The market for preowned gadgets is booming these days — and you shouldn’t overlook it when you’re buying a device. That’s the message I offer two different readers of Ask Maggie. The first wants to know if buying a used smartphone is a good idea for her teenage daughter, while the second wants to know …

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler to cable providers: “Your challenge will be to overcome the temptation to use your predominant position in broadband to protect your traditional cable business.” Screenshot by CNET Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler had a strong message for the cable industry at its annual conference Wednesday: Don’t interfere with broadband competition. Speaking at INTX: The Internet …

CNET The battle for the bronze medal has been settled, for now at least. With two quarters in a row of subscriber gains, Sprint remains the third largest major carrier in the US. Rival T-Mobile, for all its vigorous efforts to win over consumers, continues to hold down fourth place. But Sprint’s own aggressive promotions to attract new customers have …

Comcast says it has a plan to fix its troubled customer service reputation so that people won’t hate the cable company. New Comcast initiative seeks to repair strained customer relations. Getty Images The new initiative announced Tuesday is meant to “reinvent the customer experience” and create a culture within Comcast that is “focused on exceeding customers’ expectations.” The most important …

New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio announced funding to support his technology initiatives at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference on Monday. CNET/Marguerite Reardon NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio wants to make sure all New Yorkers have access to high-speed Internet so that they are prepared to take advantage of the jobs that tech startups are …

Google’s Project Fi wireless service has the potential to turn the mobile industry on its head. But not in the way you might expect. Juan Garzón/CNET Last week, Google announced that it is working with carriers Sprint and T-Mobile to offer a wireless service that will seamlessly switch between Wi-Fi hotspots and 4G LTE cellular networks. It’s calling the service …

AT&T mobile customers, if you’re looking to get a refund for unwanted charges on your monthly bills, you’d better act quickly. AT&T will pay $80 million to the FTC, which will be used to refund customers. AT&T Paperwork for the refunds must be filed by Friday, May 1, under a settlement between AT&T and the Federal Trade Commission. The goal …

T-Mobile CEO John Legere says the US mobile market needs to think more creatively about mergers. CNET US regulators aren’t a fan of wireless companies buying other wireless companies or cable companies buying other cable companies. But what about a cable company coming together with a wireless company? That’s a marriage they just may accept, according to T-Mobile CEO John …

Concerns over the power of Internet service providers to control access to online content didn’t mesh well with handing provider Comcast even more power via a merger with Time Warner Cable. Getty Images Call it bad timing for Comcast. But the heated public debate over Net neutrality likely played a major role in sinking the cable giant’s hopes to buy …

No Time Warner Cable for you, Comcast? Joe Raedle, Getty Images Comcast may be giving up on its $45.2 billion bid to buy fellow cable provider Time Warner Cable after meetings with regulators indicated they may oppose the deal, according to a report from Bloomberg. The news service said that the announcement could come as early as Friday. Regulators have …