WhyDom

On May 28, 2008, the FCC issued yet another declaratory order relating to TRS (Telecommunications Relay Service) providing clarification of a 2007 order related to the use of customer information by TRS providers. By issuing the clarification order, the Commission is seeking to avoid litigation initiated by TRS providers regarding their […]

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On April 24, 2008, the FCC granted AT&T’s request for forbearance pursuant to Section 160 of in WC Docket No. 07-21 and 05-342 from accounting rules that assigned costs for the regional bell operating companies (RBOC).  The FCC’s cost assignment accounting rules were created to ensure that the monopoly regulated side of the RBOC business was […]

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In the matter entitled “Promotion of Competitive Networks in Local Telecommunications Markets” the FCC adopted an Order on March 19, 2008,in which the FCC banned carriers from entering into exclusive contracts to provide telecommunications services in residential apartment
buildings, and prohibited enforcement of existing contracts that contain exclusivity provisions.  The Commission found that exclusive agreements between […]

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For this post on IMS and FMC developers’ intellectual property, I collaborated with my friend, Michael Dowd, a partner at Foley, Hoag, LLP, in Boston.  I provide counsel on licensing patents and trademarks, and Michael’s practice involves developing patenting strategies and resolving inventorship issues, software licensing disputes and trade secret misappropriation claims.  As we explain below, these are intellectual […]

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On September 17, 2007, only 10 days after the Pulvermedia’s FMC conference in Chicago where Sprint discussed its future femtocell plans, Sprint formerly announced that it would immediately start offering its AIRAVE femtocell solution in Denver and Indianapolis.  Sprint included a cool marketing video about AIRAVE and femtocells on the Sprint web site. While two trials […]

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Femtocells are going to move fast in the coming 12 months.  Wireless carriers will push the residential gateway from zero units to millions.  On August 13, 2007, Xchange Magazine reported that In-Stat is projecting that by 2011 there will be 40 million femtocells in use and 101 million users of femtocells.   Femtocells are micro cell phone […]

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Femtocells could have a dramatic change on the cell phone service environment.  ABI research predicts there will be 150 million femtocell users by 2012.  That is from zero users today, as reported by GigaOm.   On the other side of the race, In-Sat, as quoted in PDAStreet, projects there will be 200 million dual mode WiFi […]

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TMC announced today that WiFiMobile is selling unlocked smartphones in the US market with VoIP software clients included: “WiFiMobile addresses the Wi-Fi starved US smartphone market.”   WiFiMobile has been competing in Europe by providing a VoIP client for the Nokia N95 and Nokia S60.   The VoIP-mobile company competes with Truphone in the UK. Truphone, a […]

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More significant than the iPhone (nothing could be that important…) this week there were several events that announced to the general public that fixed mobile convergence is hitting the mainstream.  The interesting point is that is not exactly as FMC was anticipated back in 1990. In 1990, PCS “Personal Communication System” was touted as the […]

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It is important for Americans and for the U.S. regulatory policy that spectrum be purchased and used, not purchased and under used.  Under utilization prevents competition and growth of broadband penetration.  The problem with the FCC spectrum auctions, reflected in the highly politicized upcoming 700 MHz auction, is that many of the more recent auctions have been […]

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