Verizon is 18 months to two years ahead of schedule on deploying 5G, CEO Hans Vestberg said Tuesday amid Q4 results that disappointed some. The carrier added more wireless subscribers than expected, with profit down and continuing losses of Fios video subscribers.
Internal consolidation doesn’t trigger antitrust concerns, DOJ Antitrust Division Chief Makan Delrahim said Tuesday at the State of the Net conference. He was asked about Facebook’s plan to integrate messaging services for Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram (see 1901250046). However, if the consolidation allows anticompetitive behavior, that’s worth attention, he said. The division is “working as fast” as it can on reviewing T-Mobile's proposed buy of Sprint, Delrahim also said (see 1901290040).
AM broadcasters and engineers differ on specifics of how the FCC should change interference protections for AM stations but want fast action, in comments in docket 13-249. Comments originally were due Jan. 22. Now, the agency moved the deadline to Feb. 8 (see 1901290043), said a public notice Tuesday.
The DOJ Antitrust Division is “working as fast as we can” on reviewing T-Mobile's proposed buy of Sprint, which will “end when it ends,” division head Makan Delrahim said Tuesday during the State of the Net conference. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J., Free Press and other groups opposed to T-Mobile/Sprint, meanwhile, briefed congressional aides. The House Communications Subcommittee and House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee set a Feb. 13 hearing (see 1901280051).
Prison officials are backing away from demands the FCC allow jamming of cell signals to curb contraband cellphones in prisons, said Kevin Kempf, executive director of the Association of State Correctional Administrators. Carriers and corrections officials have been meeting regularly for about a year and are close to finalizing a task force report, which will be filed at the FCC, Tuesday's FCBA event heard.
House Communications Subcommittee leaders diverged on approaches to net neutrality legislation, during the State of the Net conference Tuesday. Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., staked out a partisan agenda on that and other telecom policy issues. Ranking member Bob Latta, R-Ohio, emphasized the need for continued bipartisanship on the House Commerce Committee as the GOP settles into its new role as the minority party. Their comments came ahead of House hearings on net neutrality and T-Mobile's proposed purchase of Sprint, which also got attention Tuesday (see 1901290040).
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's decision to move up a Feb. 21 monthly meeting to Feb. 14 was welcomed, given potential for another shutdown after Feb. 15 (see 1901290014). Pai announced Tuesday the tentative agenda would be the same five drafts originally planned for Wednesday's meeting, now item-less due to the recent shutdown (see 1901230058). Separately, the FCC delayed to Feb. 8 deadlines on many filings due Jan. 8-Feb. 7 (see 1901290043).
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials(AASHTO) raised concerns on a 5G Automotive Association waiver request to deploy cellular vehicle-to-everything technology (C-V2X) in the 5.9 GHz band's upper 20 MHz. The band is allocated to dedicated short-range communications. Comments were initially due Thursday at the FCC and some were posted Monday in docket 18-357. Most early commenters supported granting the waiver.
Talks on updating EU copyright law for the digital age stalled as 11 countries balked over several provisions, including creating a news "publisher's right" (Article 11) and making internet platforms liable for infringing content uploaded by users (Article 13). Government representatives "could not agree on the revised text" floated by the Romanian Presidency before a Jan. 21 "trilogue" between the European Commission, Council and Parliament, a diplomatic official said.
Three coordinators of state and local 911 systems said they didn't get warning or immediate direct information from CenturyLink as a network outage last month disrupted such systems nationwide. Officials in Washington state, Colorado and Wyoming's state capital told us they relied on their own information, news reports and Twitter in the early stages as they decided how to respond to problems including static, loss of automatic location data and, in Washington state, hours-long 911 outages.