WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. communications regulators urged adoption of new technologies that would allow people needing emergency help to send text, photos and video messages to police and rescue dispatchers.

While sending multimedia messages over mobile devices is commonplace with the smartphone boom, the country’s 9-1-1 emergency system only supports voice calls.

“In an emergency, consumers should be able to reach out for help with whatever means of communications they are accustomed to using,” Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski said at an FCC meeting on Thursday where commissioners agreed to issue the proposal.

Allowing first responders to assess emergencies through photos and videos of an incident before they even arrive could be a huge leap forward.

“A few years ago this technology may have sounded like science fiction, but today it’s increasingly available for commercial purposes,” Genachowski said.

But it is not clear how soon the technology could be deployed given tight budgets at every level of government. Most 9-1-1 call centers are funded by a combination of state and local subsidies.

The FCC estimated it would cost $2.68 billion over 10 years just to establish a suitable national network. By consolidating call centers and sharing more infrastructure, that could be shaved to $1.44 billion.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. judge set a February 13 start for a trial over whether AT&T Inc can buy rival T-Mobile USA, a compromise between the companies’ desire for a quick resolution and the Justice Department’s request for more time to prepare its case.

U.S. District Judge Ellen Huvelle on Wednesday set aside up to six weeks for the trial in response to the Obama administration’s antitrust lawsuit against the deal. She will preside without a jury, as is typical for such cases.

There was no discussion of any settlement to avoid trial during the 80-minute preliminary hearing.

The Justice Department sued last month to block AT&T’s $39 billion purchase of T-Mobile, owned by Deutsche Telekom AG, arguing it would raise prices for consumers and hamper competition and innovation.

A key government concern is that T-Mobile, the No. 4 wireless carrier, generally costs less than other carriers so its disappearance could mean higher prices for wireless service.

AT&T, the No. 2 wireless carrier, has defended the transaction, saying it would bring 5,000 overseas jobs back to the United States and enable it to expand high-speed wireless Internet coverage to 97 percent of all Americans.

The trial date falls between the government’s request to begin March 19 and AT&T’s petition for a January 16 date. Lawyers for the parties said the matter was unlikely to need six weeks to present evidence or witnesses.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. judge set a February 13 start for a trial over whether AT&T Inc (T.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) can buy rival T-Mobile USA despite competitive concerns raised in a lawsuit by the Obama administration’s Justice Department.

U.S. District Judge Ellen Huvelle set aside 6 weeks for the non-jury trial. There was no discussion during the 80-minute scheduling hearing of any settlement of the case.

The Justice Department sued last month to block AT&T’s $39 billion purchase of T-Mobile, owned by Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), for fear it would raise prices for consumers and hamper competition and innovation.

The trial date falls between the government’s request to begin March 19 and AT&T’s petition for a January 16 date. Lawyers for the parties said the matter was unlikely to need six weeks.

Mark Hansen, one of AT&T’s lawyers, had pressed the judge for a quick trial to provide certainty to the companies and the market, saying they were “already months beyond where we want to be.”

The deal would combine the No. 2 and No. 4 wireless carriers. The companies could find it difficult to hold the deal together through a long proceeding and investors’ patience could wane.

The ceremonial courtroom of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia was used for the scheduling hearing. The bigger space was needed to accommodate the large legal teams involved in the case.

WASHINGTON, Sept 21 (Reuters) – A U.S. judge set a Feb. 13 start for a trial over whether AT&T Inc (T.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) can buy rival T-Mobile USA despite competitive concerns raised in a lawsuit by the Obama administration’s Justice Department.

U.S. District Judge Ellen Huvelle set aside 6 weeks for the non-jury trial. There was no discussion during the 80-minute scheduling hearing of any settlement of the case.

The Justice Department sued last month to block AT&T’s $39 billion purchase of T-Mobile, owned by Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), for fear it would raise prices for consumers and hamper competition and innovation.

The trial date falls between the government’s request to begin March 19 and AT&T’s petition for a Jan. 16 date. Lawyers for the parties said the matter was unlikely to need six weeks.

Mark Hansen, one of AT&T’s lawyers, had pressed the judge for a quick trial to provide certainty to the companies and the market, saying they were “already months beyond where we want to be.”

The deal would combine the No. 2 and No. 4 wireless carriers. The companies could find it difficult to hold the deal together through a long proceeding and investors’ patience could wane.

The ceremonial courtroom of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia was used for the scheduling hearing. The bigger space was needed to accommodate the large legal teams involved in the case.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department will not hold a briefing for lawmakers to explain its decision to challenge AT&T Inc’s (T.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) purchase of Deutsche Telekom AG’s (DTEGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) T-Mobile USA.

In a letter sent on Monday to House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, the Justice Department said it could not disclose nonpublic information about a matter in active litigation.

The Justice Department filed suit on August 31 to block AT&T’s $39 billion purchase of T-Mobile, citing concerns that it would raise prices for consumers and hamper competition and innovation. The Federal Communications Commission said it also had concerns about the deal’s impact on competition.

Top Republicans in the House Energy and Commerce Committee earlier in the month requested a bipartisan briefing with DOJ and the FCC on what went into the decision to challenge the merger and whether the agencies had considered the impact on jobs and economic growth.

Sharing information outside of the judicial process creates “the risk that the public and the courts will perceive undue political and Congressional influence over litigation decisions,” Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich said in the letter.

