For the telecom industry, the government shutdown that started October 1 will have significantly more impact on the FCC than it will on the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, at least as it relates to broadband. Impact: Furloughs at the FCC will leave the agency at just 22% capacity, with all but 171 of nearly …
Impacts of the Government Shutdown on the Broadband Industry Read More »
The FCC signed off on the $5.1 billion ($7 billion Canadian) merger between Bell Canada parent company BCE and Ziply Fiber without any conditions despite current tensions in the U.S.-Canada relationship that could have upended the deal altogether. Impact: The approval, which followed closely on the heels of the FCC greenlighting two T-Mobile transactions, sets …
Canadian Operator Gets Clearance to Acquire Ziply Fiber Read More »
Comcast this month unveiled its first-ever five-year price guarantee for new Xfinity Internet customers, with pricing starting at $55/mo nationwide for the 400 Mbps tier. Impact: The decision to move forward with a price guarantee comes as Comcast focuses on providing customers with transparent pricing that provides a set, locked-in price without an annual contract …
Comcast Rolls Out Five-Year Guarantee on Xfinity Internet Read More »
In an update to its convergence strategy at its Dec. 3 Analyst & Investor Day, AT&T set an aggressive new goal to pass at least 50 million fiber locations by the end of 2029 while sunsetting much of its legacy copper network. Impact: The new fiber passings goal builds on AT&T’s previous deployment strategy to …
AT&T Goes Bigger with Fiber to Drive Convergence Goals Read More »
AST SpaceMobile, the direct-to-device satellite connectivity partner of AT&T and Verizon, successfully unfolded its first five BlueBird satellites in late October, six weeks ahead of schedule. Impact: The launch milestone moves AST SpaceMobile closer to a rollout of commercial and U.S. government operations even as a burgeoning rivalry with SpaceX heats up, with an AST …
Competition Between SpaceX and AST SpaceMobile Intensifies Read More »
The question of whether fixed wireless access service offers providers a long-term wireless broadband solution or will merely act as a stopgap during the transition from DSL to fiber depends on which competitor you ask. Impact: A Broadband Nation Expo panel tried to answer that question last week and got very different perspectives from two …
Bipartisan bills in the U.S. House and Senate may breathe new life into the now-defunct Affordable Connectivity Program with millions in new funding to sustain it through the end of the year and shore up financial support for the FCC’s underfunded rip-and-replace program. Impact: Last week, the Senate Commerce Committee advanced Senator Peter Welch’s (D-VT) …
Because mobile device unlocking policies vary significantly from carrier-to-carrier, the FCC this month moved to put forth a uniform 60-day unlocking requirement designed to make it easier for consumers to change providers. Impact: In a unanimous 5-0 decision, the FCC approved a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that calls for mobile carriers to unlock mobile devices …
Proposed Rules Would Make Mobile Device Unlocking Uniform Read More »
AT&T last week revealed a massive data breach involving call and text records logged from the vast majority of its mobile customers, with the incidents occurring between May and October 2022, and then again on Jan. 2, 2023. Impact: This security breach, first discovered in April, affected “nearly all” AT&T wireless customers, including subscribers to …
Another AT&T Data Breach Impacts Almost All Mobile Customers Read More »
Following a Fast-Track SWIFT challenge from AT&T earlier in June, the National Advertising Division of the Better Business Bureau’s National Programs last week recommended that T-Mobile discontinue or clarify the “Price Lock” claim around its 5G Home Internet service. Impact: According to a statement by NAD, the T-Mobile price lock claim appeared in print, online, …
Watchdog Recommends T-Mobile Clarify Price Lock Claim Read More »
