When FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler confirmed the agency's proposal to lift the ban on in-flight voice calls, he also issued a statement that sounded like he favored the change. According to AP, that didn't sit well with a bunch of folks , and the FCC's phones rang off the hook with complaints -- one representative even called him a "wireless lobbyist." Well, it looks like that's caused the chairman's quick change of heart: while he previously called the agency's rules "outdated and restrictive," he now agrees with passengers who'd prefer that cellular services remain banned on planes. If you were one of those who got excited at the prospect of making calls in the air, though, don't feel bad that Wheeler doesn't have your back anymore. In a new statement on FCC's website, he says that even if the agency lifts the ban, it's still the carriers that'll have to decide whether to adopt the policy and allow voice connectivity.
Filed under: Misc
Comments
Via: ABCNews
Source: FCC
After losing its bid to protect municipal broadband services, the Federal Communications Commission has apparently given up the fight to keep local competition in high-speed internet service. As Ars Technica reports today, the FCC has decided not to...
Tom Wheeler, head honcho at the Federal Communications Commission, has fired off letters asking the country's biggest communications providers to offer robocall blocking services for free. The FCC is still fielding a barrage of complaints from people...
Earlier this year the FCC voted on a plan to fix crappy cable boxes. Dubbed "Unlock the Box," the plan would make cable companies open up their services for use on boxes made by other companies. Now, after a few months of complaining and poking holes...
An appeals court in Washington DC has upheld the FCC's Open Internet Order, affirming that Net Neutrality can live to fight another day. While the appellate judges have had to rule in favor of telecoms companies in previous cases, the FCC's law is no...
It feels like forever since Time Warner Cable agreed to merge with Charter Communications, for an estimated $55 billion. But today, nearly a year after the two companies struck a deal, the Federal Communications Commission has finally granted its app...
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...
Federal Communications Commission chairman Tom Wheeler made his case for an ambitious plan to better defend consumer data privacy on Wednesday. His proposal would effectively govern how ISPs can leverage user data for marketing and advertising purpos...
The FCC is preparing to propose rule changes that'll loosen cable companies' stranglehold on the set-top box market. According to the Wall Street Journal, Tom Wheeler is planning to give consumers far more choice over what hardware they can use. Righ...