News Archives - Page 13 of 39

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Forbes: AT&T Becomes First To Lift Fees For Going Over Data Caps Ahead Of Coronavirus Quarantines

Topline: After pressure today from the United States Senate toward eight Internet Service Providers, AT&T announced it would lift its broadband data cap overage fees temporarily as the COVID-19 coronavirus forces people to stay in their homes. The letter, signed by 18 U.S. Senators including Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Cory…

Posted on March 12, 2020March 13, 2020 by Gigi Sohn

News

Vice Motherboard: The Coronavirus Will Shine a Bright Light On Crappy US Broadband

In the weeks and months to come, a growing number of US citizens are going to be forced to work from home in a bid to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. In the process they’re going to run face-first into a US broadband market that has consistently failed…

Posted on March 10, 2020March 13, 2020 by Gigi Sohn

News

Fortune: Coronavirus school closings are ‘exposing hard truths about the digital divide,’ FCC commissioner says

A school district in suburban Seattle ordered 23,500 students to stay home for two weeks on Friday, in what is likely the beginning of a broader shut down of the education system in response to the coronavirus epidemic. Meanwhile, schools outside New York City began closing Monday, as universities from…

Posted on March 10, 2020March 13, 2020 by Gigi Sohn

News

Krebs on Security: FCC Proposes to Fine Wireless Carriers $200M for Selling Customer Location Data

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today proposed fines of more than $200 million against the nation’s four largest wireless carriers for selling access to their customers’ location information without taking adequate precautions to prevent unauthorized access to that data. While the fines would be among the largest the FCC has ever…

Posted on February 28, 2020March 13, 2020 by Gigi Sohn

News

Vice Motherboard: Big Telecom Say It Has First Amendment Right to Sell Your Privacy Data

After lobbying to kill consumer privacy rules at the federal level, big telecom is now taking aim at individual state efforts to protect your privacy online. Last June, Maine passed a new law intended to protect broadband user privacy. The law demands ISPs clearly disclose what data is collected and who it’s…

Posted on February 19, 2020February 24, 2020 by Kip Roderick

News

NBC News: Sprint/T-Mobile merger could lead to thousands of job losses, despite regulator promises

The merger of T-Mobile and Sprint could lead to as many as 24,000 job losses in the retail sector, according to an industry group representing independent phone store owners. The $26 billion deal, blocked last year by attorneys general from 12 states and Washington, D.C., because of antitrust concerns, was approved…

Posted on February 14, 2020February 14, 2020 by Kip Roderick

Media

CNBC: T-Mobile-Sprint merger critic voices her concern for consumers

The Sprint and T-Mobile merger has finally been approved after two years, and some are concerned that the deal will open the floodgates for other mergers that could have potential to hurt consumers. Gigi Sohn, a distinguished fellow with the Georgetown Institute for Tech Law and Policy and former counselor…

Posted on February 12, 2020February 12, 2020 by Kip Roderick

News

Wired: Judge Rules That T-Mobile Can Acquire Sprint

You’ll likely have one less choice for mobile service soon. Last year, nine states and the District of Columbia filed suit to block T-Mobile's $26.5 billion acquisition of Sprint. Tuesday, a federal judge ruled against the states, allowing the merger to move forward. The deal still needs approval from the California Public…

Posted on February 11, 2020February 12, 2020 by Kip Roderick

News

NBC News: What does the T-Mobile and Sprint merger mean for you?

The $26 billion T-Mobile Sprint merger, which cleared one of the last hurdles for approval Tuesday, includes several pledges to keep regulators happy — but the unification of two of the four largest phone service providers in the U.S. leaves some questions for consumers. T-Mobile promised phone bills will remain the…

Posted on February 11, 2020February 12, 2020 by Kip Roderick

News

Politico: How the courts could thwart a Silicon Valley crackdown

Washington regulators tightened their focuson the tech industry’s biggest players Tuesday — but a judge showed how big a fight the feds may have on their hands. The two actions came just hours apart: The Federal Trade Commission said it was launching an open-ended study into a decade’s worth of mergers and…