NewsTrust - Telecommunications - Most Recent Stories: News (Independent)

All cellphones in Chile must be sold unlocked from January 16th

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

theverge.com - Jan. 04 (News) - The Republic of Chile has announced that all cellphones sold within the country from January 16th must be unlocked for use on any carrier. Chile's telecoms regulator, Subtel, revealed its plans over Twitter on Monday, which are said to be part of an effo

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FCC finds AT&T's purchase of T-Mobile not in the public interest

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

itworld.com - Nov. 22 (News) - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission's staff has found AT&T's proposed $39 billion acquisition of rival T-Mobile USA to be contrary to the public interest, with officials there saying the deal would result in the largest single concentration in the

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The Secret $8 Billion Wireless Scam: How AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Game the System

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

AlterNet - By David Rosen, Bruce Kushnick - Jun. 20 (Special Report) - Telecom giants Verizon and AT&T have gamed the system, using regulations designed to foster competition to snatch up ever more of the wireless spectrum.

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Why AT&T Bought T-Mobile

Sun, 20 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Mashable - By Ben Parr - Mar. 20 (News Analysis) - AT&T, criticized and even despised for its inability to keep up with growing mobile data usage, thinks it has found the solution to its network woes. And all it will cost the telecom giant is $39 billion and months (or even years) of regulatory hurdles.

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Cable News Viewership Declines Double Digits in 2010

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0700

hollywood reporter - By Marisa Guthrie - Mar. 14 (News) - CNN, MSNBC and Fox News Channel lost viewers last year, the first time all three have seen dropoffs in a dozen years, according to a new study.

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Digital Darkness: U.S., U.K. Companies Help Egyptian Regime Shut Down Telecommunications and Identify Dissident Voices

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman - Feb. 01 (News Report) - Doing the regime’s bidding, British-based Vodafone shut down Egypt’s phone and internet service. The American company called Narus — owned by Boeing — sold Egypt the surveillance technology that helped identify dissident voices. We are joined by Tim Karr of Free Press and CUNY Professor C.W. Anderson. Karr outlines how communications was shut down in Egypt and discusses the Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act, a proposed Senate bill that could lay the foundation for blocking communications in the United States in the case of a "national threat." Anderson traces the activist roots of Twitter to U.S. protests at the 2004 Republican and Democratic conventions.

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How the Phone Companies Are Screwing America: The $320 Billion Broadband Rip-Off

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0700

AlterNet - By David Rosen , Bruce Kushnick - Oct. 07 (Special Report) - In a June 2010 report, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) ranked the U.S. 15th on broadband subscribers with 24.6 percent penetration; the consulting group, Strategy Analytics, is even more pessimistic, ranking the U.S. 20th with a "broadband" penetration rate of 67 percent compared to South Korea (95 percent), Netherlands (85 percent) and Canada (76 percent). Making matters worse, Strategy Analytics projects the U.S. ranking falling to 23rd by year-end 2010.

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Internet Access Torpedoed by Damage to Submarine Cables

Sun, 19 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Quantcast - Sep. 19 (News Analysis) - An analysis of internet traffic for the past few days from our Quantified Publishers reveals the extent of the damage to certain countries' internet users.

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How News Consumption is Shifting to the Personalized Social

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Mashable - By Vadim Lavrusik - Aug. 10 (News Report) - The social network of a reader is quickly becoming their personalized news wire. That’s because in the last five years, a revolutionary shift has taken place in the way we consume news. We have gone from consuming news through traditional media and news websites to having the news broadcast to us by our social network of friends. In fact, 75% of news consumed online is through shared news from social networking sites or e-mail. Social news is finding us. Readers who still actively seek out the news want, and almost expect, it to be personalized and customized to their tastes and interests. News organizations, social networks and technology companies are all attempting to respond with sites and tools that address this changing shift toward a personalized social news stream.

