Create your Benton.org account today. Registration is quick and easy. Creating an account gives you access to special features, click to learn more.
Associated Press
Coalition seeks federal nudge for universal broadband
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 24, 2008 - 8:57pmLast updated: June 25, 2008 - 7:36am
Vint Cerf and Federal Communications Commission member Jonathan Adelstein joined forces Tuesday in renewing calls for the U.S. government to more actively expand broadband service. They and other members of a new coalition promised hearings across the country and set up a Web site at InternetForEveryone.org to outline principles such as universal broadband access and competition to ensure lower prices and faster Internet connection speeds.
FCC lifts Sprint deadline to swap some channels
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 20, 2008 - 7:56amThe Federal Communications Commission on Thursday agreed to give Sprint Nextel more time to swap some wireless spectrum frequencies with public safety agencies. Sprint was facing a June 26 deadline to vacate channels that its Nextel wireless network uses in the 800 MHz band.
FCC expected to rule Verizon violated privacy laws
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 20, 2008 - 7:52amApparently, the Federal Communications Commission will rule that Verizon violated privacy laws when it tried to keep phone customers from switching providers. The ruling would uphold a complaint brought by Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, and it goes against an earlier staff recommendation that Verizon did not violate any consumer privacy laws.
Rural Local Phone Companies
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 20, 2008 - 7:38amAn Oppenheimer analyst said Wednesday he is taking a more cautious stance on shares of local phone companies that serve mostly rural areas. The Federal Communications Commission's ongoing Universal Service Fund audit could affect rural carriers throughout the sector.
Voted items at FCC are secret, agency says
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 19, 2008 - 9:56amWhen the Federal Communications Commission votes on something at a public meeting, the document they are voting on isn't necessarily for public consumption, the agency said Wednesday. Commissioners unanimously rejected an appeal by The Associated Press for a copy of a document that was approved by a 4-1 vote at a July 31 public meeting.
Study shatters myths on personal Net use at work
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 19, 2008 - 9:48amIt's no secret that people sneak in some personal e-mail and Web surfing when they're supposed to be working. A new study attempts to shatter perceptions that these Web surfers are just slackers trying to avoid work.
Internet domain name for China surpasses
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 19, 2008 - 9:47amRegistrations for Internet addresses ending in China's ".cn" have surpassed those for the global ".net," showing the continued rapid rise in Internet use in the communist nation. A study by VeriSign Inc., which runs the ".net" databases and other core directories for helping computers find Web sites and route e-mail, found that ".cn" overtook ".net" sometime in the first quarter of 2008.
AT&T weighs extra fee for Web's bandwidth hogs
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 13, 2008 - 7:18amAT&T, the country's largest Internet provider, is considering charging extra for customers who download large amounts of data. "A form of usage-based pricing for those customers who have abnormally high usage patterns is inevitable," spokesman Michael Coe said this week.
FCC chief lays out plan for cell phone fees
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 12, 2008 - 9:19pmLast updated: June 15, 2008 - 7:43pm
On Thursday Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin announced a plan to regulate the high fees that cellular phone companies charge consumers for canceling their contracts early. His proposal is similar to an industry plan put forward last month.
Justice Department Requires Verizon Wireless to Sell Assets in Deal for Rural Cellular
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 11, 2008 - 8:43amVerizon Wireless must sell assets in six markets in Vermont, New York and Washington state to complete its $757 million acquisition of Rural Cellular Corp., the Justice Department announced Tuesday.
