet service providers based on Title II. However, it looks like we have a definitive case of “it…
FCC Moves Forward on Title II Rollback, and Reactions Roll In
There were no surprises from the FCC on Thursday on the Title II front as the Commission voted as expected along party lines (2-1) to advance the effort to end utility-style regulation of internet service providers, and ovations and scoffs came from many of the places you’d expect. Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioner Michael O’Rielly voted for…
FCC Chairman Pai Responds to Letter from Municipal Broadband Providers in Support of Title II Reversal
Nineteen municipal broadband providers that support FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s plans to reverse the classification of ISPs as common carriers under Title II sent him a letter on Thursday, which Pai is calling an “exceptionally important contribution to the debate.” “These nonprofit ISPs serve small towns across America, from Bagley, Minn., to Tullahoma, Tenn. They…
Senators Ask Chairman Pai for More Information About DDoS Attacks on FCC’s Comment System
Two U.S. senators sent a letter to the FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on Tuesday requesting details regarding the Commission’s statement that it suffered multiple distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks on its comment system starting on Sunday night. “DDoS attacks against federal agencies are serious – and doubly so if the attack may have prevented Americans…
Digital Rights Advocacy Group Expresses Its Concerns About FCC’s Statement on DDos Attacks
Digital rights advocacy group Fight for the Future is raising questions around the FCC’s report this week that the Commission’s electronic comment filing system suffered a series of distributed denial-of-service attacks (DDos). FCC Chief Information Officer David Bray said the attacks started around midnight on Sunday night. And as been widely splashed across the internet, those…
FCC Holds Initial Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee Meeting in D.C.
The FCC’s Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee (BDAC) held its first meeting on Friday in Washington, D.C. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai appointed 29 members to the BDAC, which was created in January. Its mission is said to be to provide advice and make recommendations to the Commission on how to accelerate the deployment of high-speed internet…
FCC Reforms Business Data Services Measure
Not a surprise in the current deregulatory climate, but the FCC released a statement on Thursday saying there is “substantial and growing competition in the market for business data services,” and therefore it is easing “outdated pricing rules to enable continued robust growth in the market.” Also not a surprise, but the vote went strictly…
Broadcast Incentive Auction: Analysis of High Bidders Doesn’t See Them All as ‘Winners’
In a research note regarding last week’s big reveal of the highest bidders in the FCC broadcast incentive auction, MoffettNathanson suggests the three surprises were that Comcast bought significantly less than expected, Dish bought significantly more, and Verizon didn’t take any at all. On Thursday, the FCC announced T-Mobile, Dish, Comcast, and US Cellular as…
FCC Commissioners Agree That Charter Overbuild Requirement Could Have Harmed Smaller Operators
Smaller cable providers applauded the news this week from the FCC that it is no longer requiring Charter to overbuild in areas where a broadband operator already exists. The condition that Charter overbuild in markets already served was originally imposed when Charter bought Time Warner Cable and Bright House last year. “In all likelihood, these…
Trump’s Signature Finalizes the Effort to End FCC Privacy Rules
In what was a surprise to basically no one, the president signed a bill into law Monday voiding the FCC’s controversial broadband privacy rules, which would have required ISPs obtain customers’ consent in order to use and share their personal information. Many pro and con opinions have appeared in the last couple weeks as the Senate and…
Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon: We Don’t Sell Individual Browsing Info
Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon all put out statements on Friday that they don’t sell individual browsing information and did not have plans to do so. The reports are obviously in response to recent votes by both the Senate and the House to reject the FCC’s broadband privacy rules issued last October. President Trump is expected…
FCC Chairman Pai Pans Title II at ACA Summit in D.C.
Observers with an eye toward regulatory rollback have been listening carefully to any remarks FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has made around Title II since taking the post back in January. That’s because he’s definitely no fan of the Commission’s 2015 decision to reclassify broadband internet access as a telecom service and subject to Title II…
FCC Commissioner O’Rielly at ACA Summit: Title II Regs Are ‘Harmful’
This week at the American Cable Association’s 24th Summit in Washington, D.C., FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly offered attendees a reiteration of his opinions around the Commission’s decision in 2015 to reclassify broadband internet access as a telecom service and subject it to Title II regulation. If you’ve been following this issue, you know O’Rielly was decidedly…
House Votes to Scrap FCC Privacy Rules, and Opinions Roll In
On Tuesday, the House of Representatives voted 215-205 on S.J. Res. 34 to reject the FCC’s broadband privacy rules issued last October. Those rules required ISPs obtain customers’ consent in order to use and share their personal information. The Senate had already voted to ditch them last week, so now the measure moves on to…
How Troubled Are U.S. Consumers When Operators and Advertisers Gather Their Personal Data to Pinpoint Them?
“Privacy fears are a major factor in broadband consumers’ online media experiences,” Glenn Hower, senior analyst at Parks Associates, observes. “Advertisers have the most to gain by leveraging viewership data, and those advantages will only increase as they acquire more personal information such as search histories.” The research firm suggests consumer trepidation will only grow…
U.K. Regulator Fines BT £42 Million
U.K. communications regulator Ofcom announced on Sunday that BT will be fined £42 million for “a serious breach of Ofcom’s rules.” The agency says that an investigation into BT’s network arm, Openreach, showed the company reduced compensation payments to other telecommunications providers for late installations. Specifically, Ofcom charges that between January 2013 and December 2014,…
Trump Applauds Charter’s $25 Billion Broadband Commitment at Oval Office Meeting
At a meeting on Friday with President Trump at the White House, Charter Communications CEO Tom Rutledge revealed the operator is planning to invest $25 billion in broadband infrastructure and technology in the next few years. “With confidence in the deregulatory policies of the Administration and the FCC, Charter is planning to invest $25 billion in broadband…
U.K. Communications Regulator Proposes Cash Compensation for Broadband or Landline Problems
U.K. communications regulator Ofcom wants to require broadband and landline service providers there to offer automatic reparations to subscribers who receive poor service. That would either come in the form of a cash payment or a credit on a bill. In a proposal released Friday, Ofcom suggests customers would be entitled to automatic compensation without…
Reactions to the Senate Vote to Void the FCC Broadband Privacy Rules
The Senate vote on Thursday to kill the FCC’s controversial broadband privacy rules via the Congressional Review Act has garnered cheers from industry associations as well as negative rejoinders from open internet advocates. Of course, the measure still needs to be approved by the House of Representatives and the president to take effect, so expect…
Pai Is Renominated to FCC by Trump, and Reactions Roll In
It’s probably not a surprise to anyone, but President Trump has nominated FCC Chairman Ajit Pai for a second five-year term at the agency. Shortly after taking office, Trump moved Pai up to Chairman at the Commission, which was a good indicator that he wanted him to continue at the FCC. The Senate needs to…
Trade Groups React to the FCC Stay on Data Security Regulation from Broadband Privacy Order
A party line vote of 2-1 at the FCC on Wednesday resulted in a temporary stay of the data security requirements adopted in the Privacy and Data Security Order released last November. They were set to go in effect on Thursday. Several trade groups representing internet service providers (ISPs) have been vocal critics of the…
FCC Chairman Pai Talks ‘a Free and Open Internet’ at Mobile World Congress
At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai gave a keynote address in which he stressed he’s looking to “preserve a free and open internet” but noted utility-style regulations are not necessary to reach that goal. Pai pointed to some regulatory overreach he thought the FCC went into under President Obama’s…