New Limits on Sharing Web Tracking Proposed
Internet providers such as AT&T and Comcast face new federal restrictions on distributing information about their customers’ Web browsing. Broadband providers would need to get permission from consumers before divulging online habits to other companies under the proposal from Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler. The rules need to succeed in two votes, including an initial test at an FCC meeting on March 31,...
FCC Looks to End Cable Box Rentals
Washington — Federal regulators Thursday put the metal boxes most Americans rent to receive cable or satellite programming at the center of a high-stakes fight over the future of TV and video. The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 along party lines to begin crafting rules intended to spur competition in the set-top-box market by developing technology standards so third-party devices and apps could decode pay-TV signals. Such...
FCC: Internet Is Faster, as Providers Promised
Washington — Internet providers are keeping promises made in advertising about faster download speeds, according to a report from the Federal Communications Commission. Most of the time, consumers are streaming TV shows and surfing the Web at speeds they are paying for. Sometimes it’s even faster depending on the time of day or the geographic location of the home. On the downside, there is an increasing gap between those with access...
FCC Fines AT&T For Slowing Data
Washington — The Federal Communications Commission slapped AT&T with a $100 million fine Wednesday, accusing the country’s second-largest cellular carrier of drastically slowing down Internet speeds for customers who signed up for “unlimited” data plans. The decision marks the FCC’s most aggressive step to date to regulate Internet providers as Chairman Tom Wheeler follows through with his pledge to ensure that consumers have...
Consumer Confidential: Killing Robocalls Is Easier Said Than Done
Want to know who’s to blame for all those annoying robocalls during dinner? Nathan Kingsbury, that’s who. He was the AT&T vice president who signed his name to a 1913 letter pledging that the company would open its network to other phone services. The so-called Kingsbury Commitment settled an antitrust case brought by the federal government and paved the way for the modern phone system. “Because of Kingsbury, we were able to have...
