InternetCell Roaming Rule Switch on Hold
The FCC's head is still mulling rules about that let small wireless phone carriers to 'roam' on the networks of larger rivals.
WASHINGTON -- The head of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission has put on hold a plan to revise the rules governing the right of small wireless phone carriers to "roam" on the networks of larger rivals. At issue is whether carriers should be allowed to roam in areas where they own airwaves, but have not built networks. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin had proposed guaranteeing that carriers who owned unused spectrum could continue roaming for four years before they lost roaming rights. But he withdrew the proposal before a meeting of the FCC's five commissioners on Friday because they had not reached an agreement on the issue. RELATED ARTICLES Lawsuit Seen After FCC's Comcast Ruling Carrier Claims Alltel-Verizon Anticompetitive For more stories on this topic: "At this point, I'm not sure I see a consensus for how the commission ends up addressing it," Martin said in a telephone interview with Reuters. The move also comes after small carriers such as Leap Wireless International Inc asked the FCC to ban Verizon Wireless' plan to buy Alltel unless rules are put in place to make sure consumers are not left without roaming in some areas. Verizon, which hopes to close the Alltel deal by year-end, declined comment beyond documents it filed recently with the FCC promising to maintain Alltel's roaming agreements. The FCC review of the rules stems from an order it adopted last year that reaffirmed the... [ Read more on www.internetnews.com ]
InternetThree iPhone Killers: Netbooks, MID, Android
The top three iPhone competitors pose a threat to Apple, but may need a product generation or two to realize their full potential.
InternetOlympics set the stage for emerging Web tech fight (Reuters)
Reuters - As the world's best athletes compete in Beijing, the summer Olympic games are setting the stage for a battle between Microsoft Corp and Adobe Systems Inc over the Internet's next big competition.