FCC chief says economy could hurt wireless sale
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The head of the Federal  Communications Commission expressed concern on Tuesday that the  credit crunch could hinder bidders in an upcoming government  auction of wireless airwaves.
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U.S. state and local governments could   lose $8 billion a year in revenue if Congress further restricts   their ability to tax telecommunications services, the National   League of Cities said on Wednesday.
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The electronics retailer might seek bankruptcy to fend off lenders.
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Here's how the FCC's auction of large chunks of wireless spectrum could change the nature of mobility.
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The head of the Federal  Communications Commission wants to require the winning bidder  in an upcoming auction of valuable wireless airwaves to make  them accessible to consumers using any device or software  application, an FCC source said on Tuesday.
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Sharp rises in royalty fees could be "fatal" to the nascent web radio industry,  broadcasters warn.
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The Federal Communications Commission is set next month to decide how to auction spectrum to wireless carriers to bring high-speed Internet service to  airlines as early as next year. But, regulators have been boxed into a corner: promote low prices and great features, or ensure the service works reliably.
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Consumers rejoice, Verizon fumes Good news for smartphone users. Bad news for the big name wireless carriers. FCC chairman Kevin Martin has released suggested rules for an upcoming radio-spectrum auction that would allow consumers to attach any device and any application to U.S. broadband wireless networks - without approval from the likes of AT&amp;T and Verizon Wireless.â¦
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Even though Frontline Wireless this week announced it is "closed for business," FCC Chair Kevin Martin said Wednesday that he is hopeful a solution for a national public-safety wireless network would be found.
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The Federal Communications Commissionâs auction of federally owned airwaves is eventually expected to bring the government at least $10 billion.
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An executive for Verizon Wireless  urged U.S. lawmakers and regulators to reject proposals that  would impose open-platform requirements on valuable wireless  airwaves that are scheduled to be auctioned off soon by the  government.
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A Verizon Wireless executive scoffed at the notion that iPhone will take customers away from his company.
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FCC chairman tells VoIP industry that government shouldn't create too many rules to govern the technology's growth.
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Radio microphones used in the entertainment industry could be under threat from plans to sell off airwaves.
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Several lawmakers protested a spectrum auction proposal from the chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), saying his plan could limit the number of bidders and raise costs to consumers.
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The Republican chairman of the Federal Communications Commission is disputing Democratic assertions that a new rule loosening restrictions on media ownership is full of loopholes and will lead to more mergers and fewer choices for consumers.
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(InfoWorld) - Several lawmakers protested a spectrum auction proposal from the chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), saying his plan could limit the number of bidders and raise costs to consumers. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin's plan would require winners of part of theÂ 700MHz band of spectrum, to be auctioned by early next year, to accept any wireless devices, including phone handsets, allowing customers to transfer devices between mobile providers. Martin's plan would also include net neutrality-like rules, prohibiting auction winners from blocking or slowing Web content from other providers. But several members of the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, many of them Republicans, questioned Martin's proposed rules, which have support of the majority of the FCC. Representative Joe Barton, a Texas Republican, said he was "very disappointed" that fellow Republican Martin was proposing regulations for part of the 60MHz of spectrum to be auctioned. Some proposals byÂ consumer groups and Frontline WirelessÂ would also require auction winners to provide wholesale access to competitors, and Barton praised Martin for not including that provision. "It's not quite as bad as the Frontline plan, but I don't think it's as good as absolute no-condition auction," Barton said. Many Republicans suggested that auction conditions would decrease the value of the spectrum. Congress has budgeted the auction to raise $10 billion with about half of that going toward reducing the U.S. government budget deficit. "Congress has already spent that money," said Representative Charles Gonzalez, a Texas Democrat. Questions about Martin's proposal came from a handful of Democrats. Representative John Dingell, a Michigan Democrat and chairman of the full House Energy and Commerce Committee, asked FCC commissioners whether the device-portability rules would increase the cost of wireless phone plans. Customers want to be able to take their mobile phones with them when they switch carriers, but carriers generally haven't offered that option, Martin said. "I think the benefits outweigh the costs and concerns," he said. Barton suggested that winning bidders could implement the device-portability and net neutrality proposals without FCC mandate. Google has indicatedÂ it could bid billions of dollars, Barton noted. "Why shouldn't we just let Google bid?" Barton said. "If they've got a better idea, why don't they go into the marketplace and bid their four or five billion dollars?" There's customer demand for device portability, but carriers haven't acted on it, Martin said. Wireless carriers didn't offer phone number portability until the FCC forced them to in late 2003, then millions of U.S. residents took advantage of it, he said. Asked whether they supported Martin's proposals, the FCC's two Democrats said they did, while the two other Republicans said they hadn't made their minds up yet. "Please let me keep my phone and let me take it wherever I want," said subcommittee chairman Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat. The so-called open-access rules are necessary for new broadband competition to challenge cable and telecom providers, said FCC commissioner Michael Copps, a Democrat. The 700MHz auction is the last major spectrum auction on the horizon, many participants said. "This is one proceeding where we cannot fail," Copps said. Some lawmakers suggested Martin's proposal doesn't go far enough. Representative Charles "Chip" Pickering, a Mississippi Republican, called on the FCC to require wholesale access rules as well. Wholesale access would allow new and innovative services to flourish on the networks using the spectrum, he said. Martin's plan would "enhance markets and competition," he added.