Peter Kaplan

Senior members of the House Commerce Committee wrote to broadband Internet providers and other online companies on Friday, asking whether they have "tailored, or facilitated the tailoring of, Internet advertising based on consumers Internet search, surfing, or other use." The request comes amid rising scrutiny of the practice, known as deep-packet inspection, or DPI, by lawmakers and consumer advocates.

On Friday, the Federal Communications Commission approved -- with conditions -- the merger of the Sirius and XM satellite radio companies. The 3-2 vote will the deal to proceed as long as the companies met a series of consumer protection conditions, including a three-year cap on prices, setting aside 8 percent of their channel capacity for minority and non-commercial programming and payment of a $19.7 million penalty for past FCC rule violations.

Rep Edward Markey (D-MA), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, said the Federal Communications Commission should go beyond requirements that FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has already proposed the agency impose on the merger of Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin said on Friday he would consider imposing further conditions on Sirius Satellite Radio acquisition of XM Satellite Radio if it were needed to win support of other FCC commissioners.

Sprint Nextel said on Wednesday it was asking the Federal Communications Commission to extend the deadline for it to stop using a key piece of airwaves close to the networks of public-safety agencies.

Google co-founder Larry Page was in Washington on Thursday to promote the company's proposal for a new generation of wireless devices to operate on soon-to-be-vacant television airwaves. Page was scheduled to meet with lawmakers in Congress and officials at the Federal Communications Commission hoping to convince them to allow the "white space" between television channels to be accessed by low-power wireless devices.

The Federal Communications Commission should impose conditions on Sirius Satellite Radio proposed $3.95 billion acquisition of rival XM Satellite Radio to protect consumers, said House Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) and Telecom Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey (D-MA).

The Federal Communications Commission was poised on Monday to impose a cap on fast-growing subsidies the government allots to providers of telephone service in rural America. A proposal to limit the phone subsidies moved towards passage as FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell threw his support behind the idea, giving it a crucial third vote on the five- member commission.

An investigation has cleared Cyren Call, a for-profit adviser of any blame for tripping up U.S. government plans to create a wireless network that could be shared with emergency workers.

Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) urged the Federal Communications Commission on Friday to block the propose merger of XM Satellite Radio by rival Sirius. Sen Dorgan wrote the FCC saying the agency should not follow the "illogical" decision of the Justice Department, which last month granted the deal antitrust approval.