Just a few weeks after escaping a net neutrality investigation into data cap exemptions, Verizon has decided to let its FiOS mobile video stream on its wireless network without counting against data caps. Customers who have Verizon FiOS TV at home and a Verizon Wireless smartphone plan can watch TV outside their homes without using up the data allotments on limited mobile plans, the company announced today .
Category: Emerging Technology
Us FCC to probe at&T 911 call outage
AT&T’s mobile subscribers in some U.S. states were not able to make 911 emergency calls late Wednesday, leading to complaints from police departments and emergency agencies in various parts of the country. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai wrote on Twitter that his agency was receiving reports of widespread AT&T 911 call outages and its public safety staff were investigating.
Google spent $30 billion on its cloud and is making some…
If there’s one question that the top brass at Google are sick of being asked it’s this: How are you going to catch up in the cloud market to Amazon and Microsoft? Google’s answer is pretty straightforward: the old-fashioned way. It plans to build out its tech, making it reliable, affordable, with just enough differentiation to attract customers.
Google’s Latest Cloud Event Suggests Its Enterprise Message is Gaining Traction
” has…the money, the means and the commitment to pull off a new platform of computation globally, for everybody who needs it.” One has to wonder if Schmidt read a morning Wall Street Journal column raising doubts about the company’s enterprise cloud bona fides.
Instacart, Now $400 Million Richer, Tries to Be Thrifty
Apoorva Mehta is thinking a lot about bottle deposits. Recycling fees vary by state and container size, but until recently, Mehta’s online grocery delivery startup Instacart Inc. hadn’t paid much attention to what it was charging customers purchasing soda or beer.
WhiteSpace Alliance Predicts United States will Rapidly Move Forward with TV White Space Deployments
The WhiteSpace Alliance , a global industry organization enabling sharing of underutilized spectrum, says that completion of the recent FCC spectrum incentive auction will make the United States a prime market for TV white space deployments. “The completion of the incentive auction will remove regulatory uncertainty and free up more than 80 MHz of spectrum for license-exempt wireless Internet access,” said Dr. Apurva N. Mody, Chairman of WhiteSpace Alliance.
Net neutrality worth saving, say 170 groups in open letter – CNET
A letter signed by the ACLU and the Electronic Frontier Foundation says the rules have made the internet “the engine of opportunity it is today.” The Republican-led Federal Communications Commission isn’t a fan of net neutrality, but that isn’t deterring advocates’ efforts toward preservation the rules.
Ever Want Image Search For Google Earth? This AI-Driven Tool Does That
There’s a single wind turbine near the intersection of 760th St. and Quincy Road in Massena, Iowa. It’s just one of thousands of them located around the country.
Amazon CEO Bezos’ Blue Origin Gets First Commercial Launch Customer
Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos’ space transportation company Blue Origin announced on Tuesday that it has booked its first commercial launch customer. The launch date is scheduled for 2021.
Amazon Is Pulling Out All the Stops Against Apple and Google in High-Stakes Voice Assistant Wars
Although Apple and Google’s voice assistants are shipped with far more devices, Amazon’s Alexa has become a formidable rival thanks to big investments and a swelling ecosystem. As much as Amazon’s Echo home speaker/voice assistant has turned into a surprise hit and yielded a blizzard of positive media attention, the Alexa voice assistant powering Echo hardware is still in key respects at a strategic disadvantage compared to rival offerings from Alphabet /Google , Apple , and Microsoft’s .
Are We Breaking The Internet?
Recent outages from critical services across the net have created massive disruption in recent weeks: Whether it was Amazon’s S3 service failure, which took down thousands of sites, Cloudflare’s “Cloudbleed” security issue, which forced many sites to ask users to reset their passwords, or Google Wifi’s accidental reset, which wiped out customer’s internet profiles, the infrastructure behind the internet has looked substantially more unstable recently. The packetized technology that underlies most of the internet was created by Paul Baran as part of an effort to protect communications by moving from a centralized model of communication to a distributed one .
Amazon is Pulling Out All the Stops Against Apple and Google in the Voice Assistant Wars
Echo home speaker/voice assistant has turned into a surprise hit and yielded a blizzard of positive media attention, the Alexa voice assistant powering Echo hardware is still in key respects at a strategic disadvantage relative to Alphabet /Google Google and Apple’s assistants each shipped with hundreds of millions of mobile devices last year, and Microsoft’s perhaps on close to 200 million PCs. By contrast, Echo sales were likely only in seven figures.
