Google CEO Sundar Pichai calls for ‘sensible regulation’ of AI

Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai takes his sweet time getting to the point in a new Financial Times editorial. But when he gets there, he leave's little room for interpretation: "...there is no question in my mind that artificial intelligence ne...

WSJ: FCC chairman Julius Genachowski will say tomorrow that he’s stepping down

FCC chairman Julius Genachowski stepping down

Merely a day after FCC commissioner Robert McDowell announced his resignation, it appears that chairman Julius Genachowski is going to do likewise. Citing an unnamed FCC official and industry official, The Wall Street Journal reports Genachowski is expected to leave -- presumably as his term ends on June 30th. Granted, the departure isn't a shock to anyone who follows the roller coaster ride of Washington, but it's bound to rekindle chatter about who is set to take his place.

Like most every other figurehead in politics, Genachowski has had his fair share of outspoken proponents and critics, but he has embedded himself into the world of consumer electronics in a way that few other chairmen have. From calling for hastened broadband rollouts throughout America to voicing concerns about the existing phone unlocking policy, Genachowski won't soon be forgotten for his forthright opinions on matters that impact folks who frequent this site. As for the man or woman taking his place this summer? Looks like we'll have to wait a bit for the answer to that one.

We reached out for more, and a spokesperson for the chairman declined to comment.

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Source: Wall Street Journal, Reuters

AT&T: ‘we unlock our customers’ devices’

AT&T 'we unlock our customers' devices'

To our delight, the recent ruling that phone subsidy unlocks are no longer protected by copyright law has sparked a lot of attention from the general public as well as the US government. However, some of the carriers are predictably not too excited by the amount of negative light it sheds on their own unlock policies. AT&T has taken to its public policy blog to discuss its viewpoint on the matter. Joan Marsh, VP of Federal Regulatory for the company, insists that "the ruling has very little impact on AT&T customers."

Marsh reiterates AT&T's unlock policy by stating: "if we have the unlock code or can reasonably get it from the manufacturer, AT&T currently will unlock a device for any customer whose account has been active for at least sixty days; whose account is in good standing and has no unpaid balance; and who has fulfilled his or her service agreement commitment. If the conditions are met we will unlock up to five devices per account per year."

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Source: AT&T Public Policy Blog

Deputy Administrator of NHTSA joins Google as Director of Safety for Self-Driving Cars

Deputy Administrator of NHTSA joins Google as Director of Safety for Self-Driving Cars

El Goog has been experimenting with autonomous vehicles for a while, and now it's hiring a government man to help handle the red tape and get them on the roads. Ron Medford will be leaving his job as second in command (Deputy Administrator) at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and joining the search giant in January as the Director of Safety for Self-Driving Cars. Google's prototype robot chauffeurs have navigated over 300,000 miles of US road, but to graduate from the testing stage will require just as much regulatory expertise as it will tech smarts. That's where Medford comes in, who will be paying close attention to the NHTSA's multi-year project to define standards for self-driving cars, which started only recently. Now, hopefully, we won't have to wait as long for those stressful journeys as pilot to become relaxing jaunts as fleshy cargo.

[Image Credit: Getty Images / Brendan Hoffman]

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Via: Wired

Source: The Detroit News

FCC votes in favor of rethinking spectrum holding rules, goading broadcasters into wireless selloffs

Cellular tower worker

FCC meetings can be momentous occasions under the right circumstances, although it's seldom the case that we see the agency pass two potentially far-reaching measures in one sitting, like we just saw on Friday. To start, regulators have voted in favor of a proposal that will review spectrum sale rules and might drop the case-by-case determinations in favor of a more consistent screening mechanism. The reexamination will also consider a change to the ownership rules surrounding wireless frequencies that treats bands below 1GHz differently than those above -- the better to address a chorus of smaller carriers that don't like all the prime spectrum going to the companies with the most existing clout, namely AT&T and Verizon. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski argues that reform could spur innovation through more competition, although dissenting Commissioner Robert McDowell is worried that consistent rules will somehow create "uncertainty."

Side-by-side with the review, the FCC is proposing an incentive-based reverse auction strategy to have TV broadcasters voluntarily give up their spectrum for cellular and data use. The multi-phase approach would have TV providers set the price at which they're willing to sell their spectrum to the FCC; those that just can't bear to part with their airwaves would be corralled into a tighter band range to make for larger available frequency blocks in the auction that follows. As with other FCC proposals, there's likely to be a long interval between the auction vote, the review and any definitive rulemaking, let alone an impact -- auctions by themselves can take years to play out. Still, any success with the measures could head off spectrum crunches while simultaneously preventing any solutions from consolidating too much power and creating their own problems.

