FCC rural Internet subsidization given go-ahead

The FCC has been given the go-ahead on a plan to switch over its telephone subsidy program for rural areas into one that will do the same for broadband Internet … Continue reading

Sony Walkman Z gets FCC approval, reveals no 64GB model forthcoming

We played with Sony’s Walkman Z back when it was still called the “Walkman Mobile Entertainment Player” — with the power to wirelessly push your media to a compatible Bravia TV. Fortunately the range has just stopped by the FCC’s underground bunker, where its 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth radios were soundly prodded. Sadly, we won’t be getting the 64GB edition on these shores, Sony is cheaping us out with a low-end 8GB model instead. In Japan, the 16GB model retails for 27,800 Yen ($360) and the 32GB for 32,800 Yen ($420) — but given the company’s penchant for releasing products after we’ve emptied our wallets for Christmas, we doubt it’ll matter much.

Sony Walkman Z gets FCC approval, reveals no 64GB model forthcoming originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Dec 2011 08:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceFCC  | Email this | Comments

Pantech P4100 tablet wanders through FCC with AT&T LTE

A Pantech tablet dubbed the P4100 just hit the FCC, and it appears to have AT&T LTE radios (Bands 4 and 17) as well as the standard 850 / 1900 WCDMA bands. Interestingly enough, the device also comes with support for LTE Band 5, an 850Mhz band currently used in South Korea. The P4100 has been sighted once before in a listing of Nenamark benchmark results, hinting that it will use a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8260 CPU with Adreno 220 GPU, uses a 1,024 x 720 display and runs on Android 3.2. As always, this never guarantees it’ll see the light of day in the US, but having compatible LTE bands on AT&T’s network — not to mention the carrier’s friendly relationship with Pantech over the past few years — definitely gives it a pretty high chance.

Pantech P4100 tablet wanders through FCC with AT&T LTE originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceFCC  | Email this | Comments

FCC restarts review clock for AT&T’s spectrum purchase, gives itself 180 days

Back in August, the FCC decided to freeze the 180-day review clock on AT&T’s proposed acquisition of Qualcomm’s 700 MHz spectrum, citing lingering concerns over the carrier’s ongoing T-Mobile saga. Now that AT&T and Deutsche Telekom have withdrawn their merger application, however, the Commission has decided to re-open the review period for the Qualcomm acquisition, giving itself a fresh 180 days to make a decision. In a letter published Friday, Wireless Bureau chief Rick Kaplan announced that the timetable would be reset, with a retroactive start date of November 29th — the very day that the FCC granted AT&T’s pullout from the T-Mobile deal. No word yet on when we can expect a decision, but we’ll be keeping an eye out for the latest developments. Read the letter in full at the source link below.

FCC restarts review clock for AT&T’s spectrum purchase, gives itself 180 days originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Dec 2011 12:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Electronista  |  sourceFCC (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

Label outs AT&T 4G LTE version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 creeping through the FCC

If you’re in the crowd holding out until the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 hit Ma Bell’s 4G network, get ready to pull the trigger. The code-named SGH-I957 rolled through the FCC sporting a label for AT&T’s LTE service on its backside. It appears the carrier will offer the 10.1-inch slate alongside the similarly sized HTC Jetstream. Don’t forget, the latter of the two will set you back seven whole Benjamins… on contract. The AT&T Galaxy Tab should save you a few bills, though, if the pricing is comparable to VZW’s LTE offering.

Label outs AT&T 4G LTE version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 creeping through the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Nov 2011 06:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceFCC  | Email this | Comments

Did the Nokia Lumia 710 pass through the FCC?

Lookee here, it’s the other new Windows Phone-packing Nokia handset. No, not that one, this is the Lumia 710 — you know, the budget phone with the 3.7-inch LCD and those colorful backplates. The Mangoriffic phone appears to have made its way through the FCC, with the ID on the filing matching up with listings on the Finnish phonemaker’s site. Don’t get too excited, however — while this and the product page are certainly enough to get some stateside Nokia fanatics’ blood pumping, the company has given us word that the Lumia is not destined for our shores, sadly — at least not in any official capacity.

Update: We just received word from Nokia that, contrary to earlier information, Lumia devices will in fact be arriving in the States. As far as what those specific products will be, however, the company isn’t quite ready to talk just yet.

