Policy & Regulation

The FCC voted, 4-1, that Verizon used unfair retention practices to keep customers from switching to cable companies by offering discounts and American Express reward cards.Several government and industry leaders weighed in on the decision.“[This] action underscores long-held commission policy that using proprietary customer information for marketing efforts cannot take place during the window of time when a customer’s phone ...

For the second time this year, the FCC has dealt a blow to a Bell company seeking forbearance from rules that regulate pricing for competitive network access. But the carrier in question — Qwest Communications International Inc. (Q) — said its request was warranted and vowed that it will try again.The FCC on July 25 voted 5-0 to deny Qwest’s ...

Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, one of the longest-serving and most-hailed politicians in Congress, has been indicted for corruption.Stevens was a key figure in recent attempts to rewrite the 1996 Telecom Act. He served as chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, which oversees communications law, until the Democrats won the majority in 2006.Stevens tended to side with the powerful Bell companies ...

The FCC late Friday denied a controversial Qwest Communications International Inc. forbearance petition that would have removed dominant carrier and UNE pricing regulations in four major markets.Commissioners rejected Qwest’s plea just shy of the midnight deadline, narrowly avoiding automatic approval as happened with Verizon two years ago. Qwest wanted relief – mirroring what it received in Omaha, Neb., in 2005 ...

Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., is hot on ISPs’ trail again. Markey, who chairs the House subcommittee on telecom and the Internet, is pushing for ISPs to get subscribers’ consent before tracking their online activity. He has been a prominent critic of ISPs, and telecom and cable providers that want to bypass privacy and throttle traffic. Markey also remains one of ...