Political pressure is mounting for the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider its decision last month to allow upstart Ligado Networks to repurpose satellite spectrum to build a 5G network of smart, industrial devices on the ground. On Friday, a bipartisan group of 32 US senators sent a letter to the agency urging it to reverse …

Even as major players like Verizon and AT&T are rushing to roll out 5G, a little-known company is looking to build its own alternative network using the wireless technology with the intent to connect the various devices in our lives. With so much hype around 5G, you’d expect a red carpet for this initiative. But the company, Ligado Networks, has …

The Federal Communications Commission may be forced to disclose more information to reporters about the fraudulent comments filed in the agency’s 2017 net neutrality repeal after a federal judge in New York ordered the agency to turn over records about the comments to The New York Times. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai acknowledged in late 2018 that roughly 500,000 comments submitted during …

The US Federal Communications Commission is getting even tougher on illegal robocallers. The agency issued an order Friday ending the practice of warning most robocallers initiating unwanted calls.  Before the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act was passed in December 2019, the FCC was required by law to warn illegal robocallers or face fines. But the passage of …

For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO and CDC websites. The Federal Communications Commission says the broadband industry is making great progress in getting Americans connected to high-speed internet service. But Democrats at the agency say that isn’t so.  Last week, the agency released its 2020 Broadband Progress Report, which showed a reduction …

For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO and CDC websites. The nation’s largest wireless and broadband companies are extending their promise to not disconnect service through June 30, in an effort to help customers through the COVID-19 crisis. In March, these service providers voluntarily signed on to the Federal Communications Commission’s Keep Americans …

This story is part of Crossing the Broadband Divide, CNET’s coverage of how the country is working toward making broadband access universal. Larissa Rosa, an English-as-a-second-language teacher at Public School 7 Samuel Stern in the East Harlem neighborhood of New York, has for the last five weeks taught remote classes from her apartment in Manhattan. But she’s increasingly worried that …

For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO and CDC websites. Verizon is feeling the effects of the economic slowdown from the coronavirus: The company reported Friday that it lost 68,000 of its highly valued phone subscribers, who pay their bills monthly, during the first quarter of 2020.  As a result of slow phone …

For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO and CDC websites. AT&T’s booming wireless business wasn’t enough to shield the telecom giant turned media conglomerate from bad news in the first quarter due to the coronavirus. The company said the impact of the pandemic added costs and caused advertising revenue for its media business …

After nearly two years of waiting to close their $26.5 billion merger, T-Mobile and Sprint have crossed the finish line and completed its quest to combine the third- and fourth-largest national wireless carriers.  The merger comes less than two months after a US District Court gave the green light to the deal in a ruling that went against 14 state …