The Supreme Court has stepped into a major legal fight over the $8 billion a year the federal government spends to subsidize phone and internet services in schools, libraries and rural areas, in a new test of federal regulatory power.

President-elect Donald Trump has named the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission as the new chairman of the agency tasked with regulating broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband.

Broadcast stations aren’t allowed to censor or refuse to air political ads from qualified candidates.

Some Verizon customers have been hit by a service outage.

The FCC voted in July to allow schools and libraries to use federal money to loan out WiFi hotspots to students and patrons.

A company that sent deceptive calls to New Hampshire voters using artificial intelligence to mimic President Joe Biden’s voice has agreed to pay a $1 million fine, federal regulators said.

The Federal Communications Commission has advanced a proposal that would require political advertisers to disclose their use of artificial intelligence in broadcast television and radio ads.

A federal appeals court in New Orleans has ruled unconstitutional a method the Federal Communications Commission uses to fund telephone and broadband services for rural and low-income users.

A political consultant who sent artificial intelligence-generated robocalls mimicking President Joe Biden’s voice has made an initial court appearance in New Hampshire, where he is charged with voter suppression and impersonating a candidate ahead of the state’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary.

T-Mobile is buying U.S. Cellular’s wireless operations and certain spectrum assets in a deal valued at $4.4 billion, and further consolidating the industry.

A former New Hampshire Democratic Party chair whose phone number was spoofed in artificial intelligence-generated robocalls mimicking President Joe Biden's voice ahead of New Hampshire's presidential primary says today's charges related to the case show the steep price for trying to interfere in elections.

The nation’s top telecommunications regulator is introducing a proposal to require political advertisers to disclose when they use content generated by artificial intelligence in broadcast TV and radio ads.

Starting this month, for many customers, that’s a reality. Consumer Reports explains the goal is to give you accurate information for comparing plans.

The Federal Communications Commission has leveraged nearly $200 million in fines against wireless carriers AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon for illegally sharing customers’ location data without their consent.

The Federal Communications Commission has voted to restore rules to prevent broadband internet providers such as Comcast and AT&T from favoring some sites and apps over others — for instance, by slowing or blocking certain content or by offering higher speeds to customers willing to pay extra.

Internet service providers will be required to be more transparent about the cost and performance of their internet service packages, thanks to new FCC rules that take effect this week.

The agency that regulates U.S. telecommunications is considering a rule that could stop domestic abusers from tracking their partners through vehicles that are connected wirelessly.

The Federal Communications Commission is outlawing robocalls that contain voices generated by artificial intelligence.

The top U.S. telecommunications regulator is asking automakers how they plan to protect people from being stalked or harassed by partners who have access to vehicle location and other data.

The Federal Communications Commission is implementing new rules banning internet providers from discrimination in how they provide service to communities based on income level, race and other protected classes.

The White House is releasing a strategy to potentially expand the availability of radio spectrum needed for cellphones, satellites, navigation, space travel and other emerging technologies.

Amazon has launched the first test satellites for its planned internet service.

The White House held its first-ever cybersecurity “summit” on the ransomware attacks plaguing U.S. schools.

The Biden administration and major consumer tech players are launching an effort to put a nationwide cybersecurity certification and labeling program in place.

Airline passengers who have endured tens of thousands of weather-related flight delays this week got a welcome respite from the headaches Saturday, despite concerns about possible disruptions being caused by new wireless 5G systems rolling out near major airports.

Former Federal Communications Commission head Newton Minow, who famously described network TV as a “vast wasteland,” has died.

Top state prosecutors are urging Congress to pass legislation allowing state prisons to jam signals of cellphones smuggled to inmates.

President Joe Biden has signed into law a bill aimed at easing the cost for prisoners to call family and friends.

States are racing against a deadline to challenge the map federal officials will use to divvy up the nation’s largest-ever investment in high-speed internet.

The U.S. is banning the sale of communications equipment made by Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE and restricting the use of some China-made video surveillance systems, citing an “unacceptable risk” to national security.

Rogers Communications Inc. says it has restored mobile and internet service for ``the vast majority″ of customers after an outage that lasted more than 15 hours.

Some flights to and from the U.S. have been canceled even after AT&T and Verizon scaled back the rollout of high-speed wireless service that could interfere with aircraft technology that measures altitude.

The airline industry is raising the stakes in a showdown with AT&T and Verizon over plans to launch new 5G wireless service this week, warning that thousands of flights could be grounded or delayed if the rollout takes place near major airports.

Telecom giants AT&T and Verizon have agreed to postpone the launch of a new slice of 5G wireless service after airlines and aviation groups complained that the networks can interfere with systems on board planes.

Verizon and AT&T have rejected a request by the U.S. government to delay the rollout of next-generation wireless technology.

The airline industry is trying to delay next week’s scheduled rollout of 5G wireless service near dozens of major U.S. airports.

TV stations in Philadelphia, New York City and Cleveland are taking down the “Dr. Oz Show,” now that the show’s host, Mehmet Oz, has formally become a candidate for U.S. Senate.

