FCC Votes To Investigate Wireless Industry

And this took how many years to do? Oh well, atleast it's being done...although I don't think any action will be taken.

News story on today's FCC mtg:
»thehill.com/business--lo ··· -27.html

News releases from the FCC on the 3 inquiries:

»hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_ ··· 18A1.pdf
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced a
Wireless Innovation and Investment Notice of Inquiry (“NOI”) that seeks to identify concrete
steps the Commission can take to support and encourage further innovation and investment in the
wireless marketplace. This NOI also seeks to better understand the factors that encourage
innovation and investment throughout this area.

»hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_ ··· 20A1.pdf
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today announced a Notice of Inquiry
(“NOI”) that seeks to enhance its analysis of competitive conditions in the mobile wireless
market. The NOI also seeks to better understand the net effects on the American consumer.

»hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_ ··· 17A1.pdf
FCC has issued a Notice of Inquiry on whether there are
additional opportunities to protect and empower American consumers by ensuring sufficient
access to relevant information about communications services.
The Commission seeks comment from communications service providers,
academic researchers, consumer groups and third-party analysts on how best to ensure
consumers have the information they need to make informed decisions in the communications
marketplace.

Chairman's statements on the 3 inquiries:
»hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_ ··· 18A2.pdf
»hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_ ··· 20A2.pdf
»hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_ ··· 17A2.pdf

All the other comments can also be found here:
»www.fcc.gov/

What do you mean, it's being done?

Absolutely nothing will become of this. As the usually do, they are just blowing smoke up your a** to make it look and sound like they care what the people want!

As evidenced by this statement right in the article:
What happens now? Lots of talking, accompanied by lots of lobbyists proclaiming the wireless industry's infallible, followed probably by no substantive action by the FCC.

Relatively little will happen because reasonable people disagree about these things, and so neither side gets to impose its will on the other. One of the biggest problems I've seen burgeoning in our society over the last decade is this blind believe that one's own personal perspective is the only possible reasonable perspective. The 3-2 vote in the committee, reported in the OP, is clear evidence of the fact that there are two sides to this issue, both equally legitimate. Denying that the other half of the country exists doesn't make them go away, and one side imposing their will with a heavy hand only fosters the other side doing worse when they come to power.

The issue is that one side you have those that truly want things to improve for CONSUMERS and on the other you have those that truly want things to improve for the COMPANY.

Though there is a compromise, I have a tendency to say that companies will do nothing to improve things for the consumer UNLESS it improves their bottom line MORE than the status quo.

Though there may be 4 major carriers of wireless service in the US, there truly is NO competition.

Of course there is. 4 providers for a service is competition. I have access to all 4 with no problem and several smaller pre-paid services as well. You saying there is NO competition flies in the face of the facts.

Sure, there is competition when they all have the exact same prices for the exact same plans, phones are locked to carriers, and Americans pay five times more than the friggin' Dutch for cellular service. Brilliant deduction there.

Sounds a lot like you.

Gosh you've really added something to the discussion.

Read my entire post....

Nothing will happen.

ditto

govt is still in thrall to corporations - ain't nothing changing on that front yet

Spend a few minutes sending a letter to Chairman Genachowski, Commissioners Copps, McDowell, Clyburn and Baker.

Let them know that there are folks watching what they're doing, or not.

No harm.

Kinda thought there'd be more people commenting about this. I personally think it's very exciting.

Its definitely exciting, I just think people are not going to let themselves get excited about something like this until they actually see real results, which people aren't sure will ever happen beyond a little slap on the wrist.

Google voice, iPhone/Apple exclusivity... hmm... sounds like it's just AT&T.

I would like to see them do something about the 5GB caps with no option for higher amounts of data short of mortgaging your home to pay overages though.

I would like to see them at least force carriers to stop lying to consumers and cease false advertising practices. Unlimited data should mean no caps. If they're going to cap data consumption at 5GB then they owe it to consumers to be open, straightforward, and honest about it... I don't know about other carriers, but AT&T's practices around this could really use some overhauling.

They should investigate VZW and maybe they will see how their comission structure screws their employees.

How does this ultimately benefit consumers?

I can, of course, see how this might benefit Verizon employees, but that's not really the focus of FCC investigations.

Verizon Mobile Broadband should at least raise the cap to that of satellite (7.5GB), and Overages should be about $.01 per mb over. That would be fair for most (in reading)...
5gb gets you nothing these days. (167mb/daily)

What ever. The FCC will report what ATT/Verizon/Sprint tells them to say.

Our government is neutered and a joke.