F.C.C. Rules That Rural Carriers Must Connect Internet Calls
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The decision marks the breaking down of one of the last barriers to allowing VoIP to fully compete with traditional phone carriers.
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The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Thursday cleared the way for power companies to roll out broadband over power line service by approving a set of rules designed to limit interference to other radio frequency devices such as amateur radios.
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U.S. regulators ruled Tuesday that providers of Internet-based phone call services fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government, exempting them from some key regulation by states.
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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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A cash-flow problem in a federal program is hindering the ability of many schools and libraries to pay for Internet service. The Federal Communications Commission has ordered
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U.S. regulators ruled Tuesday that providers of Internet-based phone call services fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government and cannot be regulated by states. -AP
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Federal regulators have proposed allowing cell phones to be used on airplanes, and took steps toward bringing high-speed wireless Internet connections to passengers&#39; seats.
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The Federal Communications Commission ruled 3-2 that states are now barred from imposing telecommunications regulations on Internet phone providers, which treat calls no differently than any other application on the Net.
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Net phone company is pushing for rules that would let consumers decide which devices and software they use on cell phone networks.
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The holidays are coming. Now, more than ever, the desire is to be close to friends and family. While not everyone can catch a plane or train to be with the ones they love, today&#39;s communications technologies
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Regional phone companies still would have to share their networks with companies competing for local business customers but eventually wouldn&#39;t have to do the same for rivals
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WASHINGTON-Despite the interference concerns of government-spectrum users, public-safety entities and amateur-radio operators, the Federal Communications Commission Thursday adopted rules to allow broadband over power lines.
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The Federal Communications Commission has approved rules which it claims will encourage development of broadband access over power lines, a new technology that provides access to high speed broadband services using the nation&#39;s power grid instead of phone
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(InfoWorld) - The U.S. government should launch a new program that provides grants and loans for broadband providers to extend service to rural areas, a top executive at Verizon said Monday. The U.S. should use as a model a state program called ConnectKentucky, which has provided 94 percent of Kentucky residents with broadband options, said Tom Tauke, Verizon's executive vice president for public affairs, policy, and communications. Kentucky, a state with large rural areas and chunks of hilly terrain, expects to provide about 99 percent of its residents with a broadband carrier by the end of the year, Tauke said. The rest of the nation likely won't reach U.S. President George Bush's goal of universal broadband access by the end of 2007, Tauke said. The U.S. needs to look at broadband incentive programs "sooner rather than later," he said. Broadband access can have a large impact on local economies and services such as health care, Tauke said. The new program proposed by Verizon could use some existing funding, including redirecting some funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS), which had a 2006 budget of $6.1 billion, he said. The RUS now subsidizes several types of utilities, including broadband, electricity, distance learning, and telemedicine. New funds may also be needed, Tauke said, although he didn't provide specific numbers at a press briefing. Part of the problem is there's no good measure of how many U.S. residents have access to broadband, Tauke said. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission released a report Jan. 31 saying 99 percent of all U.S. postal codes had at least one broadband provider, but critics have noted that the FCC would count a postal code if a provider offered service to just a handful of residents. Tauke called for a comprehensive study of what broadband gaps exist. "We just don't know today who has broadband and who doesn't," he said. Verizon has not yet pitched the idea to most lawmakers, Tauke said. The telecom giant also called on the U.S. Congress to make changes the Universal Service Fund program, a $4 billion program that subsidizes telephone access in rural and poor areas. Instead of providing USF funds to multiple carriers, the U.S. government should cap USF at its current funding levels, and require carriers to bid to provide service in areas where subsidies are needed, Tauke said. "Reverse auctions" forcing carriers to compete to provide service would end the current system in which multiple carriers, sometimes five or more wireless voice providers, receive USF money to provide service in the same territory, Tauke said. Verizon does not currently take USF money, he said. "If you have multiple carriers offering service in a territory, that would seem to suggest you don't need Universal Service Fund support," he said. "[Carriers say] 'If somebody's going to hand out money, why not take it?'" The tax on telephone service to pay for USF has risen from about 3.2 percent in 1998 to 9.7 percent currently, Verizon noted in a proposal to the Federal-Sate Joint Board on Universal Service, filed Friday. "The level of fees is becoming staggeringly high," he said. "The system is broken, it's not working, and it's unfair." Several rural lawmakers have opposed changes to USF. Tauke didn't address net neutrality, an issue that dominated telecom debates in Congress last year, until asked about it. Verizon expects efforts that would prohibit broadband carriers from blocking or slowing Web content from competitors to fail in Congress this year, partly because the FCC and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission are monitoring providers, he said. The two agencies "are watching the issue like hawks," he said.
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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 FCC is about to approve rules that could affect open access of wireless networks, including the portability of cell phones and applications.
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Using the tech that connects thousands of people on a phone call, congress members are holding remote town-hall meetings. A recorded voice invites 35,000 citizens at once to stay on the line for the meeting. By the Associated Press.