In a breakthrough for tech firms, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) approved a plan to open unused TV channels for wireless broadband. FCC chairman, Julius Genachowski said the move would offer "unique opportunities for innovators and entrepreneurs."

Companies like Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT) and Dell (DELL) have been pushing the FCC for this decision. The unused TV channels are called "white spaces" because signals can carry long distances and through buildings.

Continue reading FCC Grants Access to Unused TV Airwaves

FCC Grants Access to Unused TV Airwaves originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Communication Firms Take On the FCC

Communication Firms Take On the FCC originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 25 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Telecom companies to have their day in front of the FCC

Telecom companies to have their day in front of the FCC originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) is setting up a new tool to allow people online to measure whether their broadband provider is cutting down the speed of their access to the internet.

According to Reuters, "Google is looking to encourage network neutrality and prevent Internet service providers from blocking bandwidth-heavy sites." That is probably good news for consumers, but it is bad news for broadband providers like Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) who have limited capacity in their network infrastructures.

Continue reading Google's new bandwidth plan threatens Comcast

Google's new bandwidth plan threatens Comcast originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The day may be coming. According to The Wall Street Journal, a new FCC "report clears the way for the FCC to move forward with a plan to auction off airwaves to a bidder who agrees to offer free, national wireless Internet service."

Although the study indicates that most wireless carriers will not be hurt by the program, that is almost certainly not true. By many estimates the free service will be available to 50% of the US population in four years.

The new plan may well do some significant damage to major cellular and WiFi providers. Free is free, and $59 a month can be expensive. How many people will opt to pay for service when they don't need to?

The other industries that could experience some level of harm are the cable companies and telecoms, which offer wired broadband to the home. A good wireless alternative may allow some people to cancel those services.

The FCC regulates the wireless and wired communications companies. Now it means to undermine them.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

FCC may deliver a free wireless web originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

First Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) tried to cut off customers using peer-to-peer file sharing services. They ate up too much bandwidth and slowed down the cable company's network. At least that is what Comcast said.

The FCC did not like the Comcast approach and asked it to fix the matter. Comcast still says it has congestion problems and wants to handle them using a new method. According to Bloomberg, the cable guys "plans to slow service to its heaviest Internet users during periods of congestion after regulators ordered the company to devise a new method for managing its Web traffic."

If the traffic load in one area of the network becomes too great, big users could see their service dialed back to slower speeds for as long as 20 minutes.

Consumers will get bent out of shape because they reason that everyone should have unlimited access to the Internet, especially if they are paying $30 a month for broadband. But, that avoids an acknowledgment of the practical parts of the system. Internet "pipes" are only so big. If they become clogged, none of the users win.

The Comcast plan is fair and reasonable. If people want super-fast speeds all the time, they should pay for it. That is the only way for the cable company to undertake the work of upgrading its network without hurting its shareholders.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Comcast (CMCSA): Still shutting down the heavy internet user originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The FCC is looking at using part of the TV signal spectrum to provide wireless high-speed internet. It is a brilliant idea that is being opposed by a large part of the television industry.

According to The Wall Street Journal, "The Federal Communications Commission will have the final say in the battle between the broadcasters -- which fear interference on the airwaves they'll still be using -- and the companies including Google Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG). and Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT) that want to share the television airwaves."

The fight is a classic example of old media not wanting to give up something that it has "owned" for years because it may help new competition.

Tough luck. Broadband adoption in the U.S. is behind several countries in Europe and Asia, and if the FCC can offer an inexpensive solution to that, it should. The new over-the-air system would have many of the benefits of Wi-Fi, but would be more broadly available.

TV broadcasters say that the new technology could interfere with their signals, but testing can demonstrate whether that is true or not. The FCC has the chance to move broadband adoption forward with one spectacular decision. It should not balk at the chance.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Google and Motorola to supply Wi-Fi for the masses? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Three of the commissioners of the FCC have voted on the Sirius (NASDAQ: SIRI) merger with XM Satellite (NASDAQ: XMSR). Two have voted in favor, and one has voted against. That leaves two other votes. In other words, the deal could still be killed.

