Spectrum Swapping Draws Regulatory Attention and Heat

Late in August, both the FCC and the Department of Justice gave their approval to a swap of spectrum involving Verizon Wireless and a number of other companies including Time Warner, Comcast, Bright House Networks, and Leap. Don’t glaze over [yet]. The spectrum purchase is valued at (…wait for it…) $3.9 billion, so perhaps that’s why it attracted some extra scrutiny and concessions from the Department of Justice and arguably the FCC.

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A Trio of Timely Telecom Topics

Recently, I ran into two colleagues, both of whom told me that they always read this space, even though the content sometimes gets a bit overly technical.  With an interest in keeping them engaged (and they KNOW who they are, AK and HC), I want to present 3 tantalizing telecom tidbits, none of which is terribly techie, but all of which are interesting, if not totally relevant. They’re about off-shore call centers, and AT&T Mobility’s less than optimal behavior. Let me say up front that AT&T Mobility is hardly alone in its arguably slimy actions—it’s just that, to the best of my knowledge, it’s the only major [wireless] telecommunications provider that’s been caught engaging in these activities. At least this week.

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Distracted Drivers and Commercial Vehicles - New Rules of the Road

Everyone who has driven—or been a passenger—in the last few years understands the dangers of distracted driving.  Way too many drivers continue to engage in dialing, texting, or emailing while operating a couple of tons of moving steel, plastic and flammable liquids.   As a result, tragically, many lives have been lost or forever damaged as distracted drivers take their eyes off the road to respond to an email that can’t wait or make the next move in Words with Friends.  If you think that this is someone else’s problem, consider that there are at least two billboards up in Western New York touting the skills of personal injury attorneys who are more than happy to take on new cases that are the result—or alleged result—of the actions of distracted drivers.

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Wireless Dead Zones

I’ve just spent close to a week in a very populated, civilized part of the Northeast (Rhode
Island, to be specific), where the beaches are lovely and where the wireless service just stinks.
If you’ve experienced massive “dead zones,” in otherwise crowded and lovely locales, you know
what I’m talking about. (NB: no one should be surprised that in the Adirondack Mountains, it’s
impossible to get a signal in many places.) But where the population density is great and the
average median income off the charts, this ultimate disconnect is a bit tougher to swallow
(Admittedly, sitting on the beach and not hearing phones ring was delightful, even for a telecom
person). With the recent publicity blitz surrounding the unveiling of Google Voice, it’s time to
reexamine and reevaluate the role of wireless and wireline phones and the respective
infrastructure that supports each.

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