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  2. November 2015

November 2015

T-Mobile Video Plan Could Test FCC’s New Net Neutrality Rules

A new plan from T-Mobile to allow unlimited streaming of some video services may become the first test of the federal government’s rules to prevent favoritism on the Internet.

Supporters of network neutrality rules, which are meant to prevent one content provider getting preferential treatment over another, quickly warned that the plan could set a dangerous precedent. They urged the Federal Communications Commission, which passed the rules this year after acrimonious debate, to consider taking up the issue. The T-Mobile plan may offer the first real look at how the F.C.C. plans to enforce the new rules. “The open Internet order indicated that the commission would take a case-by-case approach to such plans,” an FCC spokeswoman said.

T-Mobile is basically a cable company now

[Commentary] T-Mobile is trying to become cable faster than cable can become T-Mobile.

Binge On isn't just a way to stretch your data cap. It's effectively a skinny bundle of TV content, all offered to consumers in hopes of persuading them to abandon their traditional TV providers. This phenomenon, known as cord-cutting, puts intense pressure on cable companies. But cord-cutting also puts pressure on non-cable companies such as T-Mobile to snag a piece of the television pie — for themselves. While T-Mobile is still a wireless carrier at its core, meaning its main business is to make money off of its network and service, the line between cable and wireless is blurring.

Expansion of T-Mobile Data Plans Comes With Higher Prices

T-Mobile raised prices on many of its data plans.

T-Mobile’s unlimited data plan now costs $95, up from $80. The carrier increased the size of its limited data plans, but also raised the price for most of them. The data tiers now cost $50, $65 and $80 for two gigabytes, six gigabytes and 10 gigabytes. In the past, the data tiers cost $50, $60 and $70 for one gigabyte, three gigabytes and five gigabytes. The revised pricing structure can be a good deal for some existing T-Mobile subscribers, who have the option to switch to the new plans. If you’re on the five-gigabyte plan for $70 a month, for example, it would be beneficial to switch to the new six-gigabyte plan that costs $65 a month. And if you’re on the current one-gigabyte plan for $50 a month, you might as well switch to the new two-gigabyte plan for the same cost.

But brand-new customers signing up for T-Mobile may find that the data plan options are generally higher priced than the previous ones were.

Cox fine should force telecoms to get serious about data security

[Commentary] While the scope of federal agency authority over privacy and data security remains ill-defined, the writing is on the wall: a failure to take reasonable steps to protect customers’ sensitive personal information could lead to Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, and other federal agency investigations and enforcement actions, large penalties, and administrative agency oversight. Given the maddening state of cybersecurity, in which companies have in many instances failed to take even the most basic precautions to protect sensitive consumer data, perhaps it is about time.

[Teplinsky teaches information privacy law at the American University Washington College of Law]

Sen. Schatz Pushes for National Unlicensed Spectrum Plan

The Senate Commerce Committee is preparing consideration of a new bill, the Mobile Now Act, which would charge the federal government with finding new spectrum to free up for wireless broadband. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) has introduced the Promoting Unlicensed Spectrum Act, a bill that would create a "National Unlicensed Spectrum Strategy" and would require the Federal Communications Commission to "establish a process that will ensure that future spectrum allocation and assignment actions produce a balance between licensed and unlicensed bands."

"As the Commerce Committee considers a strategy to expand a spectrum pipeline for the future, it is critical to ensure unlicensed spectrum is a central piece of our overall strategy," Sen Schatz said in announcing the bill.

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