Snap Shows Investor Appetite to Again Bet on Young Companies
If there’s one lesson Silicon Valley can learn from Snap Inc.’s trading debut, it’s that investors in initial public offerings are again willing to stomach the uncertainty of betting on hopeful, young companies. While concerns still loom about growth and profitability at the maker of disappearing-photo app Snapchat, interest in the IPO is undeniable.
Snap IPO Shows Investor Appetite to Again Bet on Young Companies
If there’s one lesson Silicon Valley can learn from Snap Inc.’s trading debut, it’s that investors in initial public offerings are again willing to stomach the uncertainty of betting on hopeful, young companies. While concerns still loom about growth and profitability at the maker of disappearing-photo app Snapchat, interest in the IPO is undeniable.
Former FCC Legislative Affairs Deputy Director Sean Conway Joins Wilkinson Barker Knauer
Sean brings over six years of communications regulatory experience, both in private practice and in various roles at the Federal Communications Commission . Sean began serving at the FCC as Attorney Advisor in the Wireline Competition Bureau, where he was one of the lead drafters in a rulemaking proceeding to modernize the E-rate program.
Ofo Becomes Chinese Bike-Sharing Unicorn After Giant Fundraising
A bruising battle between China’s two largest bike-sharing services just ramped up a notch. Ofo has raised $450 million from backers including DST and car-hailing giant Didi Chuxing, taking its valuation to more than $1 billion.
Netflix employees were personally affected by U.S. President Donald…
Netflix employees were personally affected by U.S. President Donald Trump’s attempt to ban people entering from seven Muslim countries, the company’s CEO said Tuesday. Reed Hastings has been a critic of the temporary travel ban, which Trump hopes to revive in a revised form this week, and told The Associated Press on Tuesday that some of his co-workers had gotten caught up in it.
Does Snap CEO Evan Spiegel Need Adult Supervision?
In this Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013, file photo, Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel poses for a photo in Los Angeles. Snap Inc., owner of the ephemeral message service Snapchat, seeks to raise up to $3 billion in an initial public offering.
Does Snap CEO Evan Spiegel Need Adult Supervision?
In this Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013, file photo, Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel poses for a photo in Los Angeles. Snap Inc., owner of the ephemeral message service Snapchat, seeks to raise up to $3 billion in an initial public offering.
Uber’s Engineering Head Departs After Harassment Claims Surface
Uber Technologies Inc. executive Amit Singhal resigned after the ride-hailing company learned of sexual harassment allegations from his previous job at Google. Uber said Singhal stepped down just a month after joining the company as senior vice president of engineering, where he oversaw software development.
Tech Startup Market Slows Amid Silicon Valley’s Doubts on Trump
The post-election rally that’s lifting U.S. public markets has left at least one group by the wayside: private technology startups. Since last year’s peak in mid-December, startup deal-making has fallen 37 percent, according to the Bloomberg U.S. Startups Barometer, which tracks fundraising, initial public offerings and acquisitions.
Deutsche Telekom CEO Makes Case for Unified Approach to 5G
Deutsche Telekom AG Chief Executive Officer Tim Hoettges called on European telecommunications regulators to allow more industry consolidation, and asked authorities to ease the transition to a fifth generation of wireless services that would spur growth. Europe is “a quite difficult ecosystem” for M&A, Hoettges said in a Bloomberg Television interview in Barcelona, where he is attending Mobile World Congress this week.
The Digital Nomad’s Guide To Working From Anywhere On Earth
The work-anywhere, travel-the-world fringe lifestyle is going mainstream-and these apps, services, and events are here to help. In the future, he wrote, high-speed wireless networks and low-cost mobile devices will break the link between occupation and location.
Google brings Assistant to Android phones
Google’s voice-activated digital assistant will soon be available on smartphones running the latest versions of the Android operating system. LG was one of the first smartphone makers to reveal it would feature the assistant on its new device, the G6.
Here’s Why Alphabet May Be the Best FANG Stock to Own
The company’s rock-solid balance sheet, its stranglehold over a lion’s share of the digital advertising market, the possibility of rapid growth in the smartphone space, and the ever-widening Google ecosystem, makes Alphabet an unbeatable proposition . Without a doubt, Alphabet’s real cash-cow is its all-encompassing Internet search engine, Google.
Just what is LTE-U? And can it coexist peacefully with WiFi?
This spring, cellphone carriers such as T-Mobile plan to start supporting a new kind of mobile data. Known as LTE-U, the technology may result in a faster, smoother mobile experience.
Alphabet’s Google to Shut Down Messaging App ‘Spaces’
Alphabet’s Google will shut down its messaging app “Spaces” on April 17. “Spaces” was the company’s attempt to get in on the group messaging space, allowing users to join small groups to discuss various topics. Its key feature was that it allowed users to pull in Google’s search services and YouTube videos automatically.
