Verizon got the green light in New Jersey for its buy of XO Communications and its wireline assets. The state's Board of Public Utilities OK’d the $1.8 billion sale, the BPU said in a news release Friday. “The Board found that the merger will strengthen the company’s product offerings, while improving its business customers’ quality of service under the same current rates, terms and conditions,” BPU President Richard Mroz said in a statement. The BPU required Verizon to report over the next four years and to explain any net loss of XO customer-facing jobs exceeding 15 percent, the Board said. Verizon is pleased with the decision, a company spokesman said. The Verizon/XO deal still needs approval from regulators in New York, Pennsylvania and Hawaii, plus the FCC and DOJ (see 1606270062). The FCC Wireline Bureau recently paused its nonbinding 180-day review clock on Day 86 as it awaits further documents from the companies (see 1607200079). Last week, the FCC approved Verizon's de facto spectrum leasing arrangement with Nextlink, a subsidiary of XO Holdings (see 1607250045).
CTA, CTIA, Mobile Future, NCTA, USTelecom and the Wireless ISP Association jointly urged the FCC to back away from privacy rules for ISPs. The record doesn't support heightened privacy rules for just ISPs, the groups said Monday in a joint blog post. “Opposition to the FCC’s proposed broadband privacy rules continues to grow,” they said. “The recently filed ‘reply round’ comments, new reports, and expert submissions to the Commission, and testimony before Congress all demonstrate a growing consensus that the Commission’s proposed approach is flawed and a new course must be taken -- one that protects consumer data, encourages innovation and growth online, and provides consistent and evenhanded standards for all internet companies.” The post cites numerous filings in opposition to the rules. “Many commenters echoed a fundamental point made by Ghostery in its two visits to the Commission -- that the proposed rules’ opt-in default and other problematic measures will undermine consumer choice and stifle innovation, depriving consumers of new choices, options, and alternatives online.”
CTA, CTIA, Mobile Future, NCTA, USTelecom and the Wireless ISP Association jointly urged the FCC to back away from privacy rules for ISPs. The record doesn't support heightened privacy rules for just ISPs, the groups said Monday in a joint blog post. “Opposition to the FCC’s proposed broadband privacy rules continues to grow,” they said. “The recently filed ‘reply round’ comments, new reports, and expert submissions to the Commission, and testimony before Congress all demonstrate a growing consensus that the Commission’s proposed approach is flawed and a new course must be taken -- one that protects consumer data, encourages innovation and growth online, and provides consistent and evenhanded standards for all internet companies.” The post cites numerous filings in opposition to the rules. “Many commenters echoed a fundamental point made by Ghostery in its two visits to the Commission -- that the proposed rules’ opt-in default and other problematic measures will undermine consumer choice and stifle innovation, depriving consumers of new choices, options, and alternatives online.”
CTA, CTIA, Mobile Future, NCTA, USTelecom and the Wireless ISP Association jointly urged the FCC to back away from privacy rules for ISPs. The record doesn't support heightened privacy rules for just ISPs, the groups said Monday in a joint blog post. “Opposition to the FCC’s proposed broadband privacy rules continues to grow,” they said. “The recently filed ‘reply round’ comments, new reports, and expert submissions to the Commission, and testimony before Congress all demonstrate a growing consensus that the Commission’s proposed approach is flawed and a new course must be taken -- one that protects consumer data, encourages innovation and growth online, and provides consistent and evenhanded standards for all internet companies.” The post cites numerous filings in opposition to the rules. “Many commenters echoed a fundamental point made by Ghostery in its two visits to the Commission -- that the proposed rules’ opt-in default and other problematic measures will undermine consumer choice and stifle innovation, depriving consumers of new choices, options, and alternatives online.”
The FCC approved Verizon's de facto spectrum leasing arrangement with Nextlink, a subsidiary of XO Holdings, in an order issued Monday by the Wireless Bureau. Verizon plans to lease Nextlink spectrum associated with 93 local multipoint distribution service (LMDS) licenses and nine 39 GHz band licenses covering about 63 percent of the U.S. population. The bureau said the likelihood of any public interest harms "at this point in time is low."
The FCC paused the 180-day clock on its review of Verizon's planned buy of XO Communications and its wireline assets, Wireline Bureau Chief Matt DelNero notified them in a Wednesday letter. DelNero said the FCC would pause the unofficial clock as of July 7, which was Day 86 of review. The FCC sought information and documents from both companies with a July 7 due date, the letter said. As of Wednesday, “neither Applicant has completed their production of responsive material,” DelNero wrote. “With respect to certain information requests no anticipated production date has been offered.”
The FCC paused the 180-day clock on its review of Verizon's planned buy of XO Communications and its wireline assets, Wireline Bureau Chief Matt DelNero notified them in a Wednesday letter. DelNero said the FCC would pause the unofficial clock as of July 7, which was Day 86 of review. The FCC sought information and documents from both companies with a July 7 due date, the letter said. As of Wednesday, “neither Applicant has completed their production of responsive material,” DelNero wrote. “With respect to certain information requests no anticipated production date has been offered.”
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., tore into FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, attacking the substance of his policies, the partisanship of the agency’s votes. and in particular the possible disclosure of nonpublic information from the chairman’s office, subject to ongoing investigation from the FCC inspector general. Thune spent more than 15 minutes on the chamber floor Thursday citing his many objections to Wheeler’s leadership.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., tore into FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, attacking the substance of his policies, the partisanship of the agency’s votes. and in particular the possible disclosure of nonpublic information from the chairman’s office, subject to ongoing investigation from the FCC inspector general. Thune spent more than 15 minutes on the chamber floor Thursday citing his many objections to Wheeler’s leadership.
ISPs, and the groups that represent them, made a last pitch in reply comments at the agency to try to get the FCC to back down from tough privacy rules that apply only to ISPs. But industry observers said Thursday the FCC appears likely to move in a matter of months to approve rules as proposed by Chairman Tom Wheeler in March (see 1603310049). Many of the ISPs noted the FTC raised questions about the FCC’s approach and whether it would create major differences between how ISPs and other companies are regulated (see 1606020062).