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Google Just Killed Net Neutrality

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Gizmodo - By Brian Barrett - Aug. 05 (Breaking News) - In 2006, Google co-founder Sergey Brin traveled to DC, urging Congress to support net neutrality -- the principle that the internet shouldn't have a fast lane. Google was net neutrality's most powerful advocate. Four years later, they've become its executioner.

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73 Democrats tell FCC: drop net neutrality rules

Thu, 27 May 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Ars Technica - By Matthew Lasar - May. 27 (News Report) - A slew of House Democrats have sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission warning the agency not to go forward with its plan to partially reclassify ISPs as common carriers, a move needed to impose net neutrality rules. It looks like the telecoms' donations were well spent.

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Largest US cellcos could be excluded from auctions

Sun, 23 May 2010 00:00:00 -0700

rethink-wireless.com - By Caroline Gabriel - May. 23 (News) - US regulator the FCC has not been shy of stirring up controversy lately, but many of its pronouncements on net neutrality and the national broadband plan have focused mainly on wireline. But now it has turned its attention to the wireless side, and ruffled the feathers of leaders AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless, by saying this sector was not "effectively competitive" in the US.

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Telecoms’ Secret Plan To Attack Net Neutrality: Target Video Gamers And Stoke Fear Of Chinese Censorship

Wed, 12 May 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Think Progress - By Lee Fang - May. 12 (News Report) - Net neutrality, a guiding principle for preserving a free and fair Internet, means that Internet service providers are not allowed to discriminate based on content for its customers. However, telecommunications firms — like AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and others — are firmly against net neutrality because they would like to increase their profits by deciding which websites customers can see, and at what speed. The telecom industry has dumped hundreds of millions of dollars into a lobby campaign against net neutrality. As the FCC now takes up net neutrality rule making, the industry is pushing an “outside approach” of hiring front groups and astroturf operatives.

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City libraries shut out of broadband stimulus money?

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Ars Technica - By Matthew Lasar - Jul. 29 (Special Report) - Millions of Americans are turning to the Internet to look for new jobs. But in many parts of the United States, public libraries are the only free provider of that crucial combo: a computer plus Internet access. This means that low-income job seekers depend on them when searching for employment. Oddly, as library development directors look for funds to beef up their networks, they're not finding the support they expected from the White House's $7.2 billion broadband stimulus package. The first round of stimulus grants "in effect de-prioritizes libraries and discourages them from applying for funding," complains the American Library Association in a letter sent to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. "The ability of our libraries to meet community needs is in jeopardy—especially when library use has heavily increased across the country in these difficult economic times."

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'EU Big Brother planning to watch you more closely' - The Local

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

thelocal.se - Jul. 15 (News Report) - The European Union's wide-ranging Stockholm Programme risks further damaging citizens' hard earned privacy rights, argues Pirate Party member and long-time libertarian blogger Henrik Alexandersson.

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EU's Stockholm Programme to 'bolster individual privacy rights' - The Local

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

thelocal.se - Jul. 15 (News Report) - As European Union ministers gather in Stockholm on Wednesday Swedish ministers Beatrice Ask and Tobias Billström explain the Stockholm Programme, which outlines the EU’s efforts to promote cross-border cooperation in the areas of justice, home affairs, and migration over the next five years.

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Top Trends Shaping Social Entrepreneurship: Mobile Technology

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Change.org - By Nathaniel Whittemore - Dec. 28 (News Analysis) - One need look no further than the incredible discussion around the recent post "The Cellphone that Could Change the World," to understand how seriously people are taking the idea that mobile technology can, should, and well, will change the world. 2008 has seen an explosion of creativity around how mobiles can be used to increase wealth, fight hunger, and mitigate conflict. There are a number of forces that I see propelling the conversation in 2009

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Leave net neutrality to the FCC? No way, says senator

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Ars Technica - By Nate Anderson - Nov. 14 (News Report) - With the Comcast case behind us (though now on appeal), ISPs have been telling anyone who would listen that the need for preemptive legislation is over. Much better for the markets to work everything out and for the FCC to step in on a case-by-case basis with the regulatory jackboot when someone steps over the line and starts violating the Internet Policy Statement.

