Marguerite Reardon

Feds threaten to cut off service providers allowing illegal COVID

For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO and CDC websites. The US Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission are demanding that telecommunications service providers help stop illegal coronavirus-related robocalls. On Friday the agencies warned three gateway providers that are facilitating COVID-19-related scam robocalls originating overseas to cut …

Read More »

How Dish Network saved the T

Satellite TV provider Dish Network ended up being the savior for the T-Mobile Sprint merger. Just when it seemed that regulators would reject the $26.5 billion marriage, Dish swooped in and made a deal last summer brokered by the Department of Justice that would make it a fourth national carrier to replace Sprint.  As part of the agreement, Dish is …

Read More »

FCC mandates use of anti

The Federal Communications Commission voted Tuesday to finalize rules requiring phone companies to use the Shaken/Stir protocol to automatically block calls to fight illegal robocalls. The new rules mandate the use of the technology by all voice providers by the end of June of 2021.  The rules come after Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed into law the Traced …

Read More »

FCC Chairman proposes $200 million for COVID

For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO and CDC websites. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has a plan for how to spend $200 million earmarked for telehealth in the coronavirus emergency spending bill Congress passed last week.  Pai on Monday circulated a proposal for the COVID-19 Telehealth Program, which is designed to …

Read More »

FCC gives access to 5.9GHz spectrum for rural wireless broadband amid coronavirus pandemic

For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO and CDC websites. The US Federal Communications Commission is taking some steps to help get broadband to rural Americans who don’t have it. On Friday, the agency granted nearly three dozen fixed-wireless internet service providers, or WISPs, temporary access to the 5.9GHz band of spectrum.  The …

Read More »

Trump signs 5G and broadband mapping legislation into law

President Trump on Monday signed into law a pair of bills designed to boost wireless and broadband networks: the Secure 5G and Beyond Act and the Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability Act. The first requires the president to develop a strategy to secure and protect 5G technology, while the second is meant to improve the accuracy of maps detailing …

Read More »

Coronavirus has made peak internet usage into the new normal

For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO and CDC websites. Cities throughout the US have emptied out amid the coronavirus outbreak. Millions of people are working from home, children are attending school remotely, and no one’s heading to ballparks, nightclubs or movie theaters. They’ve all turned to their home broadband connections to stay …

Read More »

Sens. Markey and Thune want a crackdown on coronavirus robocall scams

For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO and CDC websites. Leaders in the Senate are urging the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice to do more to stop coronavirus-related robocalls. Sens. Ed Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, said they fear these scams will …

Read More »

FCC waives rules to boost broadband for hospitals, schools amid coronavirus crisis

For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO and CDC websites. The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday temporarily waived rules in its Rural Health Care and E-Rate programs to help promote better access to broadband for telehealth and distance learning during the coronavirus pandemic.  The agency announced that it has waived “gift rules” in …

Read More »

COVID

This story is part of Crossing the Broadband Divide, CNET’s coverage of how the country is working toward making broadband access universal. With the COVID-19 outbreak in full swing in the US, schools and businesses across the country are closing down, employees are being asked to rely on their broadband connections to work remotely and school-aged children are attending “school” …

Read More »