Digital Future of Public Media

A coalition of technology vendors, consumer groups and think tanks has banded together to persuade the Federal Communications Commission to approve wireless devices that would operate in currently unused television spectrum.

The Wireless Innovation Alliance, which launched a Web site on Wednesday, is an expansion of the vendor-centric White Spaces Coalition, a group that has been pushing for the use of so-called white-space spectrum for wireless broadband services.

The vendor coalition includes companies such as Microsoft Corp., Google Inc., Intel Corp., Dell… more

House lawmakers in both parties are stepping up pressure on the FCC to permit technology companies such as Dell, Google, Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft to harness vacant broadcast spectrum in order to expand wireless, high-speed Internet access.

In a Tuesday letter to the agency, Reps. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.; Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.; Nathan Deal, R-Ga.; Jay Inslee; D-Wash., Mike Rogers, R-Mich.; and Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., urged the FCC to resolve any remaining technical issues and release final rules in a few months. All… more

By almost all reports, and there were a number of them yesterday, the attempt of EarthLink, Inc. to blanket Philadelphia with affordable wireless internet service is in trouble.

City Council is openly worried the city may be forced to take over and run the new citywide wireless network - perhaps as an exclusive provider for city employees without any public access.

The reports confirmed the project is running 40 percent over budget and has missed its target date for the system… more

Consumer and public advocacy groups are urging the Federal Communications Commission to declare that text messages deserve the same nondiscriminatory treatment by telephone carriers as e-mail and voice messages.

In a petition filed with the FCC on Dec. 11, the groups claim: "Mobile carriers currently can and do arbitrarily decide what customers to serve and which speech to allow on text messages, refusing to serve those that they find controversial or that compete with the mobile carriers' services."

In September, Verizon Wireless… more

Spectrum sensing, of the kind that's required to allow wireless devices to use TV white spaces to access the Internet without causing harmful interference, is a “proven and well-understood technology,” the New America Foundation said in a white paper released Monday. The group said the goal of the paper is to counter “the torrent of misinformation” in arguments made by broadcasters and others opposed to opening the spectrum for unlicensed use by portable devices. Sources said Monday the paper… more

A consortium of consumer groups is planning to urge federal regulators to clarify how much control cellphone companies can have over the messages and services delivered over their networks.

In a petition to be filed with the Federal Communications Commission today, these groups say the agency should prohibit wireless carriers from blocking text messages sent by any company, nonprofit group or political campaign. These groups -- including Public Knowledge, Free Press, Media Access Project, Consumers Union and the New… more

Even as the wireless industry chants a new gospel about opening mobile-phone networks to outside devices and applications, some of the biggest U.S. carriers are quietly blocking new services that would compete with their own.

Would-be mobile-service providers, ranging from startups to major banks to eBay's (EBAY) PayPal have encountered these roadblocks, erected by the likes of AT&T (T) and Verizon Wireless. In some cases, cellular carriers have backed down, but only after inflicting costly delays on the new services.

At issue… more

Los Angeles Times's John Healey wrote on Verizon Wireless' decision to open its network to independent developers and phone manufacturers. Here's an excerpt from Healey's Opinion Piece quoting New America's Sascha Meinrath:

Some observers aren't convinced by Verizon Wireless' turnabout. In particular, they note that the degree of openness will depend on how the company implements its plans. Will Verizon Wireless offer discounts to people who supply their own phones? After all, its current rates are bumped up to cover the… more

...The federal government's decision to auction off this prime public spectrum next month could change the wireless world. It has the potential to make talking on a cellphone, surfing the Web on a mobile device and even watching television on your handset easier and cheaper.

Google Inc. said Friday that it would bid, and a slew of other companies were expected to file to join them by Monday's deadline. ...

"No matter which bidder ultimately prevails, the real winners of this auction… more

Verizon Wireless officials announced Tuesday they would open up their network to any devices and software customers want to use by the second half of 2008. Any device that passes a minimal connectivity test will be allowed on the Verizon Wireless network, officials said.

That announcement drew applause from a wide variety of groups. Public Knowledge, a consumer rights group that has pushed for open network regulations from the U.S. Congress or the Federal Communications Commission, said it was "cautiously optimistic"… more