Category: ajit pai

FCC chairman wants public auction to repurpose satellite bands for 5G

[ad_1] An FCC official told the Wall Street Journal that the regulator hoped to bring the C-band auction up for a vote in 2020 and start the auction by the end of that year. Satellite companies, however, might not be so happy. Industry giants like Intelsat and SES haven’t been averse to selling their spectrum, […]

FCC proposal would ban some US telecoms from using Huawei, ZTE gear

[ad_1] The rationale for the proposal won’t surprise you. Pai argued in an opinion piece that Chinese companies are beholden to demands from the country’s intelligence agencies, and that companies like Huawei could theoretically be forced to install backdoors or otherwise cooperate with surveillance on “sensitive” American communications. The Chairman claimed that vulnerabilities in Huawei […]

FCC proposes ‘988’ for quick access to national suicide prevention line

[ad_1] Those services are already provided by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, but users must dial a 10-digit number, 1-800-273-8255 (TALK). In 2018, Lifeline counselors answered over 2.2 million calls and 100,000 online chats. But the FCC’s report, which was mandated by the National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act of 2018, found that a 3-digit number […]

FCC chairman Ajit Pai endorses T-Mobile / Sprint merger

[ad_1] Today, I circulated an order that would approve, subject to conditions, the proposed merger of T-Mobile and Sprint. The deal would advance fast #5G across the country, help close #digitaldivide, and put critical mid-band spectrum to use. My full statement: https://t.co/fBKvLnPgmm pic.twitter.com/21r3Us9cUG — Ajit Pai (@AjitPaiFCC) August 14, 2019 He added that, under the […]

FCC bans spoofed text messages and international robocalls

[ad_1] As you may remember, Chairman Ajit Pai proposed the changes earlier this month. In a video announcing their approval, Pai said the FCC has received tens of thousands of complaints about spoofing in just the first six months of this year. The FCC isn’t fighting this fight alone, though. Last week, the House passed […]

FCC Chairman wants to ban caller ID spoofing for text messages

[ad_1] “We must attack this problem with every tool we have,” Chairman Pai said. “With these new rules, we’ll close the loopholes that hamstring law enforcement when they try to pursue international scammers and scammers using text messaging.” While the Truth in Caller ID Act prohibits spoofing caller ID information, it did not originally extend […]

FCC authorizes second wave of rural broadband funding

[ad_1] 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 […]

Senators ask the FCC to limit 5G auction to protect weather forecasts

[ad_1] The concern raised in the original Navy memo is that weather forecasts could be lost or degraded due to interference from 5G operating in the 24 GHz band. As the memo explains, the Navy relies on forecasts from NOAA and NASA that use remote sensing in the 23.6-24 GHz bands to determine water vapor. […]

FCC announces 5G airwave auction and $20 billion rural broadband fund

[ad_1] Tens of millions of Americans don’t have access to broadband speeds, and the FCC has announced a series of measures to help connect them to faster internet speeds. With its latest measure, the agency is repurposing funds create the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. It seeks to connect up to four million rural homes and […]