Lawmakers have no direct role in reviewing the merger that was proposed in March; but Congress, through oversight of the regulators and by holding hearings, can influence public opinion.

The deal would merge two of the four national wireless carriers, and vault current No. 2 AT&T over Verizon Wireless, a venture of Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Vodafone Group Plc (VOD.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), into the No. 1 spot.

By Jasmin Melvin

(Reuters) – A proposed update of the U.S. online privacy rule for children would revise definitions of personal information and beef up parental consent mechanisms to reflect technological changes.

The Federal Trade Commission plan would modify its Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule that gives parents a say over what information websites and other online providers can collect about children under the age of 13.

“In this era of rapid technological change, kids are often tech savvy but judgment poor,” FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said in a statement on Thursday.

The FTC plan makes clear that privacy protections apply when a child is on a cell phone, playing interactive games online or participating in a virtual world. It further clarifies that the law requires parental consent before behaviorally profiling a child.

The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) of 1998 requires websites and online service operators to obtain verifiable consent from parents before collecting, using or disclosing personal information of children.

New consent mechanisms, such as video-conferencing and electronic scans of signed consent forms, are added under the FTC’s proposal. The commission wants to eliminate a form of parental consent known as “email plus,” that allows operators to obtain consent through an email to the parent, coupled with another step.

Sept 15 (Reuters) – The Federal Trade Commission is proposing new safeguards to heighten protection of children’s personal information online.

The proposal would change an existing rule that gives parents a say over what information a website can collect about their children. The amendments are aimed at keeping pace with new technology and devices that give children Internet access.

“In this era of rapid technological change, kids are often tech savvy but judgment poor,” FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said in a statement on Thursday.

The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) mandates that website and online service operators obtain verifiable consent from parents before collecting, using or disclosing personal information of children under 13.

The FTC implements COPPA through a rule that became effective in 2000.

Proposed changes to that rule would update the definition of “personal information” to include geolocation information often collected by mobile devices and applications.

Location tracking by smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices offered by Apple Inc (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Google Inc (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and other developers came under fire earlier in the year after it was discovered that Apple’s iPhones collected location data and stored it for up to a year, even when location software was supposedly turned off.

By Jasmin Melvin

(Reuters) – U.S. broadband start-up LightSquared said it had debunked criticism that high-precision global positioning system devices cannot coexist alongside its planned cellular network.

A Carlisle executive told reporters on Wednesday that the company had partnered with a leader in GPS technology to develop a prototype device that can provide the same precision performance. He did not name the partner company.

“We have a proof of concept that uses current technology and equipment that is available today and is affordable,” Jeff Carlisle, the company’s executive vice president of regulatory affairs and public policy, said on a conference call.

Hedge fund manager Philip Falcone’s start-up came under fire after months of testing found its original plan for a high-speed wireless network would interfere with GPS services.

Deployment of the cellular network depends on regulatory approval from the Federal Communications Commission, which said in a public notice on Tuesday that additional targeted testing of LightSquared’s proposal was needed to ensure GPS operations would not be affected.

LightSquared in June unveiled a new plan for deploying its network that uses a different block of wireless airwaves that is farther away from the GPS band.

WASHINGTON, Sept 13 (Reuters) – Washington insiders have high hopes for legislation this year that would open up large swaths of spectrum to wireless companies desperate to meet the booming demand for data-heavy wireless devices.

Language giving the U.S. Federal Communications Commission authority to auction some airwaves currently held by TV broadcasters is popping up in bills in both chambers of Congress, as well as in President Barack Obama’s jobs plan.

Analysts say these incentive auctions, where some of the proceeds would go to the broadcasters giving up spectrum, are also likely to be part of the debate for the bipartisan congressional “super committee” tasked with slashing at least $1.2 trillion from the U.S. deficit over 10 years.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated auctions of TV spectrum would generate $24.5 billion, while Obama’s proposed jobs bill eyes some $28 billion in proceeds from the auctions.

“This is one of the rare instances where you see moving on an idea will actually generate revenues for the Treasury,” said Rhod Shaw, executive director of the High Tech Spectrum Coalition that includes Apple Inc (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Nokia Corp (NOK1V.HE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).

“The issue now becomes what is the final deal … And I think there is a reason to believe this can actually get done.”

The need for a national, common communications system for first responders has added momentum to the debate.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Top Republicans in the House Energy and Commerce Committee want more information on why regulators are not supporting AT&T Inc’s $39 billion bid for Deutsche Telekom AG’s T-Mobile USA.

The Justice Department went to court last week to block the deal, and the Federal Communications Commission said it also had concerns about the deal’s impact on competition.

In a letter sent to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and Attorney General Eric Holder on Thursday, Republican legislators requested a bipartisan briefing on what went into the decision to challenge the merger and whether the agencies considered the impact on jobs and economic growth.

Signed by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Chairman Greg Walden and committee Chairman Emeritus Joe Barton, the letter asked for a meeting within the next two weeks.

“It is clear that this is a complex transaction and it is important that government officials reserve judgment until all of the facts have come to light,” the letter said.

Deputy Attorney General James Cole said at a briefing on August 31 that the merger would reduce competition in the wireless market on three levels: price, quality and innovation.

Lawmakers have no direct role in reviewing the merger that was proposed in March, but Congress, through oversight of the regulators and by holding hearings, can influence public opinion.