FCC hopes opening up communication airwaves will boost innovation

Today, the FCC voted to move forward with a proposal to open up communications spectrum beyond 95 GHz. In a statement, it said that spectrum above this range has been thought to be at the edge of what's usable, but now it wants to provide different l...

FCC Commissioner Clyburn talks about net neutrality at CES

Commissioner Mignon Clyburn has been a vocal defender of net neutrality and even helped author the Open Internet Order in 2015. She was on the ground and Las Vegas for CES and was nice enough to make time to swing by the Engadget stage. She sat down...

Ajit Pai reportedly cancelled CES appearance due to death threats

Yesterday, CES announced that FCC Chairman Ajit Pai would no longer be appearing at the trade show where he was scheduled to take part in a conversation with FTC Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen. No reasons were given by CES or the FCC at the time for the...

The FCC has repealed net neutrality

During today's open meeting, the FCC's proposal to repeal net neutrality protections put in place in 2015 was put to a vote and it passed, three votes to two. As was widely expected, the three Republican members -- Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioners...

The FCC stops investigating carrier’s ‘zero-rating’ plans

Now that there's a new voice atop the FCC, priorities are changing. As part of a "Friday night news dump" -- as it's being called by fellow commissioner Mignon Clyburn -- the regulator announced it's done investigating carriers for "zero rating" prog...

FCC expands Lifeline to help low-income Americans afford internet

Today the FCC voted 3-2 to approve expanding its Lifeline program that has subsidized phone and prepaid wireless access for low-income Americans since the 80s, so that now it covers internet access too. The $9.25 household subsidy is paid directly to...