SpaceX’s Gwynne Shotwell announced a major transaction with EchoStar on September 8, 2025, where SpaceX agreed to acquire 50 MHz of wireless spectrum and mobile satellite service spectrum licenses from EchoStar. The deal involves EchoStar selling its AWS-4 and H-block spectrum licenses in …
Trump Mobile, led by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., launched a comprehensive wireless service offering a $499 smartphone, $47.45 monthly plan, and bundled services including telehealth and car insurance. The venture operates on Liberty Mobile’s network and targets conservative consumers with …
FCC review period and decision released approving Skydance’s acquisition of Paramount/CBS after new pleading cycle established and ~250-day review (longer than FCC’s 180-day shot-clock)
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr initiated an official inquiry into EchoStar’s Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) spectrum utilization after SpaceX challenged the company’s license compliance. SpaceX alleged EchoStar was using less than 5% of its allocated spectrum, potentially setting the stage …
The Department of Transportation placed the $24 billion Verizon FAA contract under review, with Elon Musk positioning Starlink as a potential alternative vendor. This review comes amid claims about the existing communication system’s reliability and potential performance issues in air traffic …
The FCC granted SpaceX’s Starlink a conditional waiver to operate a high-power direct-to-cell satellite service with T-Mobile at -110.6 dBW/m²/MHz, a 770% power increase. Despite strong objections from AT&T and Verizon about potential network interference, the FCC approved the service with …
AT&T announced a strategic partnership with Carbyne enabling the telecommunications giant to resell Carbyne’s comprehensive 911 surveillance platform to public safety agencies nationwide, dramatically accelerating deployment of Israeli Unit 8200-developed technology across US emergency …
The FCC’s “Restoring Internet Freedom” order officially takes effect, eliminating the Title II net neutrality protections that had prohibited internet service providers from blocking, throttling, or creating paid “fast lanes” for content delivery. Nearly six months …
The FCC, led by Chairman Ajit Pai, votes 3-2 along party lines to repeal Obama-era net neutrality rules, marking a major victory for telecommunications industry interests over consumer protections. Pai, a former Verizon attorney appointed by Trump, argued the regulations represented government …
The FCC, led by Chairman Ajit Pai, votes 3-2 along party lines to repeal Obama-era net neutrality rules, marking a major victory for telecommunications industry interests over consumer protections. Pai, a former Verizon attorney appointed by Trump, argued the regulations represented government …
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched an investigation into the unprecedented manipulation of its public comment system during the net neutrality repeal process. An estimated 18 million out of 22 million comments were found to be fake, generated through coordinated campaigns by …
President Donald Trump designates Ajit Pai as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, elevating the sitting Republican commissioner and former Verizon Communications associate general counsel to lead the agency responsible for regulating his former employer and the broader …
The Federal Communications Commission approves landmark net neutrality protections by a 3-2 party-line vote, reclassifying broadband internet service as a “telecommunications service” under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934 to establish legally enforceable rules prohibiting …
The Federal Communications Commission votes 3-2 to advance Chairman Tom Wheeler’s controversial proposal that would permit internet service providers to charge content companies for priority “fast lane” access to consumers, fundamentally threatening net neutrality principles. The …
The DC Circuit Court of Appeals delivers a landmark ruling in Verizon v. FCC, striking down the Federal Communications Commission’s anti-blocking and anti-discrimination net neutrality rules while paradoxically outlining the path to stronger protections through Title II reclassification. The …
President Barack Obama nominates Tom Wheeler, a former top lobbyist for cable and wireless industries, to lead the Federal Communications Commission. Wheeler’s appointment exemplifies the revolving door between telecommunications regulators and industry, having served as CEO of the Cellular …
President Barack Obama nominates Tom Wheeler, a former top lobbyist for cable and wireless industries, to lead the Federal Communications Commission. Wheeler’s appointment exemplifies the revolving door between telecommunications regulators and industry, having served as CEO of the Cellular …
FCC Commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker announces her resignation to join Comcast-NBC Universal as senior vice president of governmental affairs, just four months after voting to approve the company’s merger with NBC Universal. Baker was part of the 4-1 majority that approved the $30 billion …
FCC Commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker announces her resignation to join Comcast-NBC Universal as senior vice president of governmental affairs, just four months after voting to approve the company’s merger with NBC Universal. Baker was part of the 4-1 majority that approved the $30 billion …
The Federal Communications Commission approves the Open Internet Order by a 3-2 party-line vote, establishing the first formal net neutrality regulations but with significant weaknesses that would prove legally vulnerable. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski’s order established three core rules: …
The Federal Communications Commission votes 3-2 to punish Comcast for its “surreptitious interference” with BitTorrent uploads, marking the first time any U.S. broadband provider has been found to violate net neutrality principles. The Commission formally adopted an order finding that …
The Associated Press publishes a comprehensive investigation revealing that Comcast, the nation’s largest cable company and internet service provider, is secretly interfering with peer-to-peer file sharing applications including BitTorrent by forging network packets to block uploads. The AP …
The NSA began operating MAINWAY, a massive database system built to support the STELLARWIND surveillance program, collecting telephone metadata from major U.S. carriers including AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. Built in urgent haste after September 11, MAINWAY became what sources described as …
In September 2001, AT&T established a secret partnership with the NSA to provide direct access to its internet backbone infrastructure, creating unprecedented mass surveillance capabilities that bypass traditional legal protections. This infrastructure enabled the systematic collection and …
In the weeks following the 9/11 attacks, AT&T began developing a comprehensive infrastructure to provide the NSA direct access to internet backbone traffic. This involved installing sophisticated fiber-optic splitters at key network switching centers in eight major U.S. cities, enabling the NSA …
The Federal Communications Commission approves Viacom’s $35.6 billion acquisition of CBS Corporation despite the merger violating FCC regulations prohibiting one company from owning television stations reaching more than 35% of the U.S. audience and prohibiting ownership of two networks if one …
America Online (AOL), the nation’s dominant Internet service provider, announces its intention to purchase Time Warner for $164 billion in the largest media merger in history. The combined entity would control magazines, video and high-speed Internet cable, cable TV channels (including CNN, …
The Telecommunications Act of 1996’s media consolidation provisions trigger massive job losses across American journalism, gutting local news coverage and professional media employment. In radio alone, cities that once had 100 jobs for radio professionals now have perhaps 20, an 80% reduction …
Clear Channel Communications begins an unprecedented consolidation spree following the February 1996 Telecommunications Act, acquiring $581 million worth of radio and television stations within just four months of the act’s passage. Before the Telecommunications Act eliminated ownership caps, …
President Bill Clinton signs the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the first major overhaul of U.S. telecommunications law in over 60 years. While ostensibly designed to promote competition by allowing ‘anyone to enter any communications business,’ the act was heavily influenced by …
President Bill Clinton signs the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the first major overhaul of U.S. telecommunications law in over 60 years. While ostensibly designed to promote competition by allowing ‘anyone to enter any communications business,’ the act was heavily influenced by …