One of the remaining commissioners has indicated that he would vote for the merger if the companies would agree to a six-year price cap on their services. According to The Wall Street Journal, "The offer was viewed as an attempt to start negotiations, but the companies so far are showing little interest in haggling."

Is it any wonder? The most recent earnings reports from the two companies indicate that, while their losses are getting smaller, their subscription growth rates are slowing. Each firm has more than $1 billion in debt and neither has ever had an operating profit. In other words, if the companies cannot raise their rates the chances of them becoming profitable are significantly curtailed.

The FCC may be putting Sirius and XM in an almost impossible position. If they are willing to make moves which could hurt their earnings longterm, they may get the votes they need for approval. If not, the merger could be scuttled.

The future of satellite radio is now based on two bad outcomes.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com

Sirius deal with XM could still be killed originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Despite FCC Nod, Merger between Sirius and XM is far from complete

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Despite FCC Nod, Merger between Sirius and XM is far from complete originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

After months of being "almost" approved, it looks like the FCC may give the merger of Sirius (NASDAQ: SIRI) and XM Satellite (NASDAQ: XMSR) its green light. According to The Wall Street Journal, "The staff of the Federal Communications Commission has proposed that the agency approve the merger."

The two companies may have to negotiate with the agency on pricing before a final approval is issued. The FCC may put caps on what the newly formed company can charge consumers for the service and satellite receivers may be part of that process.

The real question is whether the approval will come too late to save the companies. Because they operate on different technology platforms, it could take over a year for the merger to gain real cost savings. Worse, each company has over $1 billion in debt. Neither has ever made an operating profit.

Satellite radio is also up against new competition for HD radio and portable media players and multimedia cell handsets. Many of the satellite radios are sold in new cars, but auto sales are down sharply.

Getting an "OK" may be better than the months of waiting had been, but the firms may already be in too much trouble for it to matter. .

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Sirius (SIRI) deal with XM Satellite (XMSR) may finally be approved originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 08:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Kevin Martin, the chairman of the FCC, has made it his business to try to cut the costs that customers are charged when they cancel their service before the end of a contract. According to The New York Times, "Mr. Martin's plan would require that fees be related to the actual cost of the phones. A fee for a $50 phone would be higher than for a $5 phone." It would also take into account how many months a customer had left on a contract.

The cellular companies, including Sprint (NYSE: S), spend a lot of money on their poor customer service. They ought to have a chance to get some of that back when a customer walks. It probably also costs the firms money to reconnect all of those dropped calls.

The cellular companies do have initial costs to set-up service and billing when a new customer comes on board. The Martin plan does not appear to take that into account.

Just because the service is no good does not mean that the cellular provider is not out a lot of money to provide it.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com

FCC plan to lower cellphone termination fees may not be fair originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 13 Jun 2008 10:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Worried about the satellite radio merger

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Worried about the satellite radio merger originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 11 Jun 2008 10:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Monday, June 9

• The Pediatric Ethics Subcommittee of the Pediatric Advisory Committee will meet at 8:30 am to discuss the application of 21 CFR 50.52 (Clinical investigations involving greater than minimal risk but presenting the prospect of direct benefit to individual subjects) to FDA-regulated research. The discussion will be illustrated with hypothetical case examples of research involving HIV vaccines in adolescents and controlled trials of inhaled corticosteroids in children with asthma.
• Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) to give mid-quarter update at 5:00 pm.

Tuesday, June 10

• The Pediatric Ethics Subcommittee will meet at 8:00 am to discuss the application of 21 CFR 50.52 to FDA-regulated research illustrated with a hypothetical case example of research using stem cells for treating periventricular white matter injury in children.
• Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) to hold conference call at 11:00 am to discuss business video innovation.
• Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) to hold mid-year review meeting at 12:00 pm.

Continue reading Market highlights for next week: Texas Instruments mid-quarter update

Market highlights for next week: Texas Instruments mid-quarter update originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 07 Jun 2008 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The satellite radio business could be in such sad shape that a merger between Sirius (NASDAQ: SIRI) and XM Satellite (NASDAQ: XMSR) may not do either much good. Neither has ever made a net profit. Their subscription growth rates are slowing. And, each has well over $1 billion in long-term debt.

