Ajit Pai
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FCC chairman Ajit Pai endorses T-Mobile / Sprint merger
The proposed merger of Sprint and T-Mobile is inching ever closer to being complete, after the Department of Justice gave its conditional endorsement last month. Now, Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai is formally recommending that the agency's commissioners approve the deal. Pai said that after the FCC reviewed the details of the merger, "the evidence conclusively demonstrates that this transaction will bring fast 5G wireless service to many more Americans and help close the digital divide in rural areas."
FCC bans spoofed text messages and international robocalls
This week the FCC voted to approve rules that ban spoofing text messages and international robocalls. The new rules close long-standing loopholes in the Truth in Caller ID Act, which banned spoofing domestic calls but made it hard for the FCC to combat malicious text messages and calls coming from overseas. The FCC now has the legal authority to punish the "bad actors" behind these scams.
FCC chair: 911 call operators should be able to track VoIP calls
Location tracking can sometimes mean the difference between life and death when it comes to 911 calls. If you ring the emergency services with a cell phone using your provider's network, the call handler is able identify where you are, and ensure help is sent to the right place. Now, the chairman of the FCC says the same function should be enabled on VoIP calls.
FCC Chairman wants to ban caller ID spoofing for text messages
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is advancing the war against robocalls. Today, he proposed adopting rules that would ban caller ID spoofing of text messages and robocalls originating outside of the US. More than 40 state attorney generals have urged the FCC to adopt the new rules, and the Commission is scheduled to vote on them at its August 1st meeting.
FCC chairman wants to open mid-band airwaves for 5G
US carriers have mostly rolled out 5G on high frequencies, with upcoming auctions aiming even higher. And unfortunately, those choices create problems -- the implementations typically don't work well indoors, and they risk interfering with weather forecasts and other tasks that depend on high bands. The FCC might provide some much-needed breathing room in lower spectrum slices, however. Chairman Ajit Pai has circulated an order that, if approved, would open 2.5GHz airwaves for 5G.
FCC authorizes second wave of rural broadband funding
The FCC will authorize $166.8 million to carriers in 22 states to expand broadband access beginning this month. It's the second round of funding this year from the FCC's Connect America fund auction, which pays carriers to deploy broadband to underserved rural regions. The funding will go to a variety of different regions, including tribal areas in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. In total, the FCC promised to provide $1.5 billion over the next decade as a part of its Connect America initiative to bring high-speed internet access to over 700,000 homes and businesses in rural areas.
Senators ask the FCC to limit 5G auction to protect weather forecasts
In March, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) began auctioning blocks of the 24 GHz spectrum, which could be used to implement future 5G networks. Shortly afterward, the US Navy released a memo warning that 5G in the 24 GHz band could interfere with weather satellites. Now, Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) are urging the FCC not to allow wireless companies to operate 5G in that spectrum until weather forecasting operations are protected. The Senators wrote a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai yesterday, citing the Navy's memo and accusing the FCC of ignoring "the serious alarms the scientific community is raising."
FCC chairman wants to keep China Mobile out of the US
The US government appears ready to continue its push to keep Chinese telecommunications companies from operating within the country. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Ajit Pai announced today that he will oppose China Mobile's attempt at becoming a telecom provider in the US. The agency will officially vote on the company's application next month, but the chairman's public statement strongly suggests the bid will be denied.
FCC announces 5G airwave auction and $20 billion rural broadband fund
The FCC has announced a spectrum auction and a $20.4 billion rural broadband fund to bolster connectivity across the US. The auction is scheduled to start December 10th, and it will be the largest slice of airwaves the FCC has auctioned for commercial use at one time, with 3,400 megahertz in three different spectrum bands up for grabs. Providers have been urging the FCC to open mid-band airwaves that can project signals over greater distances, which should bolster connectivity in rural areas.
House of Representatives passes bill to restore net neutrality
The House of Representatives has passed a bill which would restore net neutrality rules the Federal Communications Commission repealed in 2017. Representatives approved the bill by 232-190 (with a sole Republican voting in favor), but the legislation still seems doomed.
FCC claims rural broadband access is improving
In a draft of its annual Broadband Deployment report, the Federal Communications Commission says the so-called digital divide is narrowing. Millions more Americans have access to modern broadband connectivity, particularly in rural regions. As such, the report suggests broadband "is being deployed on a reasonable and timely basis."