[Tower photo via Shutterstock]

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FCC votes in favor of rethinking spectrum holding rules, goading broadcasters into wireless selloffs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 21:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink FierceWireless, Ars Technica  |  sourceFCC (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

iPhone 5 swings through first round of Chinese approvals, may already have China Telecom onboard

iPhone 5 swings through first round of Chinese approvals, may have un

Wireless device certifications can sometimes give away a little more of a company's game plan than intended. Case in point: a China Compulsory Certification for the iPhone 5. The expected A1429 variant has been given initial clearance on its way to China Unicom, but there's also a previously unseen, CDMA2000-based A1442 iPhone with a similar rubber stamp. With the iPhone 4S already on the market for a CDMA-only China Telecom, it doesn't take much to suggest that the A1442 represents Apple's taller, faster smartphone already prepared for the same carrier. Neither edition of the iPhone 5 is imminent without the equally important network and radio clearances. Getting the ball rolling on multiple variants so soon after the initial launch, however, raises the chance that we'll see the iPhone 5 on more than one Chinese provider faster than the iPhone 4S took to arrive the last time around.

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iPhone 5 swings through first round of Chinese approvals, may already have China Telecom onboard originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Next Web  |  sourceSina (translated)  | Email this | Comments

iPhone 5, updated iPod touch and iPod nano models reach the FCC right on cue

iPhone 5, updated iPod touch and iPod nano models reach the FCC right on cue

Apple has a tradition of timing FCC filings for new wireless mobile devices so that they appear just as soon as they've been announced, and it's not about to let up now. We've got a trifecta of approvals on the way for 2012 that start with the iPhone 5. What's hard to miss is the absurd number of cellular bands at work: as Apple had to make separate iPhone 5 models to cover every LTE carrier it supports, on top of the usual alphabet soups for CDMA and GSM, the filing combining the two devices is one of the largest we've seen to date. The addition of 5GHz WiFi support only compounds the situation.

A pair of iPods also made their appearances today, and they've been given the regulatory once-over as well. The iPod touch has the 5GHz WiFi band included and isn't special by itself, but the new iPod nano is noteworthy simply for showing up at all -- the inclusion of Bluetooth means a spin past the testing facility in addition to some wireless audio. We're still digging to see if the iPhone or new iPods have any surprises, although you can have a first-hand look through the source links.

Brad Molen contributed to this report.

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iPhone 5, updated iPod touch and iPod nano models reach the FCC right on cue originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 17:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceFCC (iPhone 5), (iPod touch), (iPod nano)  | Email this | Comments

FCC seen reviewing rules for carrier spectrum sales, might try one-size-fits-all model

FCC seen reviewing rules for carrier spectrum sales, might try onesizefitsall model

The FCC currently decides on concerns of wireless spectrum concentration on a case-by-case basis: what's acceptable in one deal might be forbidden in another. That inconsistency can be maddening to carriers and advocacy groups alike, which is why FCC Chairman Juilus Genachowski is reportedly on the cusp of distributing an order to review the process. Talking to The Hill, an official at the agency claims that the review would ask for input on creating a universal standard that would apply to all deals, hopefully providing "clarity and predictability" for any company making a spectrum grab. The order could be distributed to the FCC's commissioners next week and voted on next month, although there's no sign of an impending revolution -- it's just a call for opinions, after all. Regardless, the two sides of the spectrum debate already like the idea, as it could both prevent complaints by carriers of ambush regulation as well as toughen up rules that critics say hands too large a slice of the airwaves to the incumbents.

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FCC seen reviewing rules for carrier spectrum sales, might try one-size-fits-all model originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 10:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DOJ, FCC clear Verizon buyout of cable companies’ spectrum, require giving up some airwaves

Verizon logoVerizon has been fighting hard to get its acquisition of cable companies' wireless frequencies past legal hurdles, and it just surged over the most important of the bunch: both the Department of Justice and the FCC have signed off on the agreement. To get the $3.9 billion deal through the door, Big Red will have to offload some of its spectrum to other companies. The DOJ, meanwhile, is more concerned that Verizon is getting a little too cozy with Bright House, Comcast, Cox and Time Warner Cable in terms of marketing and reselling bundles that include cellular and cable access. Closing the deal also requires setting up a new joint venture in technology research. We're still working to learn the full details of the deal, but the spectrum handover will likely give a swift kick to Verizon's 4G capacity -- and anger a few rivals who wouldn't have wanted any handover to go through.

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DOJ, FCC clear Verizon buyout of cable companies' spectrum, require giving up some airwaves originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 11:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FCC Fridays: July 13, 2012

FCC Fridays July 13, 2012

We here at Engadget tend to spend a lot of way too much time poring over the latest FCC filings, be it on the net or directly on the ol' Federal Communications Commission's site. Since we couldn't possibly (want to) cover all the stuff that goes down there individually, we've gathered up an exhaustive listing of every phone and / or tablet getting the stamp of approval over the last week. Enjoy!

Continue reading FCC Fridays: July 13, 2012

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FCC Fridays: July 13, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 18:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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