Tag: FCC
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The FCC is Cracking Down on Text Message Spam & Scams
We all get them, tons of spam messages that fill your phone with offers and scams. According to the FCC, complaints about Text message scams are up more than 500% since 2015. Now the FCC is ordering phone companies t start blocking scam text messages. To do this, the FCC is ordering wireless carriers to…
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DISH Gets FCC Approval to Start Testing 5G
Over the last few years, DISH has slowly been expanding into being a wireless company. With the purchase of Boost Mobile, Dish is now the 4th largest wireless company in the United States. DISH has also been slowly buying up spectrum as it prepares to launch its own national 5G Network instead of relying on…
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Amazon’s New Home Internet Service Gets FCC Approval
For years now, Amazon has been working to offer a home internet service to its customers. With this, Amazon wants to join SpaceX as an option for Americans looking for high-speed internet against companies like Comcast, Spectrum, and more. In October of 2022, Amazon announced their Project Kuiper would launch more than 3,000 satellites into…
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Your Local TV Station May Soon Have New Owners
It is very likely you live in a market with a local TV station that is owned by Tegna. Now a deal for Standard General to buy Tegna for $8.6 billion is one step closer to becoming a reality. Tegna owns or operates 66 television stations in 54 markets. These stations include ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC…
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The FCC is Cracking Down on Robocall Scammers
Over the last few years, the FCC has been targeting robocallers who are trying to scam Americans. Most recently, the FCC is going after scammers who are using robocalls to trick Americans into giving up personal information or pay a fee to get student loan debt relief. To do this, the FCC has asked telecom…
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New FCC Ruling will Require Internet Services to Provide ‘Nutrition Labels’ Displaying Speeds and More
Today the Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously to move ahead with a plan to require broadband companies to display important plan information on easy to read labels so customers will know upfront what they’re getting. This means big broadband names like Comcast and Verizon and will have to provide ‘nutrition labels’ disclosing things like speed,…
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The FCC Has Developed a Speed Test to Improve Broadband Across the Country
To help measure and get a better understanding of internet speeds from across the country, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is encouraging the public to use their newly released speed test app. Similar to existing speed tests like Oookla and Project Stream, the FCC Speed Test App will give users insights into their download and…
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New Device Listings Hint at Possible New Fire TV Remote
A series of device listings from regulatory offices in several countries appear to reference a new remote control that could be coming to the Fire TV lineup in the future. Protocol’s Janko Roettgers tweeted about an FCC listing that mentions a new Bluetooth-enabled device with a model number of L5B83G. And while device photos aren’t…
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Senators Call for Increased Broadband Speeds
A bipartisan group of senators wants to deliver higher broadband speeds. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Angus King (I-ME), and Rob Portman (R-OH) wrote a letter this week asking for an update to federal broadband speed requirements. The letter notes the new administration’s “commitment to deploying affordable, high-speed broadband across the country to…
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The FCC Clarifies Phone Services Can’t Charge Customers for New Required Robocall-Fighting Tools
Earlier this year the FCC mandated phone companies to implement new caller ID verification technology by June 2021. Now the FCC is clarifying, saying carriers can’t charge customers with surprise fees for the caller ID features. Known as STIR/SHAKEN, the new tech allows phone companies to verify that caller ID info actually matches the caller’s…