Category: News

Sixth Circuit Court Ends Net Neutrality Likely Forever

To the surprise of almost no one in the telecommunications industry, on January 2, 2025, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati released an Opinion in Docket 24-52, rejecting the FCC’s Safeguarding and Securing the Open Internet Order and ending Net Neutrality in the short term and probably for all time.    While the […]

AT&T Gets Limited FCC Approval to Eliminate Copper Home Phone Service

The FCC ended 2024 with a potentially significant decision to grant AT&T permission to replace its traditional copper home phone lines with a new wireless landline technology called AT&T Phone-Advanced (AP-A) for 52 customers in nine small service areas in Oklahoma.   While the number of customers is small, this represents a significant step forward for […]

Supreme Court to Determine Constitutionality of Universal Service Fund

In June the Fifth Circuit Court found that the Universal Service Fund was unconstitutional because the FCC does not administer the Fund itself but instead turns it over to the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC). According to the Court, USAC includes members with an incentive to keep the Fund growing and therefore, was illegal.  Since […]

With Brendan Carr in Charge, FCC Changes are Coming

On November 17, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump selected Republican FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr to be the next chairman of the FCC.  Trump stated that Carr “is a warrior for Free Speech and has fought against the regulatory Lawfare that has stifled Americans’ Freedoms and held back our Economy. He will end the regulatory onslaught that […]

FCC Opens Notice of Inquiry into Data Caps in Consumer Broadband Plans

On October 15, 2024, the FCC began a Notice of Inquiry (Notice) in Docket 23-199 into the data caps that exist for some consumer broadband plans offered by broadband Internet access service (BIAS) providers.  According to the Commission, Data caps are restrictions set by BIAS providers on the volume of bits that a consumer can […]

FCC Targets Illegal Calls and Text Messages

The FCC continues its never-ending battle against illegal robocalls. In its upcoming September 26, 2024, meeting, the Commission is set to adopt its Eighth Report and Order in CG Docket No. 17-59, and Third Report and Order in CG Docket No. 21-40 (Proposed Order), establishing new rules for voice providers to try to stop unwanted and […]

FCC Seeks Improvement to the Robocall Migration Database

In its continued attempt to regulate every aspect of telecommunications, the FCC latest missive is a new Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Notice) in Docket 24-213 seeking to improve the effectiveness of the Robocall Migration Database (RBD). The agency created this Database in 2021 to implement provisions of the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence […]

Net Neutrality Stalls in the Courts

When the FCC released the Net Neutrality Order on April 25, 2024, reinstating Net Neutrality, it had been repeatedly warned that it was facing an uphill battle. The Order would give the Commission total control over the Internet behavior of ISPs by reclassifying broadband Internet access service as a Title II telecommunications service, forbidding blocking, throttling […]

How Will Fintech Drive the Adoption of 5G Technology?

The digital evolution of the financial services industry is unceasing. In a recent article for FinTech magazine, I spoke with Huawei’s Vice President Corporate Strategy –Banking & Financial Markets, Bill Genovese.