WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Eddie Lazarus, chief of staff to the top U.S. communications regulator, is stepping down next month to pursue other endeavors, the Federal Communications Commission said on Tuesday.

Lazarus described his role at the agency as a “consigliere” to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.

“Within this office, I’m the last stop before the chairman for pretty much everything,” he told Reuters.

Lazarus came to the agency from the law and lobbying firm Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld in June 2009 to serve as Genachowski’s chief of staff.

“I am enormously grateful to Chairman Genachowski for giving me the opportunity to enter public service and join his vital enterprise of bringing the extraordinary benefits of broadband to all Americans,” he said.

Lazarus has not yet decided what he will do next.

His tenure at the agency put him at the forefront of major and controversial changes in the communications sector, including Universal Service Fund reform, adoption of net neutrality rules and major merger reviews.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. communications regulators cracked down on excessively loud TV commercials on Tuesday, implementing a bill passed last year to quiet commercials to the same volume as the programs they accompany.

The Federal Communications Commission has been fielding viewer complaints about loud commercials almost as long as commercial television has existed, the agency said.

The commission voted unanimously to require TV stations and cable and satellite operators to ensure that the average volume of a commercial does not exceed the average volume of the programming around it.

Commercials for OxiClean stain remover, ShamWow towels and HeadOn pain reliever “will never be the same,” FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell said at the agency’s open meeting.

Commissioner Mignon Clyburn added that the agency’s latest rulemaking will put an end to the “frightening decibel levels that resulted in considerable alarm, anger and spilt popcorn.”

The order adopted on Tuesday implements the CALM Act, authored by Representative Anna Eshoo and signed into law last December.

The California Democrat told Reuters her idea for the bill started after “being subjected to the blast of the high volume of advertisements” while watching a football game with family.

WASHINGTON, Dec 2 (Reuters) – U.S. Representative Edward Markey on Friday asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether software maker Carrier IQ violated millions of mobile phone users’ privacy rights.

Carrier IQ makes software that companies including AT&T Inc and Sprint Nextel install in mobile devices. It runs in the background, transmitting data that the software maker says its customer companies use to better understand their devices and networks, which allows them to improve their services.

Carrier IQ came under fire following reports that its software collects and transmits potentially sensitive data about the phone users.

“Consumers and families need to understand who is siphoning off and storing their personal information every time they use their smart phone,” Markey said in a statement.

Hacking expert Trevor Eckhart this week released a 17-minute YouTube video showing software tracking when he turns his HTC smartphone – powered by Google Inc’s Android operating system – on and off, punches numbers to make a call and writes a text message.

In a letter to FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz, Markey asked the agency to investigate this under its mandate to protect consumers from unfair or deceptive acts or practices.

Senator Al Franken on Thursday sent a letter to Carrier IQ, asking for details on the types of data its software collects and what it does with that information.

WASHINGTON, Dec 1 (Reuters) – A bill to create a wireless network for public safety and make more airwaves available to bandwidth-hungry communications companies passed a House panel on Thursday despite objections from Democrats over the treatment of certain airwaves.

The bill would help meet the booming demand for mobile devices and give a highly sought-after block of airwaves called the D Block to public safety to build an interoperable wireless network to ease communication between first responders.

The House communications and technology subcommittee voted 17-6, largely down party lines with only one Democrat voting in its favor, to advance the Republican-backed bill to the full House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Wireless carriers like AT&T Inc and Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon Communications Inc and Vodafone Group Plc , have clamored for access to more airwaves to stave off a looming spectrum crunch that would mean clogged networks, more dropped calls and slower connection speeds for wireless customers.

The subcommittee backed giving the Federal Communications Commission authority to auction some airwaves currently held by television broadcasters and shift their use to mobile broadband. Estimates of the proceeds are for as much as $28 billion.

Some auction proceeds would go to broadcasters giving up spectrum and some would help fund the construction and maintenance of a wireless public safety network. The remaining money would go toward cutting the U.S. budget deficit.

Democrats had pushed to postpone the markup, citing too little time to review the draft legislation released on Tuesday and a desire to see more compromise in the bill drafted by subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden.

By Jasmin Melvin

(Reuters) – AT&T Inc accused the staff of the U.S. communications regulator of being “one-sided” in a report critical of AT&T’s proposed buy of T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom.

“The report cherry-picks facts to support its (the staff) views, and ignores facts that don’t. Where facts were lacking, the report speculates,” Jim Cicconi, AT&T’s chief lobbyist, said in a statement.

The Federal Communications Commission released a staff report this week that criticized AT&T’s $39 billion plan to purchase T-Mobile USA for leading to high prices and job losses.

AT&T has withdrawn its FCC merger request, saying it will focus on fighting a Justice Department lawsuit that seeks to block the deal on antitrust grounds.