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Internet Gridlock

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

MIT Technology Review - By Larry Hardesty - Jul. 01 (News Analysis) - The idea that the Internet should be fair--that it shouldn't pick favorites among users, service providers, applications, and types of content--is generally known as net neutrality. And it's a principle that has been much in the news lately, after its apparent violation by Comcast, the second-largest ISP in the United States.

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The Privacy vs. Security Conundrum

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Council on Foreign Relations - Feb. 27 (News Analysis) - The dispute over the government's wiretapping program hinges on whether to give telecom firms immunity from prosecution. Congressional Republicans have generally sought to extend immunity and legalize the wiretapping program, while Democrats favor holding telecoms accountable. A recent attempt at a bipartisan compromise was boycotted by GOP lawmakers (Wired); a trio of party leaders outlined the importance of the immunity issue in a Wall Street Journal op-ed on February 26. Yet some observers say the bickering is beside the point. As the Economist notes, "the statute's demise has done little practical harm." Current investigations can continue, the magazine says, and surveillance that needs a judge's signature can be obtained retroactively.

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P2P Companies Band Together Against Comcast's BitTorrent Blocking

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800

GigaOM - By Janko Roettgers - Feb. 14 (News Report) - The FCC's inquiry into Comcast's blocking of BitTorrent has resulted in a new wave of unity among P2P companies, with competitors like BitTorrent, Vuze and Miro demanding enforceable rules against interference with P2P traffic. Representatives of all three ventures joined Free Press today in a press conference call, on which they made the case for Net Neutrality legislation.

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Telecom Group Key Player in Immunity Battle

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0800

TruthOut - By Matt Renner - Jan. 31 (News Report) - Third Way, a non-profit "progressive" think tank that is funded and controlled by hedge fund managers, corporate lawyers and business executives has advised Sen. Jay Rockefeller on a domestic surveillance bill that includes immunity for telecommunications companies with which Third Way board members have close ties.

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Fixing US broadband: $100 billion for fiber to every home

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Ars Technica - By Nate Anderson - Jan. 31 (News Report) - US broadband might now be widely available, but it's slow and relatively expensive. Between 1999 and 2006, the US fell from third place to 20th in the International Telecommunications Union's broadband usage measurements. When it comes to average connection speeds, the US isn't beaten just by Japan but also by France, Korea, Sweden, New Zealand, Italy, Finland, Portugal, Australia, Norway, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, and Germany. And it's not about population size or density, either; Finland, Sweden, and Canada beat us on most broadband metrics despite having lower population density.

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Senate Set for Tough FISA Debate

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Congressional Quarterly - By Tim Starks, Keith Perine - Dec. 17 (News Analysis) - Although staff aides for both committees have been working to incorporate some of the Judiciary amendment's spying provisions into the Intelligence bill, the differences over immunity have been too steep to overcome in negotiations. So the Judiciary amendment to the bill will automatically be the pending amendment to the Intelligence bill. That means the Senate could vote at least once on language that would not grant immunity, although such votes are likely to fail because the White House, Senate Republicans and many Democrats support immunity.

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How the FCC's brand of deregulation harmed America's economy and digital future.

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 12:33:56 -0800

TeleTruth - By Bruce Kushnick - Nov. 29 (Special Report) - If you are reading this and think that AT&T, Verizon and Comcast are "ISPs" - you need to rethink the definition. More to the point, you've been fooled. Those worrying about Net Neutrality issues missed the main point - that the FCC closure of the independent ISP market by eliminating the ability of these companies to migrate their customers to broadband was bad for America's Digital Future, but also gave total control to those who own the wires - the cablecos and telcos -- a duopoly at best. It was these independent, innovative, entrepreneurial companies that brought America to the Internet and World Wide Web, not AT&T or Verizon.

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