Wireless carrier T-Mobile is paying $19.5 million in a settlement with the Federal Communications Commission over a 12-hour nationwide outage in June 2020 that resulted in thousands of failed 911 calls.

Two conservative hoaxers face a record $5.1 million fine for allegedly making illegal robocalls to wireless phones without the owners' consent in the 2020 election.

It would be the largest fine ever under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are conducting a nationwide emergency alert system test this week.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are conducting a nationwide emergency alert system test this week.

The Senate’s $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan includes a $65 billion investment in broadband that the White House says will “deliver reliable, affordable, high-speed internet to every household.”.

Federal regulators are considering allowing state prisons across the country more technological options to combat contraband cellphones.

Congressional leaders and a media advocacy organization are urging the Federal Communications Commission to investigate how policy decisions have disparately harmed Black Americans and other communities of color, according to a letter sent Tuesday to the acting FCC chair.

A federal appeals court has refused to hear Chinese tech giant Huawei’s request to throw out a rule used to bar rural phone carriers on national security grounds from using government funds to purchase its equipment.

Americans can begin applying for $50 off their internet bill on Wednesday as part of an emergency government program to keep people connected during the pandemic.

The Office of the New York Attorney General said in a new report that a campaign funded by the broadband industry submitted millions of fake comments supporting the 2017 repeal of net neutrality.

Recognizing that many Americans rely on texting, U.S. regulators are considering requiring that phone companies allow people to text a suicide hotline.

The Supreme Court has unanimously upheld federal regulators’ decision to ease ownership limits on local media, rejecting a claim that the change would hurt minority and female ownership.

In response, seven states and Puerto Rico enacted their own net neutrality policies. In response, seven states and Puerto Rico enacted their own net neutrality policies. Nine states have introduced net neutrality bills this session, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Ad___WHAT TELCOS WANTBig telecom companies hate the stricter regulation that comes with the net neutrality rules and have fought them fiercely in court. They say they prefer a national approach to a state-by-state one, but the industry has fought prior federal net neutrality rules.

FILE - In this Oct. 14, 2020, file photo, people wearing face masks to protect against the coronavirus look at a display from Chinese telecommunications firm China Unicom at the PT Expo in Beijing. China's government on Thursday called on Washington to drop efforts to expel three state-owned Chinese phone companies, including China Unicom Americas, a unit of China Unicom, from the United States in a new clash over technology and security. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)BEIJING – China’s government on Thursday called on Washington to drop efforts to expel three state-owned Chinese phone companies from the United States in a new clash over technology and security. The latest action targets China Unicom Americas, a unit of China Unicom Ltd.; Pacific Networks Corp. and ComNet (USA) LLC, a unit of Pacific Networks. Trump also blocked access to most U.S. technology for telecom equipment giant Huawei Technologies Ltd. and some other Chinese tech companies.

(Senate Television via AP)NEW YORK – All the words abounded — the ones that you're not supposed to hear on broadcast television or, for that matter, in a lot of other places. Many of the networks bleeped out the offending language when repeating videos later, but not when they were broadcast live. WHAT'S THE LIKELIHOOD THAT BROADCAST NETWORKS WILL BE PENALIZED? Networks could argue the same thing with the impeachment trial; it strengthens that point when they “bleeped” out the bad language for later reruns. Given the explicitness of the language used this week, during daytime hours, Levinson said he believes it's a watershed moment in broadcast standards.

Pending applications

The shield from liability for social media companies has been grounded in Section 230 of a landmark 1996 telecommunications law. Trump and Republican lawmakers have persistently accused the social media companies, without evidence, of suppressing conservative viewpoints, and Trump portrayed his executive order as a remedy for bias. With Simington confirmed to the five-member FCC, there will then be a 2-2 split between Democratic and Republican commissioners. That likely will stymie Biden’s agenda until he’s able to get a fifth, Democratic FCC member confirmed, with an extended delay possible if the Republicans continue to control the Senate after the two Georgia Senate runoff elections. During Pai’s tenure, the FCC worked to free up spectrum for cellphone companies to enable them to roll out 5G.

That’s why the Wayne-Westland Community Schools District has found a unique way to get its children to school while staying at home. On another day, at another time in history, school buses would be bringing children to school, but amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the school buses in Westland are delivering school to the children. The Wayne-Westland district has about 10,000 students learning remotely. In the mornings, 21 buses are deployed to various communities in the Wayne-Westland Community Schools district and, during school hours, the buses beome beacons for technology. The Wayne-Westland Community School District has the big yellow bus hotspot program funded through the rest of the year and, if needed, will find additional funding next year.

BEIJING China on Wednesday demanded Washington stop oppressing Chinese companies after U.S. regulators declared telecom equipment suppliers Huawei and ZTE to be national security threats. A foreign ministry spokesman accused Washington of abusing state power to hurt Chinese companies without any evidence.We once again urge the United States to stop abusing the concept of national security, deliberately discrediting China and unreasonably oppressing Chinese companies, said the spokesman, Zhao Lijian. Huaweis founder, Ren Zhengfei, said last year he would refuse official demands to reveal its customers secrets despite a law that obliges Chinese companies to cooperate with intelligence agencies. The FCC has designated Huawei and ZTE as national security risks, said the agencys chairman, Ajit Pai, in a statement. He said the companies threaten our national security.The decision affects mostly small, rural carriers because major U.S. phone companies dont use Chinese equipment.

