Consumer Protection Matters to the VON Coalition…Sometimes
Posted by Michael Romano on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 · 
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If it’s an information service, no blocking. If it’s a telecom service, no blocking. But if it’s something in between, well not so fast . . .
More than 20 appeals of the FCC’s recent USF/ICC reform order have been filed, and it will be fascinating to see the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit sort through all of the concerns raised. Of course, many of the appellants raise common issues, such as challenges to retroactive caps on cost recovery and/or the mandatory drive toward a default zero ICC rate for all switched services. (NTCA teed up both of these issues, among others, in its docketing statement filed with the court.)
But one party’s filing jumped out at me the other day. A docketing statement filed by the VON Coalition presents one straightforward – but quite astounding – issue:
The VON Coalition seeks review of the portions of the Report and Order . . . that impose a “No Blocking” obligation on providers of interconnected Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and one-way VoIP services . . . . Read more
AT&T and Dish: Rumor or Cage Rattling?
Posted by Steve Fravel on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 · ·
According to Credit Suisse analyst Stefan Anninger, a seven-page FCC exparte AT&T penned may be a strong indicator of the carrier’s interest in buying up the 40Mhz S-band spectrum currently controlled by Dish Network.
After separate bankruptcy proceedings last year, Dish Network now holds DBSD North America, Inc. and TerreStar Networks, Inc. and their satellite spectrum licenses. Dish recently petitioned the FCC for an ancillary terrestrial component waiver that it says it will use to provide a wireless-hybrid 4G LTE network. Read more
The LightSquared Week in Review
Posted by Steve Fravel on Sunday, January 29, 2012 · ·
Early last week, LightSquared announced that it had signed its 39th wholesale agreement, welcoming Telcom Ventures to the 4G LTE service. Telcom Ventures operates two services, Assist Wireless and New-Talk. Both services carry the FCC certification of Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (ETC), which allows them to provide lifeline services to low-income subscribers.
LightSquared‘s plans are currently on hold, waiting for approval from the FCC before it can begin operations with its wholesale partners. Read more
AT&T and Sprint Add LTE Buildouts
Posted by Steve Fravel on Monday, January 9, 2012 · ·
AT&T and Sprint Nextel, in separate announcements last week, indicated that both would be picking up speed in the deployment of new 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) networks.
AT&T announced the launch of LTE service in 11 new markets last Thursday, adding San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles. AT&T indicated that it had completed construction projects in 2011 ahead of schedule, and it is well positioned to reach 74 million potential subscribers. AT&T is set to complete the 4G upgrade near the end of 2013. Read more
AT&T Acquires Qualcomm’s 700 MHZ Spectrum
Posted by Steve Fravel on Friday, December 23, 2011 · ·
Although not the same magnitude as the T-Mobile merger, yesterday the FCC approved the sale of Qualcomm’s 700 MHz spectrum to AT&T. The commission attached a few conditions to the sale. The highly technical and specific conditions concerning interoperability and interference are described by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski as potentially helpful to smaller operators.
The 700 MHz spectrum was originally purchased and used by Qualcomm to support its Media FLO TV product, a mobile video service which it shuttered in 2010. As such, the ironic aspect to this purchase is the increasing demand for additional bandwidth by consumers for watching video on AT&T’s mobile phones.
AT&T Ends Quest to Purchase T-Mobile USA
Posted by Jesse Ward on Monday, December 19, 2011 · ·
The biggest merger of the year is now dead. AT&T announced earlier this afternoon that it will end its bid to acquire T-Mobile USA, a quest which began in March of this year.
The statement, reads, in part:
“The actions by the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice to block this transaction do not change the realities of the U.S. wireless industry. It is one of the most fiercely competitive industries in the world, with a mounting need for more spectrum that has not diminished and must be addressed immediately. The AT&T and T-Mobile USA combination would have offered an interim solution to this spectrum shortage. In the absence of such steps, customers will be harmed and needed investment will be stifled.”
In its statement, AT&T took this opportunity to encourage the FCC to meet the current and future spectrum needs of the wireless industry, including expeditiously approving AT&T’s acquisition of unused Qualcomm spectrum currently pending before the commission.
To reflect the break-up considerations due T-Mobile parent company Deutsche Telekom, AT&T will recognize a pretax accounting charge of $4 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011. AT&T had already set this money aside. Additionally, AT&T announced that it will enter a mutually beneficial roaming agreement with Deutsche Telekom.
Dish and T-Mobile?
Posted by Steve Fravel on Monday, December 19, 2011 · ·
According to Dish Network CEO Joseph Clayton, if the AT&T/T-Mobile takeover fails, Dish Network would be interested in exploring some partnering arrangements with T-Mobile.
Earlier this year Dish Network acquired two satellite companies and their spectrum out of bankruptcy. Dish has “hinted” strongly that it intends to provide a more diverse offering that will include video, broadband and voice services. T-Mobile is one possible partner. Early in the fall, Dish Network had openly talked about pursuing a deal with Sprint or Clearwire intending to provide a satellite-terrestrial hybrid service. Read more