Internet backbone provider Level 3 says that cable giant Comcast is threatening the openness of the Internet and Comcast is accusing Level 3 of trying to get a free ride on its network. Which one is right? Accusations between the two companies have been flying since the end of the day Monday. Level 3 has …

It’s that time of year again when consumers dream of dancing sugar plums and gadgets. From TVs to smartphones to laptops, device makers, retailers, and service providers are all pushing the hottest gear at low prices. There’s no question the holiday shopping season has turned into a bargain hunter’s dream when it comes to smartphones. In this week’s Ask Maggie …

The Federal Communications Commission wants to bring the 911 emergency service into the 21st century with new technologies such as text messaging and automatic alerts. In a speech Tuesday, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said it “is time to bring 911 into the Digital Age.” He said this was important, as more and more people in the United States use cell …

The wireless marketing wars rage on as Verizon Wireless claims the “most advanced 4G” wireless network in the world and takes more potshots at rival AT&T. It’s not easy to be a consumer these days with wireless operators all claiming to have the fastest and most robust network in the U.S. Verizon Wireless is the latest operator to launch a …

Verizon Communications is now offering its Fios customers a new service that delivers 150Mbps download speeds and uploads of 35 Mbps. The company announced today that consumers in its Fios fiber-to-the-home territory are now eligible for the new service. Small-business customers will be eligible for the service by the end of the year. Verizon has been pushing the envelope in …

U.S. wireless smartphone subscribers will do almost anything to keep their unlimited data plans, which could spell trouble down the road for AT&T, the only U.S. operator without an unlimited plan. For the growing number of smartphone users in the U.S. market, loyalty to a particular phone or a specific carrier is trumped by the availability of an unlimited data …

What good is a smartphone without decent data service? Indeed, accessing the Internet and all those Web-based apps is the only reason most people even want a smartphone. But what if your service provider starts capping your data service and charging you for how many megabytes of data you use every month? For some consumers, the thought is absolute heresy. …

Time Warner Cable will soon test a less expensive cable TV package called “TV Essentials” as the company tries to cater to lower income consumers. Time Warner Chief Marketing Officer Sam Howe provided details of the new low-end video offering for the first time at the SNL Kagan Cable MSO Summit in New York on Thursday. The new package will …

NEW YORK–If you’ve ever been frustrated using a voice activated customer agent or have scratched your head while reading an unintelligible voice-to-text message, AT&T says help is on the way. The company, which has invested more than one million research hours over the past 20 years in speech and language recognition technology, says that it’s developed technologies that will not …

The federal government has taken the first step in freeing up more spectrum for wireless broadband services in the United States. On Monday, the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration issued a report identifying 115MHz of wireless spectrum that can be shared among federal agencies and commercial users. The report proposes that the spectrum be reallocated for commercial wireless broadband …