WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The communications regulator has been oddly slow in unleashing new powers to police the Internet, six months after finalizing the controversial rules.

The delay has kept the rules in a glass box, both preventing the Federal Communications Commission from cracking down on unwarranted blocking of Internet content and keeping legal challenges at bay.

WASHINGTON, June 9 (Reuters) – The U.S. communications
regulator has been oddly slow in unleashing new powers to
police the Internet, six months after finalizing the
controversial rules.

The delay has kept the rules in a glass box, both
preventing the Federal Communications Commission from cracking
down on unwarranted blocking of Internet content and keeping
legal challenges at bay.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Senate committee backed giving U.S. communications regulators authority to auction some airwaves currently used by broadcast television and to shift their use to mobile broadband.

The auction authority is seen as key to a Federal Communications Commission plan to free up additional airwaves to meet the booming demand for wireless services.

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Reuters) – The United States continues
to lag behind other countries in broadband adoption and
download speeds, according to a report released by the Federal
Communications Commission on Friday.

Based on broadband data from Organization for Economic
Co-operation and Development member countries, the United
States ranked ninth out of 29 countries for mobile broadband
adoption on a per capita basis, and 12th out of 33 countries
for percentage of households with fixed broadband, the FCC
said.

WASHINGTON, May 11 (Reuters) – Federal Communications
Commission Commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker will leave the
agency for a new post at Comcast Corp (CMCSA.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).

Comcast said on Wednesday that Baker will join the company
as senior vice president of government affairs for NBC
Universal.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The impact of AT&T Inc’s proposed acquisition of T-Mobile on competition, pricing and consumer choice will be examined at a congressional hearing on Wednesday where top executives are due to appear.

AT&T has touted fewer dropped calls and faster data speeds to entice consumer and policymaker support for its $39-billion bid to take over Deutsche Telekom AG’s T-Mobile USA.

WASHINGTON, May 6 (Reuters) – A senator is asking AT&T Inc
(T.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and T-Mobile about their commitment to lower-priced plans
and to maintaining current employment levels ahead of a
congressional hearing on their proposed merger.

Senator Amy Klobuchar sent a letter to the companies
raising a series of concerns about the deal prior to the May 11
hearing by the Senate Judiciary’s antitrust subcommittee.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Antitrust law was inadequate to preserve the openness of the Internet and to allow innovation to flourish, the top U.S. communications regulator said on Thursday, defending Internet road rules adopted last year.

“Antitrust enforcement is expensive to pursue, takes a long time and kicks in only after damage is done,” Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski told a congressional hearing.

WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) – Mobile privacy safeguards
should also extend to third-party application developers, two
lawmakers said after reviewing the practices of four major U.S.
wireless carriers.

Representatives Edward Markey and Joe Barton, co-chairs of
the House Bi-Partisan Privacy Caucus, released on Thursday
letters they received from Verizon Wireless (VZ.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)(VOD.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), AT&T
Inc (T.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Sprint Nextel Corp (S.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and T-Mobile in response to
their inquiries last month about the collection, use and
storage of location data.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Mobile privacy safeguards should also extend to third party application developers, two lawmakers said after reviewing the practices of four major U.S. wireless carriers.

Representatives Edward Markey and Joe Barton, co-chairs of the House Bi-Partisan Privacy Caucus, on Thursday released letters they received from Verizon Wireless, AT&T Inc, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile in response to their inquiries last month about the collection, use and storage of location data.