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FCC tries to bury finding that Verizon and T-Mobile exaggerated 4G coverage
The FCC in 2017 required carriers to file maps and data indicating their 4G LTE coverage in order to help the commission determine which rural areas should get $4.5 billion in Mobility Fund money over 10 years. But small, rural carriers pointed out that big carriers exaggerated their coverage, potentially preventing those small carriers from getting funding to improve connectivity in areas that lack good service. The small carriers' complaints triggered an FCC investigation in December 2018.
The FCC's announcement of that investigation's findings today came in an odd manner that seemed designed to minimize the amount of attention it gets. A finding that some of the biggest wireless carriers in the US exaggerated mobile broadband coverage is certainly important enough to be mentioned in the headline of an FCC announcement.
Instead, Pai's office announced the issuance of the investigative report in the third paragraph of a press release titled, "Chairman Pai announces plan to launch $9 billion 5G fund for rural America." Pai's press release referred generally to carriers overstating coverage, but it did not name any of the specific carriers that did so.
Pai's office also held a press call with reporters in which FCC officials focused almost entirely on the new 5G fund rather than the carriers' inaccurate filings. As a result, early news coverage of the announcement focused more on the 5G fund than on the carriers' misdeeds.
The two announcements are related, as the FCC said it will try to improve the accuracy of data collection for the 5G fund, which will replace the old Mobility Fund plan. The 5G fund will supply $9 billion to carriers over 10 years, while the Mobility Fund would have distributed $4.5 billion over 10 years for 4G coverage. The money comes from the Universal Service Fund, which is paid for by Americans through fees on their phone bills.
FCC officials didn't voluntarily bring up the topic of whether Verizon, T-Mobile, and US Cellular will be punished for exaggerating coverage. But FCC officials confirmed that Pai does not intend to take enforcement action in response to a question from a reporter during the press call and in response to a question from Ars via email.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Saturday December 07 2019, @04:33AM (10 children)
That article about not covering a football stadium? https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/09/verizons-5g-network-isnt-good-enough-to-cover-an-entire-nfl-stadium/ [arstechnica.com]
So, Verizon, with all of it's resources, can't cover it's own stadium.
Put that another way: Verizon can't cover it's own showcase property. But, they want me to believe that I can afford to cover my property?
Shelve 5G, it's nonsense. Get that obsolete 3G out here into the boonies, or 4G if the telcos are capable. Damn Ajit Pai, and all of his corporate cronies, along with their 5G scam.
(Score: 2, Touché) by fustakrakich on Saturday December 07 2019, @05:10AM (9 children)
Damn Ajit Pai
Don't blame him. He's only doing what the elected official that appointed him tells him to do. Just think of it as how it's done in the Navy now. The president is the commander, right?
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Saturday December 07 2019, @05:31AM (4 children)
Yes, you've got that much right. The commander in chief is the commander - but that's not "now", but "always has been". That commander is several different kinds of an asshole, and an idiot in his own right, but he remains the legally voted-in commander.
Ajit Pai is especially damnable, because he is a special breed of vicious little lapdog. I can be pissed off at the yapping little dog, and be pissed at the commander mentioned already, separately. Right here in real life, I can love my wife, and still despise her little lapdogs.
So, damn Ajit Pai. He is a vicious little cur. Not only that, but he's a fucking UGLY vicious little cur.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Saturday December 07 2019, @05:46AM (2 children)
There's nothing special about him at all. He fits right in perfectly, better than OJ's glove
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 0, Troll) by Runaway1956 on Saturday December 07 2019, @06:04AM (1 child)
Every snowflake is special. You're begging for the SJW's to climb up your ass!
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Saturday December 07 2019, @06:35PM
Every snowflake is special.
Raise the temp a little, still just made of water.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 5, Touché) by captain normal on Saturday December 07 2019, @08:11PM
Yeah, but his collar still has an engraving that says, "If found please call ATT or Verzion. Reward offered."
Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts"- --Daniel Patrick Moynihan--
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 07 2019, @08:08AM (3 children)
Thanks Obama!
(Score: 4, Funny) by Immerman on Saturday December 07 2019, @11:43AM (2 children)
Just in case anyone takes you seriously - Obama actually did appoint him to the FCC (on Mitch McConnell's recommendation. Why?), but it was Trump that promoted him to Chairman.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Saturday December 07 2019, @05:39PM (1 child)
Just in case anyone takes you seriously - Obama actually did appoint him to the FCC
:-) I am fully aware of that. Why do you think I like to bring it up? All these people in the government are results of elections, even the appointed ones.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Saturday December 07 2019, @05:41PM
Oh, I'm not the above AC. I got lost in the thread and forgot he was there..
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..