Telecommunication

Communication at a distance, especially the electronic transmission of signals via the telephone

Unwinding the PSTN

The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) network has been used for interconnection to the local incumbent offices and tandem switches, for connecting to 911 centers, for connecting to operator services, for connecting to cellular carriers, or for connecting to other neighboring carriers. We are finally starting to see that network being shut down, route by route and piece by piece. But like everything related to operating in the regulated legacy world, it’s not easy to disconnect the PSTN connections called trunks.

United States comments on European Consultation: “The future of the electronic communications sector and its infrastructure”

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), in a filing on behalf of the US government, urged the European Commission to promote affordable access to broadband, protect users’ access to online content, and avoid discriminatory measures that distort competition. The filing on May 19 is in response to the European Commission’s exploratory consultation on The Future

Frontier CEO says copper decommissioning is 3-5 years out

Frontier Communications still has hundreds of thousands of copper passings, but it doesn’t seem like that footprint will be taken offline anytime soon.

AT&T Is Spending Billions to Wire U.S. for Fast Internet as Rivals Take Different Path

For AT&T, the fastest home internet needs wires. The telecommunications giant is expanding its network of fiber-optic cables to deliver fast internet speeds for customers, including those in places where it doesn’t already provide broadband. The plan doesn’t come cheap.

Taking Aim at Junk Fees

Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced the Junk Fee Prevention Act  (S.916), which takes aim at eliminating fees that are not advertised for a product but that get added on after a customer buys a product or service. These fees were attacked this year by President Biden in the State of the Union Address. Telecommunications companies, particularly cable companies, are among the worst in having hidden junk fees that are not included in advertising but are added to a customer’s first bill.

Sens. Hickenlooper, Capito Reintroduce Bill to Create Cybersecurity Office Related to Critical Infrastructure

Senators John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) reintroduced the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Policy and Cybersecurity Coordination Act, a bipartisan bill to modernize and codify the NTIA’s work in cybersecurity.

Chairwoman Rosenworcel's Update to Members of Congress Regarding the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program

In the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act (the Act), Congress directed the Federal Communications Commission to establish the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program to advance our national security by supporting the removal, replacement, and disposal of communications equipment and services produced or provided by Huawei Technologies Company or ZTE Corporation from our nation’s communications networks.

The FCC and USF

The Federal Communications Commission quietly won two court cases over the last month that most folks have not heard about. A group of complainants brought a suit against the FCC, saying that the agency didn’t have explicit direction from Congress for the creation of the Universal Service Fund (USF) or the authority to delegate the operation of the USF to a third party.

‘Rip and Replace’: The Tech Cold War Is Upending Wireless Carriers

As the US and China battle for geopolitical and technological primacy, the fallout has reached small wireless carriers in dozens of states. They are on the receiving end of the Biden administration’s sweeping policies to suppress China’s rise. What the wireless carriers must do, under a program known as “rip and replace,” has become the starkest physical manifestation of the tech Cold War between the two superpowers.

Telecommunications companies should prepare for junk fee regulation

Legislation aimed at regulating telecommunications operators is in the works and companies should hasten to prepare for what’s to come. A bill introduced to the Senate in March 2023 proposes to do away with “junk fees,” which are financial charges that President Joe Biden denounced in his State of the Union address.