Policy

Hesse: Sprint looking for more spectrum

February 20, 2013 3:00 pm | by Ben Munson, Wireless Week | News | Comments

Sprint CEO Dan Hesse said his company is seeking to acquire more wireless spectrum in order to stay competitive with AT&T and Verizon. Sprint hopes to scoop up more of the precious commodity by either buying it from other companies or from the government.

Rogers nets $455M in Q4 on $3.26B in revenue

February 19, 2013 1:18 pm | by The Canadian Press | News | Comments

A record quarter for smartphone sales helped Rogers Communications exceed analysts’ expectations in the fourth quarter. The company reports a 3 percent gain in quarterly revenue to $3.26 billion and 88 cents in earnings per share – beating estimates of $3.19 billion and 72 cents per share.

Kansas House approves telecom deregulation bill

February 19, 2013 12:58 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Kansas would lessen its regulation of telecommunications but begin to phase out consumer-financed subsidies for universal landline service under a bill approved by the state House. The House's 118-1 vote sends the measure to the Senate, where it also is expected to have bipartisan support.

Dish: Without wireless partner, selling spectrum an option

February 12, 2013 2:58 pm | by Andrew Berg, Wireless Week | News | Comments

Dish Network Chairman Charlie Ergen reiterated that his company will sell its AWS spectrum if it can’t find a suitable partner to help it deploy an LTE Advanced wireless network. Ergen made the comments at The Wall Street Journal’s All Things D conference.

FCC aims to improve completion rate of long-distance calls to rural areas

February 8, 2013 11:35 am | by Andrew Berg, Wireless Week | News | Comments

The FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which seeks comment on rules to help address problems in the completion of long-distance telephone calls to rural customers. The NPRM is specifcally aimed at intermediate carries that complete long-distance calls for long-distance providers.

Idaho panel: Let telecoms call existing customers

February 8, 2013 11:26 am | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

A House committee agreed that Idaho should lift a 13-year-old restriction barring phone and cable TV companies from calling existing customers to market new products or services, rejecting an argument from the attorney general's office that the change would erode people's privacy protections.

Malone’s Liberty Global to fork out $23B for Virgin Media

February 6, 2013 3:27 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | Comments

The acquisition, which needs to pass regulatory approvals and is slated to close in the second quarter, would not only pit mega moguls John Malone and Rupert Murdoch against each other in the United Kingdom, but it would also give Malone’s Liberty Global the crown as the world’s largest cable operator.

FCC Sandy field hearings emphasize modernizing infrastructure

February 6, 2013 3:19 pm | by Ben Munson, Wireless Week | News | Comments

At the Superstorm Sandy field hearings, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski made it clear the wireless communication outages experienced during the storm couldn't happen again. When Sandy hit the U.S. East Coast, approximately 25 percent of cell sites across 10 states were rendered inoperational.

Malone’s Liberty Global eyes Virgin Media

February 5, 2013 3:02 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | Comments

John Malone’s Liberty Global is in the process of cooking up a deal to buy Virgin Media. Virgin Media’s price tag could be in the range of $24 billion, while its market capitalization stands at $10.4 billion. Including debt, its enterprise value is around $19.4 billion.

FTC issues mobile privacy guidelines

February 4, 2013 3:19 pm | by Andrew Berg, Wireless Week | News | Comments

The Federal Trade Commission has issued a set of guidelines for mobile application developers. While not legally binding, the new rules were released on the same day as regulators announced a settlement with social networking provider Path.

Ciciora's Corner - Should you get a patent?

February 4, 2013 12:16 pm | by Walt S. Ciciora, expert on cable and consumer electronics issues | Articles | Comments

Have you ever considered getting a patent yourself? Should you? This is not an easy decision. It’s a lot of work, and it is expensive. Done right, it’s very expensive. And that’s just the beginning. A patent is the right to exclude someone from making, using or selling your invention.

Engineering-Wise - United and prepped for battle

February 4, 2013 11:41 am | by Mark Dzuban, president and CEO of the SCTE | Articles | Comments

I’ve always been impressed by the coordination required to keep our country safe. From our nation’s earliest skirmishes to the invasion of Normandy and Operation Desert Storm, teamwork across all branches of the armed services has been essential to the protection of our nation, and the world. It’s much the same in our industry.

Capital Currents - Video quality assessment

February 4, 2013 11:26 am | by Jeffrey Krauss, president of Telecommunications and Technology Policy | Articles | Comments

The FCC has a proceeding underway to update its cable TV technical regulations. For the most part, there is agreement that the version of SCTE 40 adopted last year contains the appropriate technical specifications for digital cable systems. But the FCC also asked whether it should regulate the picture quality that is delivered to viewers.

Clearwire keeps deal talks open with Sprint, Dish

February 1, 2013 2:54 pm | by Ben Munson, Wireless Week | News | Comments

Clearwire said it is still considering acquisition offers from both Sprint Nextel and Dish Network. The WiMAX provider said the special committee reviewing the deal has not made any determination to change its current recommendation of the Sprint transaction.

Dish lays off Sprint-Softbank deal

January 30, 2013 2:16 pm | by Andrew Berg, Wireless Week | News | Comments

Dish Network told the FCC that it would not file to block Softbank's proposed $20 billion acquisition of Sprint Nextel. Dish had asked that the shot clock in the Sprint-Softbank proceeding be paused until Sprint's bid for Clearwire had been settled.