Category: fcc

DoJ will reportedly limit social media companies’ speech protections

[ad_1] For example, the proposal would not give companies legal immunity in cases involving acts like terrorism, sexual abuse and cyberstalking. Another part of the proposal would also reportedly limit what protection tech companies have in civil cases involving the federal government. The Wall Street Journal reports the proposal also suggests striking a clause that allows online […]

SpaceX’s Starlink might not qualify for low-latency funding, FCC says

[ad_1] SpaceX argued that the FCC’s doubts are unfounded and that Starlink will “easily clear the commission’s 100-millisecond threshold for low-latency services, even including its “processing time” during unrealistic worst-case scenarios. In fact, with altitudes at 335 to 354 miles (compared to 21,750 miles for geostationary systems), SpaceX is shooting for a latency below 20 […]

FCC proposes record-setting $225 million fine against robocallers

[ad_1] The Ajit Pai-era FCC likes to make a big show of punishing robocallers, and that’s truer than ever in 2020. The regulator has proposed a record-setting $225 million fine against Texas-based health insurance telemarketers Jakob Mears and John Spiller for roughly 1 billion spoofed robocalls made between January and May 2019. The duo reportedly […]

US Senators propose giving $2 billion to healthcare facilities for broadband

[ad_1] “During this pandemic, telehealth services are helping families receive the critical health care they need,” said Senator Schatz. “Our bill will provide much-needed funding to help hospitals improve their connectivity so they can care for more patients.” According to the press release Senators Schatz and Murkowski shared, several trade groups, including the United States […]

FCC ordered to provide IP addresses tied to fake net neutrality comments

[ad_1] The NYT reporters filed a Freedom of Information Request for the data after the FCC refused to show logs. In theory, they’ll show both the extent of fake commenting and help trace it back to groups that may have been involved. Investigations have suggested that over half of the comments are fake, and some […]

FCC won’t warn robocallers before fining them

[ad_1] Now that the FCC is no longer required to warn robocallers, it’s taking advantage of that expanded power. The regulator has issued an order ending warnings before it slaps spam callers with penalties. The new measure also extends the statute of limitations for robocall and spoofing from a respective one to two years to […]

FCC proposal would help fight one-ring call scams

[ad_1] “One-ring scams are annoying and pernicious, waking up many Americans with confusing calls in the middle of the night and tricking them out of their money if they call back,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement. “With this effort, this agency shows it’s serious about aggressively combating this scam.” Earlier this month, […]

Comcast and Verizon extend no-disconnect pledge through June 30th

[ad_1] Comcast and Verizon (Engadget’s parent company) are extending their pledges to keep people online as the US grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic. Both providers have announced that their no-disconnect policies will now last through June 30th for home, small business and wireless subscribers. As before, anyone who can’t pay their bills during the period […]

Swarm finally gets full regulatory approval to launch its satellites

[ad_1] In 2017, the FCC denied Swarm’s application to launch its satellites, saying they could pose a safety hazard to other spacecraft. But Swarm went ahead and launched four cubesats without obtaining the necessary approvals. The FCC was obviously not happy about that, and it took Swarm to court. In a settlement, Swarm agreed to […]

FCC, FTC give providers 48 hours to block COVID-19 scam robocalls

[ad_1] The de facto order is not-so-subtly aimed at VoIP providers accused of easing access for these scam callers, including Connexum, SIPJoin and VoIP Terminator/BLMarketing. It’s a drastic step, but it might be vital. Among the campaigns are bogus COVID-19 tests and cleaning services. These scams could rob people of money or even get someone […]