10//17//14

Nobel-winning message for the FCC

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-10-14/nobel-winning-message-for-the-fcc

by Susan Crawford

Jean Tirole’s Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences is being celebrated on both sides of the Atlantic by academics and economists. But there is no joy in the power circles of U.S. telecommunications policy. More than a decade ago, federal policy makers turned their backs on Tirole’s sensible assessments of private communications utilities — and with disastrous results.


10//14//14

CenturyLink and Frontier say CAF-II should support 10/1 Mbps

http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=60000972461

CenturyLink and Frontier Communications say in a joint filing that the second phase of the FCC’s Connect America Fund (CAF-II) should support the regulator’s 10/1 proposed broadband definition in all rural areas they serve today. “If 10/1 is the new standard then all high-cost areas lacking 10/1 service today should be eligible for support,” CenturyLink and Frontier wrote in their joint filing.


10//06//14

ERC named finalist for NC Tech Award

The ERC was named a finalist for the Communications Technology Company award by the North Carolina Technology Association (NCTA). The NC Tech Awards, held on November 6 in Raleigh, will highlight and recognize the “companies and individuals who have characterized excellence, innovation and leadership” in technology across the state.  The Communications Technology Company award highlights a product or service that demonstrates industry leading performance and/or achieves a milestone of notable success.

The ERC is very proud of its long-term association with NCTA, and especially of this award nomination. Congratulations to the ERC team!


10//06//14

Marriott fined $600,000 for jamming guest hotspots

http://www.slashgear.com/marriott-fined-600000-for-jamming-guest-hotspots-03349010/

Marriott will cough up $600,000 in penalties after being caught blocking mobile hotspots so that guests would have to pay for its own WiFi services, the FCC has confirmed today. The fine comes after staff at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center in Nashville were found to be jamming individual hotspots and then charging people up to $1,000 per device to get online.


09//26//14

Allow Municipalities the Chance to Build Broadband Networks

Allow Municipalities the Chance to Build Broadband Networks

an article by Mike Montgomery in the Huffington Post