Goldman Sachs recently said the combined company might need to raise $500 million to $1 billion to fund operations.

The editors at The Wall Street Journal figured this all out, perhaps a bit later than most. According to the paper, "The nation's only two satellite services are growing slower than previously while the broader economy is in a slowdown. Fewer people have been buying new cars, which is where the companies derive the bulk of new subscribers."

While the data may be obvious, the conclusions may not be. Companies with over $1 billion in debt and huge operating losses often do not make it, at least not in their current form. If the FCC does not approve the deal or puts a number of restrictions on it, one or both of the companies may have to seek the protection of Chapter 11. Huge debt service against no profits can do that.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com and author of the Ten Stocks Under $10 letter.

With industry on the ropes, XM Satellite deal with Sirius may not matter originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 03 Jun 2008 09:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Best Buy challenges FCC on analog TV labeling requirement originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 15 May 2008 13:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) to report Q1 earnings; conference call at 8:00am.
• W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE: GWW) to hold sales conference call at 8:00am.
• XM Satellite Radio Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: XMSR) and Sirius Satellite Radio, Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) to report quarterly earnings; the conference call is at 10:00am for XM and at 4:30pm for Sirius.

• Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) to report Q1 earnings; conference call at 7:30am.
• Toll Brothers, Inc. (NYSE: TOL) to report preliminary Q2 results and outlook at 2pm.
• Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) to report Q2 earnings; conference call at 4:30pm.

• FCC Open Commission Meeting at 9:30am.
• SEC Open Commission Meeting at 10:00am.
• Macy's, Inc. (NYSE: M) to report Q1 earnings; conference call at 10:30am.
• Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: A) to report Q2 earnings; conference call at 4:30pm.

Continue reading Market highlights for next week: Wal-Mart and Hewlett-Packard reporting

Market highlights for next week: Wal-Mart and Hewlett-Packard reporting originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 09 May 2008 16:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Rupert Murdoch is facing off against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as he seeks to take control of two TV stations and three newspapers in New York -- including Newsday -- The New York Times reports. A December 2007 FCC rule allows a company to own just one paper and one television station in the same city in the top 20 markets so long as there are at least eight other independent sources of news and the station is not in the top four. (The stations that News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) controls are the fourth- and sixth-largest in the New York market).

Meanwhile, I am fascinated by the Wall Street Journal's [subscription required] coverage of the departure of its own managing editor, Marcus Brauchli, yesterday. The punch line was that everything is fine because Brauchli was simply doing what the boss wanted. Brauchli's new role? Providing "guidance to senior management in a wide range of areas," including whether Murdoch's Star-TV service in Asia should launch a business-news channel. Sounds like a good fit.

In contrast to the Journal's corporate press release on its page one, The New York Times reported that Brauchli was fired. It noted that a few weeks prior to his departure, Murdoch's henchmen indicated they were unhappy with the pace of change at the Journal. The Times wrote: "At some point, They told him, 'We don't think this is working,' and Brauchli replied that in that case, he should consider leaving."

Continue reading Is Murdoch more powerful than the FCC?

Is Murdoch more powerful than the FCC? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sears Holdings (SHLD) slapped with fines by FCC originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Air travelers have been dealing with delays for the past week as all the major airlines are working to get all their planes inspected and given the "all clear" by the FCC. Last week, we saw major cancellations and delays for travelers flying American Airlines (NYSE: AMR) and Delta (NYSE: DAL) as those two carriers were having scores of planes inspected for potential problems with their wiring bundles.

The United inspections are looking at the fire suppression system in the cargo bays. The company wants to make sure that this system is working correctly, and notified authorities when it discovered that one of the five bottles in the suppression system was skipped over during the last inspection of the system.

Continue reading United Airlines (UAUA) pasengers brace themselves for travel delays

United Airlines (UAUA) pasengers brace themselves for travel delays originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

FCC now decides if satellite radio lives or dies originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.