Items tagged with FCC
The FCC is frequently the first place where we get a glimpse at real life images of a smartphone before it launches. The devices have to go through the FCC to get the approvals they need to be sold in the U.S., and the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ is no exception. The Note 10+ has landed at the FCC, and the agency was kind enough to snap pictures and share them with the world. The images confirm the design that we have seen in renderings and via leaked smartphone case renderings. The FCC images show the triple camera array on the rear. Also noted on the back is an offset camera thought to be a depth sensor. There is another sensor under what is believed to be the depth sensor. One thing worth pointing...
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Nintendo recently unveiled the long-rumored Nintendo Switch Lite game console. Rumors have also swirled that Nintendo was working on an updated original Switch game console and new FCC filings have surfaced that seem to confirm that update. The FCC filing shows that the Switch is getting a new SoC and a change in NAND memory type. The form that Nintendo submitted to the FCC is called a "Class II Permission Change." That is a form that asks for permission to change components of the game console without having to submit the entire console for recertification. The filing doesn't shed any light on which SoC and what sort of memory change Nintendo has planned for the Switch. Certainly what Nintendo...
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The FCC is a good source of early information on new devices that land there for their certifications. Normally when we see something pass through the FCC, there is a pretty good indication of what it is. That's not always the case, and a product that just passed through is a perfect example. All we know is that this new Google device uses Bluetooth and has a companion app. The product is called G022A and is classified as a "wireless device" by the FCC. Scuttlebutt suggests that the G0xxx convention implies this is a Made by Google device; for instance, the newly launched Pixel 3a is G020A. The FCC ID label notes that the FCC ID and model number are displayed electronically indicating the device...
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AT&T is the second largest wireless carrier in the United States with millions of customers under its umbrella. But the company is now coming under fire for its decision to sell location data pertaining to its wireless customers. While AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon have all said they stopped selling phone location information to other companies, AT&T has announced that it wasn't illegal for it to sell the data. AT&T is claiming it did nothing wrong, just as the FCC has started an investigation into the practice. The telecom giant has argues that its sale of assisted GPS or A-GPS data that is used with 911 location services doesn't violate U.S. law. The reason...
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High-speed internet and robust infrastructure is often the life blood of growing communities looking to attract high tech business and satisfy citizens. In most cases, however, residents and businesses only have access to one, or at the most two, broadband internet providers. You'll usually have access to broadband cable as one option and DSL as the other. So, municipal internet -- where cities and towns build out and run their own broadband service -- is an obvious solution. BroadbandNow, which is a company that keeps tabs on broadband availability across the United States, has published a rather sobering study on the state of municipal broadband. Sadly, the company has discovered...
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Sprint and T-Mobile announced a little over a year ago that they would be merging into one company. However, the United States Department of Justice has a few things to say about this union before the companies can ride off into the sunset. The Department of Justice has reportedly told Sprint and T-Mobile that the government will not allow the deal to be completed as it currently stands. Last spring, Sprint and T-Mobile announced that they would merge together to provide the best 5G network possible. Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure noted, “Going from 4G to 5G is like going from black and white to color TV...It’s a seismic shift-- one that only the combined company can unlock nationwide...
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The Federal Communications Commission would have us believe that everything is hunky-dory in the land of broadband, that speeds and availability are improving at a steady clip in the United States, and that 'only' around 25 million Americans lack access to high-speed Internet. Microsoft is calling BS on the data, though, saying the mapping data the FCC relies on for its annual broadband reports is "inaccurate." "The government’s most current broadband statistics come from the FCC and suggest 25 million Americans lack access to a broadband connection. There’s strong evidence, though, that the percentage of Americans without broadband access is much higher than the figures reported...
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A recent report by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) stated that 24.7 million Americans do not have access to broadband internet. Why are so many Americans without high speed internet in 2019, and why are they often presented with only one choice for a provider? According to Professor Susan P. Crawford of Yale University, large telecommunication companies are purposely withholding high speed internet from consumers. Professor Crawford spoke with the Salon about the telecom industry and its potentially negative impact on the future of high speed internet. She remarked that there is simply not enough fiber to provide 5G coverage to all Americans. She blames the current situation on deregulation...
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5G technology has not yet arrived to all consumers, but it may already be a thing of the past. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently voted to grant experimental licenses to test frequencies between 95 GHz and 3 THz. The FCC hopes that these licenses will keep the United States “at the forefront of wireless innovation”. Airwaves above 95 GHz are considered the “outermost horizon of the usable spectrum range”. Scientists and business owners will be able to conduct experiments in this range for up to ten years. They will also be able to more easily sell applicable products with the blessing of the FCC. The FCC has also reserved 21.2 gigahertz of spectrum for...
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If you need any more evidence that the Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 3 XL Lite are fast approaching, look no further than these FCC filings by Google. Two Google smartphones just tiptoed through the FCC this morning carrying the model numbers A4RG020C and A4RG020G. It is rumored that those model designations correspond to the Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 3 XL Lite respectively. Both smartphones are of course running Android 9 Pie, and for the G020C, Google issues a Request for Confidentiality on January 14th, 2019 that would last for a period of 180 days from the date that the certification application is granted (which happened today), meaning that the devices could be released anytime between...
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During the terrible wildfires that ravaged some California counties, firefighters working to save lives and property had a problem with the cellular data service they were receiving on the Verizon network. The problem was that Verizon throttled their plan making the internet access the teams needed slower than it should have been. Verizon's response on the issue of slow internet speeds for the county was that it needed to upgrade to a better plan; which is ultimately what happened, so the firefighters had the tools they needed to get their life-saving work done. Legislators in Texas want to be sure this never happens in their state, and a bill has been introduced in the Texas House of Representatives...
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Any year in review that covers the major events of 2018 should include the repeal of net neutrality laws that were implemented during the Obama administration. Former Verizon attorney and current Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai led the charge in rolling back net neutrality regulations, and on Wednesday he patted Congress on the back for upholding the controversial vote. Image Source: Flickr via Gage Skidmore "I’m pleased that a strong bipartisan majority of the US House of Representatives declined to reinstate heavy-handed Internet regulation. They did the right thing—especially considering the positive results for American consumers since the adoption of the Restoring...
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A new AT&T device has been seen passing through the FCC that isn't a phone or a smart wearable. Instead, it is a very slick charger aiming directly at Apple device users that can charge the iPhone and Apple Watch on the go, at the same time. The gadget is called the Power Drum Wireless Charger & Apple Watch Power Bank, and it was spied at both the FCC and in documentation from the Qi Wireless Power Consortium. The Power Drum has a flat section around the perimeter of the device that is meant to wirelessly charge the Apple Watch. The iPhone would be placed flat on top of the Power Drum to receive its wireless power; the Power Drum would also charge any Qi-enabled smartphone. The wireless...
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The FCC upset a lot of people when it voted to repeal net neutrality rules. The Commission then wanted to reduce the speed that is considered to be broadband in some areas, however, the backlash to that move saw the FCC step back and stop its attempts to reclassify broadband speeds in some areas. The FCC has worked to ensure that it's easier for broadband providers to get their speedy services to more people; Google Fiber in particular benefitted from a change in FCC regulations regarding utility pole usage. The FCC has now announced that it is launching an investigation into one or more major wireless carriers. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has announced that the agency is launching an investigation...
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