Did the Nokia Lumia 710 pass through the FCC? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 15:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink WinRumors, WPCentral  |  sourceFCC  | Email this | Comments

FCC’s ‘Connect America Fund’ redirects phone fees to provide rural broadband

The Federal Communications Commission has just unveiled a new plan that’ll overhaul an $8 billion fund that’s currently used to “subsidize phone service in rural areas and for the poor,” pointing that money towards buildouts in the ambitious rural broadband initiative. Most critics suggest that the existing fee model is severely outdated, and in fact, encourages “perverse schemes by carriers to stimulate certain kinds of phone traffic.” Not surprisingly, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has said that he “doesn’t expect” phone rates to increase for most consumers, and the agency’s currently estimating a $2.2 billion savings from fees that are currently paid out to phone companies. Politics aside, the goal here is to provide broadband access (however that’s defined) to every American by the end of the decade, with Genachowski quipping: “We are taking a system designed for the Alexander Graham Bell era of rotary telephones and modernizing it for the era of Steve Jobs and the internet future he imagined.” Pretty sure more than just Jobs had visions of a connected future, but we’re following the logic, Jules.

Continue reading FCC’s ‘Connect America Fund’ redirects phone fees to provide rural broadband

FCC’s ‘Connect America Fund’ redirects phone fees to provide rural broadband originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 18:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceFCC  | Email this | Comments

Multi-gigabit wireless broadband within our grasp, capped data plans laugh in our face

Bring it on, LTE-Advanced. In case you’ve been looking for ways to eat up your capped data plan any faster, a researcher from Samsung proclaims that speeds up to 5.5gbps (yes, with a g) might be reachable within the next five years — as long as all the stars align, that is. Jerry Pi demonstrated the idea, which involves the use of millimeter wave spectrum that lies between 3GHz and 300GHz. If — and that’s a big if — the spectrum can be secured, the next hurdle will be the engineering challenge of deploying a wireless broadband network at such high frequencies; even tiny oxygen molecules, let alone walls and trees, would easily break up a signal at that range. Pi mentions that he and his fellow researchers are working on a few ideas to get around these obstacles, and outlines everything in significant detail in his 100+ slide presentation, which can be accessed below. Don’t get us wrong: the idea of broadband data speeds hitting 5.5gbps makes us salivate, but it would definitely need to come with an unlimited plan. Just sayin’.

Multi-gigabit wireless broadband within our grasp, capped data plans laugh in our face originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 10:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceGigaOm  | Email this | Comments

Mystery Moto tablet swings through the FCC, refuses to take any questions

Motorola mystery tablet

What exactly is this mystery device that just shuffled through the FCC? Well, it’s definitely a Motorola tablet and a member of the Xoom family, but beyond that we can’t tell you much. The FCC ID, which ends in 56MJ3, makes it clear that this is part of Moto’s flagship tablet line, but whether this an upcoming Xoom 2 or simply a souped up variant of the original Honeycomb slate is unclear. The filing makes no mention of cellular connectivity, only WiFi and Bluetooth, but that doesn’t necessarily mean there isn’t any on board. We do know that, whatever this turns out to be, it sports an HDMI out, 1GB of RAM, a dual-core 1.2GHz CPU, a 1200 x 800 screen and comes in 16, 32 and 64GB varieties. If you’re in the mood to dig through the test reports yourself, check out the source link.

Mystery Moto tablet swings through the FCC, refuses to take any questions originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceFCC  | Email this | Comments

Coby Kyros MID7012 tablet gets an FCC teardown, flaunts a roomy case

Coby’s latest in budget slates hit the federal testing tables on Friday, getting the customary teardown and tell-all photo shoot. The Coby Kyros MID7012 comfortably fits a 800Mhz processor, 256MB of RAM, 4GB of internal memory, WiFi and a microSD card slot into its case. The seven-inch Gingerbread tablet hasn’t landed on Coby’s US website yet, but nimble fingered Googlers can find the slab for about $100.

Coby Kyros MID7012 tablet gets an FCC teardown, flaunts a roomy case originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Oct 2011 03:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Wireless Goodness  |  sourceFCC  | Email this | Comments