Category: fcc

FCC approves $200 million plan to fund COVID-19 telehealth services

[ad_1] Hospitals and health centers will be able to apply for up to $1 million in funding, and applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis. Priority will be given to areas with high rates of COVID-19, as well as traditionally underfunded healthcare providers like clinics in poor neighborhoods, TechCrunch notes. “With the adoption of […]

FCC will require phone carriers to authenticate calls by June 2021

[ad_1] The agency says the widespread adoption of STIR/SHAKEN will reduce the effectiveness of illegal spoofing, help law enforcement agencies identify bad actors and, most importantly, allow carriers to identify spammers before they ever call your phone. The FCC estimates fraudulent call schemes cost Americans approximately $10 billion every year. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai started […]

FCC outlines $200 million COVID-19 telehealth plan

[ad_1] The COVID-19 Telehealth Program would use funds allocated for the FCC in the CARES Act. If approved, it would provide select applicants with full funding for eligible telehealth services and devices. Pai also presented plans for a longer-term Connected Care Pilot Program, which would make $100 million available over three years to help health […]

FCC gives Verizon extra mobile capacity to manage emergency demand

[ad_1] Telecommunications companies are bracing themselves for a surge in usage as people now work from home to reduce the risk of infection. School closures around the country also mean there are more kids than usual using the services. As such, it’s likely that other carriers will soon be making their own applications for additional […]

FCC gives T-Mobile extra spectrum to cope with demand during coronavirus

[ad_1] Eight companies agreed to make some of their spectrum available, the FCC said, including Comcast and Dish. Help also came from the FCC’s spectrum inventory. Officials haven’t mentioned other carriers receiving additional capacity, although it won’t be surprising if others follow suit. The US is facing an unprecedented situation where many people have been […]

US wireless carriers pledge to suspend cancellations amid outbreak

[ad_1] At the moment, approximately 70 companies have agreed to honor the pledge. The list includes all four of the big wireless carriers — AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon (Engadget’s parent company) — as well as internet service providers (ISPs) like Comcast and Google Fiber. “As the coronavirus outbreak spreads and causes a series of […]

AT&T and Comcast improve internet access in response to COVID-19

[ad_1] Comcast is focussing on its Internet Essentials program, which provides broadband to low-income Americans for $9.95 per month. Now, new, qualifying customers can sign up for 60 days at no cost, and Comcast is boosting broadband speeds for all Internet Essentials customers. Over the next few days, it will bump speeds from 15/2 Mbps […]

FCC could require phone companies to authenticate calls

[ad_1] Under the STIR/SHAKEN protocol, carriers verify that a call is legitimate (not coming from a spoofed number) before it reaches the recipient. In 2018, Pai urged carriers to implement the protocol by 2019. AT&T, Comcast, T-Mobile and Verizon (Engadget’s parent company) have all implemented the tech in one way or another, but robocalls are […]

FCC votes to auction C-band satellite spectrum for 5G use

[ad_1] A divided @FCC chose to give away $15B to foreign satellite companies when American taxpayers want that money for rural broadband. These foreign satellite firms want all 4 feet and their snout in the taxpayer trough, but the FCC shouldn’t be helping them.https://t.co/wpUwRziYnU — John Kennedy (@SenJohnKennedy) February 28, 2020 Following previous proclamations, Pai […]