ustelecom – Steve Blum's Blog

We’re doing better than Bangladesh, so give us money, telcos tell U.S. senate

15 May 2020 by Steve Blum
att, broadband subsidy, covid19, frontiercommunications, ustelecom

Telephone companies don’t appear to having the same success cable companies have had with broadband promotions during the covid–19 emergency. The head of telco’s primary Washington, D.C. lobbying front organisation asked a U.S. senate committee on Wednesday to “keep providers on sound financial footing” and urged the use of existing, incumbent-friendly federal programs to distribute subsidies directly to them.

California’s two major telephone companies – AT&T and Frontier Communications – aren’t offering service at the 25 Mbps at $15 or less per month covid–19 benchmark set by California Public Utilities Commission president Marybel Batjer.… More

First challenges to FCC common carrier rules enter a legal lottery

24 March 2015 by Steve Blum
fcc, netneutrality, public policy, ustelecom

See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

How justice is done.

Two court challenges were filed today with the intent of overturning the FCC’s decision to regulate Internet service and infrastructure using common carrier rules. One was filed in Washington, DC by an industry lobbying group – the US Telecom Association – and the other by a Texan wireless ISP – Alamo Broadband – in New Orleans, both with the respective federal appeals courts there.

US Telecom does not like anything about the rules…

US Telecom seeks review of the Order on the grounds that it is arbitrary, capricious, and an abuse of discretion within the meaning of the Administrative Procedure Act…violates federal law, including, but not limited to, the Constitution, the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, and FCC regulations promulgated thereunder; conflicts with the notice-and-comment rulemaking requirements of [federal law]; and is otherwise contrary to law.

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