The company, since March, has said the deal would expand faster wireless service to 97 percent of the country, and bring jobs back to the United States.

But the FCC staff report released on Tuesday took issue with many of AT&T’s touted benefits and said the companies failed to prove the transaction was in the public interest.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Communications regulators released a staff report criticizing AT&T Inc’s $39 billion plan to purchase T-Mobile USA, even though they agreed on Tuesday to let the companies withdraw their request for approval.

AT&T and T-Mobile USA owner Deutsche Telekom AG said last week they wanted to withdraw their application with the Federal Communications Commission to focus on defending the transaction from an antitrust lawsuit brought by the U.S. Justice Department.

The FCC released on Tuesday an FCC staff report that found the touted benefits of the transaction do not outweigh the competitive disadvantages.

FCC officials cited staff findings that the deal would significantly diminish competition and lead to massive job losses.

The staff report also concluded the merger would not result in significantly more build-out of next generation 4G wireless service than would occur absent the transaction.

AT&T called the FCC’s decision to release the report “troubling.”

“It is simply a staff draft that raises questions of fact that were to be addressed in an administrative hearing, a hearing which will not now take place,” said Jim Cicconi, AT&T’s senior executive vice president of external and legislative affairs.

By Jasmin Melvin

(Reuters) – A bill to create a wireless network for public safety and make more airwaves available to bandwidth-hungry communications companies, will be considered by a House of Representatives committee next week.

The communications subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee has scheduled a December 1 meeting on the legislation that is partly aimed at meeting the booming demand for mobile devices.

Announcement of the bill markup follows a failed attempt by the congressional debt “super committee” to agree on a plan to reduce the budget deficit.

Many had hoped the 12-member panel would address the airwaves issue because of the billions of dollars in revenue it could generate through the auction of spectrum.

“Spectrum legislation is a longstanding priority for both parties and a key element of our pro-jobs strategy,” subcommittee chairman Greg Walden said in a statement.

Details of the bill will not be available until Tuesday, a committee spokeswoman said. Walden said the measure would “create thousands of jobs, establish an interoperable public safety network, and reduce the deficit.”

By Jasmin Melvin

(Reuters) – AT&T Inc was dealt a blow on Tuesday as the top U.S. communications regulator sought to have its planned $39 billion purchase of T-Mobile USA sent to an administrative law judge for review.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski sent a draft order to his fellow commissioners, citing FCC staff findings that the deal would significantly diminish competition and lead to massive job losses.

“The record clearly shows that — in no uncertain terms — this merger would result in a massive loss of U.S. jobs and investment,” a senior FCC official said.

The agency also concluded that the merger would not result in significantly more buildout of next generation 4G wireless service than would occur absent the transaction.

AT&T argues the deal will accelerate its expansion of high-speed wireless service to nearly all Americans.

The U.S. Justice Department went to court in August to oppose AT&T’s purchase of T-Mobile from Deutsche Telekom AG on antitrust grounds. A trial in that case is due to begin on February 13.

By Jasmin Melvin

(Reuters) – AT&T Inc was dealt a blow on Tuesday as the top U.S. communications regulator sought to have its planned $39 billion purchase of T-Mobile USA sent to an administrative law judge for review.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski sent a draft order to his fellow commissioners, citing FCC staff findings that the deal would significantly diminish competition and lead to massive job losses.

The Justice Department went to court in August to oppose AT&T’s purchase of T-Mobile from Deutsche Telekom AG on antitrust grounds. A trial in that case is due to begin on February 13.

Any administrative hearing at the FCC, which is charged with evaluating the public interest merits of the deal, would begin after the antitrust trial, an FCC official said.

AT&T called the FCC action “disappointing.”

“It is yet another example of a government agency acting to prevent billions in new investment and the creation of many thousands of new jobs at a time when the U.S. economy desperately needs both,” Larry Solomon, a senior vice president of corporate communications, said in an emailed statement.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States has not independently confirmed reports that Muammar Gaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam, has been captured, a State Department official said on Saturday.

“We have seen the reports but cannot independently confirm them,” the official said.

Saif al-Islam, 39, was poised to succeed his late father, Muammar Gaddafi, as leader of Libya until rebels toppled the government earlier this year. Gaddafi’s British-educated son had vowed to die fighting in opposition to the revolution.

Reports from Libya say he was seized in the southern Libyan desert by fighters who vowed to hold him in their mountain town of Zintan until there was an administration to hand him over to.

“His capture and trial would be another step away from a 40-year dark chapter in Libyan history and help move the Libyan people toward the peaceful and democratic future they deserve,” the U.S. official said.

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Saif al-Islam on charges of crimes against humanity.

“The international community has been very clear that he should be held accountable for his actions,” the official said, adding that Libyan authorities have been urged to treat all prisoners in custody in line with international standards.