FCC Adopts Rules for Broadband over Power Lines
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Many telecommunications officials and some FCC officials cite BPL as a reason for deregulation. They say that three wired choices, plus wireless offerings, would guarantee that no company could gain monopoly power.
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Washington - The United States Federal Communications Commission approved on Wednesday historic new rules potentially giving aircraft passengers in-flight access to high-speed Internet services.
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The U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted on Tuesday to impose a limit on the size cable operators can reach on a nationwide basis.
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A divided Federal Communications Commission passed rules Wednesday restricting local phone competition. The move is expected to raise prices for many consumers across the country and for small businesses in larger cities.
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Alternative form of high-speed Internet access makes its way to U.S. homes.
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As it stands, there's almost twice as much bandwidth across the Atlantic as there is across the Pacific. But with new U.S. FCC approval for the first ever China-U.S. fiber link, this is all about to change.
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The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved standards intended to protect the U.S. power grid from coming under cyberattack.
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InfoWorld - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has adopted new rules requiring wireless telephone providers to move toward testing location-based emergency dialing service at the local level.
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(InfoWorld) - Plans for valuable wireless spectrum being considered by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission may not go far enough to encourage a new broadband competitor, said groups calling for open-access rules for part of the spectrum. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, in an interview with USA Today published Tuesday, said he wants a "truly open broadband network" for the 700MHz spectrum scheduled to be auctioned by early next year. That would mean customers could attach any device to the network and download any application, Martin told the newspaper. Martin's proposal, reportedly to be applied to about a third of the 60MHz of spectrum to be auctioned, is similar to net neutrality rules that several consumer groups and Internet companies have championed for broadband networks. But groups calling for open access to the 700MHz spectrum want more than that. Groups like Public Knowledge, Consumers Union, and Free Press want the FCC to require winners of part of the spectrum to provide wholesale access to any wireless or broadband provider that wants to offer service on that spectrum. Rules that would allow customers to attach any device and download any application are a good first step, but what Martin seems to be proposing is "not open access," said Gigi Sohn, president of Public Knowledge. "Our definition of open access includes wholesale. You're not going to get competition in the broadband space unless you have wholesale as well." The FCC is expected to set rules for use of the 700MHz spectrum within weeks, and there's heavy debate in Washington, D.C., over what those rules should look like. Many observers say the 700MHz spectrum, now used by U.S. television stations for over-the-air broadcasts, is the ideal spectrum for long-range wireless broadband services. With no other large auctions of spectrum in sight, Public Knowledge and other members of the Open Internet Coalition say open access rules offer the best chance for U.S. customers to ever see a third broadband service that competes with large cable and telecom providers. But some wireless providers, think tanks, and lawmakers have questioned open access rules. On Monday, 38 members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to the FCC calling on the agency to reject open access rules. Such rules could hinder public safety communications on the spectrum, said the letter, signed by Representative Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican, plus 36 other Republicans and one Democrat. The 700MHz spectrum includes 60MHz to be auctioned to commercial users and another 24MHz set aside for public safety agencies, such as police and fire departments. One proposal before the FCC, from startup Frontline Wireless, would marry 10MHz of commercial spectrum to be auctioned with 12MHz of public safety spectrum for a network that would have both public safety and commercial users. Open access rules would dictate how auction winners manage their networks and could reduce the value of the spectrum, the letter said. "We urge you to ensure that the rules the FCC crafts to govern the 700MHz auction do not impose burdensome and unnecessary open access regulations on licensees," the letter said. But members of the Open Internet Coalition said consumers want more freedom than current wireless networks provide. While the wireless industry likes to trumpet competition among carriers, mobile devices are tied to one network, and customers often have to pay huge early termination fees, said Ben Scott, Washington policy director for Free Press, a media reform group.
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Engineers at Penn State University  said on Wednesday they had found a way for power lines to  transmit data to homes at rates far faster than high-speed  Internet connections from cable and telephone companies.
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EarthLink will begin providing Internet connections over Consolidated Edison&#39;s power lines in Manhattan in the next several months, following an FCC vote last week to establish new ground rules for commercial deployment of the service.
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Federal regulators on Thursday approved the first cyber-security standards for the nation's electric industry, following growing concerns about the power grid's vulnerabilities.
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MANHASSET, NY - The Federal Communications Commission voted Thursday (Oct. 14) to modified its rules to open the door to the widespread deployment of broadband access over power lines.
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The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has adopted new rules requiring wireless telephone providers to move toward testing location-based emergency dialing service at the local level.
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The U.S. Supreme Court said on  Friday it would decide what regulations should apply to  high-speed broadband Internet service offered by cable  television companies like Time Warner Inc.
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Federal ruling makes Internet phone providers roll out services more actively.
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WASHINGTON, March 5  /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Consumers for Cable Choice (C4CC) today applauded the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for developing rules that will hasten consumer competition in broadband and video service.