Intelligent Telecom Data Solutions
Believe it or not, 25 years ago there were hundreds of telecom companies competing to offer customers local and long-distance telephone service. Now, other than turning Northern Virginia into an economic powerhouse, those days are long gone. The latest consolidation of our industry into a few massive broadband providers supplemented by smaller regional providers and resellers took […]
The FCC has for years attempted to protect U.S. telecommunications networks from foreign penetration and possible sabotage. Each time a company applies for an FCC license, its level of foreign ownership is carefully reviewed. In addition, the agency recently created a list of Covered equipment and services provided by foreign countries that pose unacceptable risks to […]
It should come as no surprise to anyone with a cellphone that robocalls are still a problem. The FCC asserted that in 2020 alone, illegal robocalls drained $13.5 billion from the U.S. economy. Congress responded to this crisis by passing the Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act (TRACED) aimed at combating illegal robocalls. […]
In oral arguments held on March 26, 2024, most justices at the U.S. Supreme Court appeared sympathetic to the FCC’s argument that the federal universal service fund (USF) is a lawful mechanism for ensuring equitable telecommunications services to low-income and rural areas. Moreover, the justices also seemed supportive of the agency’s delegating of authority to the […]
On March 20, 2025, the FCC released a series of orders eliminating several unnecessary rules to enable carriers to more easily retire their antiquated copper networks and replace these networks with modern broadband. As FCC Chairman Brendan Carr notes, Outdated FCC rules have left Americans sitting in the slow lane for far too long. Those […]
Next Generation 911 (NG911) service has largely replaced legacy 911-time division multiplexing technology nationwide. It utilizes Internet Protocol (IP) technology to support new 911 capabilities, including using text, video, and data. However, the FCC is concerned that for NG911 service to be fully effective, all network components need to be reliable and there must be complete interoperability […]
The FCC is poised to use its February 27, 2025, meeting to address one of the most annoying aspects of owning a mobile phone, the loud screech of an emergency alert. Yes, these alerts are important, but people are opting out from receiving them because they are loud and distracting, especially while driving. To address […]
On February 6, 2025, the FCC released its Eighth Report and Order (Order) in Docket 17-79 in its latest attempt to stop the never-ending scourge of illegal robocalls. According to the Commission, one industry expert estimates “that the average U.S. consumer receives 13 spam or fraud calls per month. These illegal calls are not just […]
In December, US officials claimed that hackers linked to the Chinese government breached security at nine major telecommunications companies, including AT&T and Verizon and some US agencies including the Department of the Treasury. Apparently, the hackers were able to access employee workstations and some unclassified documents. Officials said that this series of attacks began in […]
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 […]