NEW YORK The head of the U.S. communications regulator said T-Mobile's nationwide, hours-long outage Monday was unacceptable and that the Federal Communications Commission will investigate. T-Mobile, one of the country's three largest cellphone service providers, said it had a voice and text wireless issue" that began around noon EDT Monday. The company blamed an internet-traffic issue that caused problems with its network for the outage. But calls between their customers and T-Mobile customers could have run into trouble because of T-Mobiles issues, creating the impression of a widespread communications failure. T-Mobile paid a $17.5 million fine for two nationwide service outages on the same day in August 2014, which together lasted three hours and prevented customers from being able to call 911.

The U.S. communications regulator on Tuesday proposed a $225 million fine, its largest ever, against two health insurance telemarketers for spamming people with 1 billion robocalls using fake phone numbers. The Federal Communications Commission said John Spiller and Jakob Mears made the calls through two businesses. The FCC said the robocalls offered plans from major insurers like Aetna and UnitedHealth with an automated message. The telemarketers faked their calls to make them appear they came from other companies, which then received angry calls and were named in lawsuits from consumers. He declined to provide contact information for Mears and said neither would speak before talking to an attorney.

The company, which is currently seeking the FCC's permission to merge with T-Mobile, claimed monthly credits for as many as 885,000 customers under the US government's Lifeline program. But Sprint was ineligible to claim the federal funds, the FCC said, because it failed to report that the customers were not actually using the subsidized service. "It's outrageous that a company would claim millions of taxpayer dollars for doing nothing," said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. The investigation into Sprint comes at a delicate time for the company as it seeks to complete its merger with T-Mobile. "When companies abuse the Lifeline program, we should throw the book at them," Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democratic FCC Commissioner, tweeted.

(CNN) - SpaceX wants to become one of the world's largest internet providers by deploying a constellation of thousands of satellites to beam broadband from space. One key benefit of reaching those areas: satellite internet access wouldn't be wiped out by bad weather. And SpaceX has faced pushback from potential competitors in the satellite internet business, including Softbank-backed OneWeb. Creating a successful satellite internet business could be extremely lucrative. OneWeb, which is backed by Softbank, and Amazon have their own plans to build megaconstellations of internet satellites, though SpaceX is considered the frontrunner to become the first to market.

Mark Wilson/Getty Images(CNN) - An episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live" last year featured emergency tones in a sketch mocking the presidential alert system. The emergency alert system (EAS) tone is used on television and cellphones to warn people of impending emergencies such as tornadoes and floods. "THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. AMC's "The Walking Dead" got fined $104,000 for using simulated EAS tones in two scenes in February. Television series "Lone Star Law" also misused the emergency alert system tone, the agency said.

A White House spokesperson declined to comment on the draft order, but referred CNN to Trump's remarks at a recent meeting with right-wing social media activists. It claims that the White House has received more than 15,000 anecdotal complaints of social media platforms censoring American political discourse, the summary indicates. The Trump administration, in the draft order, will offer to share the complaints it's received with the FTC. In May, the White House launched a website inviting consumers to report complaints of alleged partisan bias by social media companies. From the start, the legislation has been interpreted to give tech companies the benefit of the doubt.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images; Joe Raedle/Getty Images(CNN) - T-Mobile's mega-merger with Sprint can move forward, the Justice Department said Friday, paving the way for an unprecedented combination of America's third- and fourth-largest wireless providers. For weeks, Sprint and T-Mobile have been negotiating an agreement with the DOJ to address concerns that the merger may harm competition. Those airwaves could help rural Americans gain access to mobile Internet, according to the Justice Department. The Sprint and T-Mobile merger would help fulfill those goals, he said. The states, Sprint and T-Mobile have agreed to a trial date of Oct. 7 in federal court in New York.

Copyright 2019 CNN(CNN) - The US government announced a nationwide crackdown on illegal robocalls on Tuesday, targeting companies and individuals who have collectively placed over 1 billion unwanted calls for financial schemes and other services, according to the Federal Trade Commission. The crackdown involves nearly 100 cases, five of which are criminal enforcement actions. They were brought by the FTC, Justice Department, 15 states and a slew of local authorities. It marks the latest effort by regulators to battle back the tide of unwanted and illegal calls from telemarketers and scammers. It comes as lawmakers in both chambers of Congress are preparing legislation that would expand the government's power to limit illegal robocalls.

Net Neutrality is the internet’s guiding principle: It preserves our right to communicate freely online. Big phone and cable companies and their lobbyists filed suit almost as soon as the Net Neutrality rules were adopted. The vote for net neutrality in 2015 was also along party lines, but Democrats dominated then. The attempt to repeal net neutrality has triggered protests from consumer groups and internet companies. Google said in a statement that net neutrality rules "are working well for consumers and we're disappointed in the proposal announced today."