FCC news stories on Newser

'Know-It-All' Street View Engineer Identified

Mary Papenfuss — Tue, 01 May 2012 02:35:00 CDT

The noose appears to be tightening around Google. Federal sources have now identified the Google engineer who knew —and informed co-workers and a boss—that Street View cars were snatching unencrypted personal data from potentially millions of household wireless networks over three years, according to government investigators. Google execs have...

Google Knew Street View Was Snatching Data: FCC

Newser Editors — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 10:54:28 CDT

The fact that Google's Street View operation was snatching citizens' personal data from the air shouldn't have come as a surprise to company execs—because their own engineer told them it was happening, according to a new federal report. Google has maintained all along that secret collection of personal data...

Supreme Court May Rule on 'Wardrobe Malfunction'

Dustin Lushing — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:38:21 CDT

The infamous 2004 Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction may make it all the way to the Supreme Court. The FCC filed an appeal to the high court today, asking it to reconsider a decision by a lower court that threw out a $550,000 fine the FCC levied against CBS, reports...

Google Fined $25K for Stalling Street View Probe

Mark Russell — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 04:27:00 CDT

The Federal Communications Commission was sympathetic in 2010 when Google said it was really, really sorry its street map vehicles accidentally picked up people's personal information from their wireless home networks. Two years later, however, the FCC is exasperated by Google's lack of cooperation with a probe into the problem,...

FCC to Kill Stolen Phones

Kevin Spak — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:41:06 CDT

Pretty soon, a stolen cellphone will be "as worthless as an empty wallet," Charles Schumer boasted in a statement yesterday, touting a new deal between the FCC and major cellphone carriers that will allow the carriers to shut down pilfered phones. The FCC has agreed to set up a database...

Steinem, Fonda to Clear Channel, FCC: Dump Rush

Mark Russell — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 09:37:31 CDT

Three of the biggest names in American feminism—Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan, and Gloria Steinem—are calling on the FCC to yank the licenses of channels that air Rush Limbaugh, saying his "degrading" and "dehumanizing" language is not in the public interest. "Spectrum is a scarce government resource. Radio broadcasters...

Government to Auction Off Public Airwaves

Kevin Spak — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:31:05 CST

Congress is expected to approve a bill that would sell off public airwaves currently used for television to wireless Internet companies, speeding up broadband for mobile devices across the country, while at the same time creating a long-sought-after national communications network for emergency services. What is this revolutionary communications bill?...

Arizona Bill Would Restrict Teachers' Speech

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:34:58 CST

Arizona doesn't want its teachers cussing in class—and new proposed legislation would actually make it illegal to do so. GOP state lawmakers are behind Senate Bill 1467, which would require public school teachers to adhere to the FCC's TV and radio standards. That means certain limits on obscene, indecent,...

Cops: Remote Shutdowns Would Curb Phone Thefts

Mark Russell — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 06:16:30 CST

With smartphone robberies soaring, frustrated police are calling for regulators and service providers to shut down stolen phones remotely to reduce their value, reports the Washington Post . About 40% of robberies in Washington in 2011 involved smartphones, iPods, or tablets, while in New York City the figure was nearly 50%....