FCC’s Rural Broadband Plan is Digital Favoritism, not Digital Empowerment, WISPA says
“Today’s decision is a squandered opportunity for the American taxpayer and rural Americans. This plan is digital favoritism, not digital empowerment.”
Baidu Hits the Reset Button After Cleaning Up Online Advertising
Baidu Inc. is convinced it’s put the worst of a government-driven internet advertising crackdown behind it after posting quarterly revenue that beat estimates. Sales fell a less-than-projected 2.6 percent in the fourth quarter after China’s biggest search engine raised registration requirements for marketers and cut the number of ads it displays alongside results.
Baidu Needs to Speed Up the Future After That Uber Boost: Gadfly
If it weren’t for the CEO of Uber Technologies Inc. being pragmatic about his China business and selling to Didi Chuxing last year, Baidu wouldn’t have been able to swap its shares in Uber China for those of the nation’s dominant ride-hailing provider. That three-way trade and other income reaped 1.796 billion yuan for the search-engine giant in the fourth quarter and was the primary reason for Baidu beating earnings estimates.
Baidu’s Sales Tops Estimates as It Pushes New Businesses
Baidu Inc. posted quarterly results that topped analysts’ estimates, as China’s biggest search engine pushes into new businesses such as news aggregation to overcome government restrictions on web advertising. Revenue for the fourth quarter came to 18.21 billion yuan , compared with estimates for 18.17 billion yuan, Baidu said in a statement.
Uber Criticized by Venture Backers Over Harassment Claims
A pair of venture capital investors in Uber Technologies Inc. criticized the company for tapping insiders to conduct an investigation into sexual harassment and discrimination claims by a former employee. Mitch and Freada Kapor, spouses and investing partners at Kapor Capital, said they have been unsuccessful in their attempts to convince Uber behind the scenes to prioritize diversity issues.
Uber Criticized by Venture Backers Over Harassment Claims
A pair of venture capital investors in Uber Technologies Inc. criticized the company for tapping insiders to conduct an investigation into sexual harassment and discrimination claims by a former employee. Mitch and Freada Kapor, spouses and investing partners at Kapor Capital, said they have been unsuccessful in their attempts to convince Uber behind the scenes to prioritize diversity issues.
Baidu’s Quarterly Revenue Tops Estimates on New Business Push
Baidu Inc. posted quarterly revenue that topped analysts’ estimates as it pushes into new businesses such as news aggregation to overcome government restrictions on web advertising at China’s biggest search engine. Revenue for the fourth quarter was 18.21 billion yuan , compared with estimates for 18.17 billion yuan, Baidu said in a statement.
Baidu’s Quarterly Revenue Tops Estimates on New Business Push
Baidu Inc. posted quarterly revenue that topped analysts’ estimates as it pushes into new businesses such as news aggregation to overcome government restrictions on web advertising at China’s biggest search engine. Revenue for the fourth quarter was 18.21 billion yuan , compared with estimates for 18.17 billion yuan, Baidu said in a statement.
Republicans Are Trying to Let Internet Providers Sell Your Data
The Affordable Care Act is far from the only Obama-era policy Republicans want to take down now that they control the government. A set of internet privacy rules passed by the Federal Communications Commission last year has also become a target.
How Eero Plans To Fend Off Wi-Fi Rivals: Lower Prices And No Distractions
The startup’s whole-home Wi-Fi system is getting a price cut on its first birthday. Can it stay on top of the market it created? After jump-starting the whole-home Wi-Fi market last February, Eero is celebrating its first birthday with price cuts.
Verizon To Test 5G Service in 11 Cities
Between now and mid-year, Verizon expects to begin pilot tests of next-generation, 5G wireless services in 11 metropolitan regions across the U.S. Aimed at select customers in those regions, the tests will explore a variety of deployment scenarios. Compared to today’s 4G technology, the next generation of wireless communication promises far faster speeds with lower latency and many times more network capacity.
Google is preparing to release a wireless 4K TV box, even as…
Google is preparing to release a wireless set-top box for the new generation of ultra-HD “4K” TVs, even as the company drastically scales back its high-speed internet and TV Google Fiber efforts. Recent filings with the FCC reveal that Google has received authorization to bring to market a “4K wireless TV box.”
Verizon and Yahoo! Finally Have a New Deal in Place, But Now What?
To meet its ambitious digital media sales targets, the newly combined entity will have to make up some serious ground against Facebook and Google. Verizon is aiming to generate $20 billion in 2020 sales from the mobile media unit that draws on Yahoo, AOL and its other digital properties.