With a broad boost from U.S. Reps. Anna G. Eshoo and Jackie Speier (D-Palo Alto, Hillsborough), a large coalition of Western cities and counties are waging a legal showdown with a shuttered federal government in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals over control of 5G wireless installations. Eshoo's bill, H.R. 530 -- called the Accelerating Wireless Broadband Development by Empowering Local Communities Act of 2019, "essentially resets the clock on the FCC's new rules by erasing what the federal government has implemented in the under-the-wire maneuver." Eshoo noted "5G is essential for our country's communications network and economy, but it must be deployed responsibly and equitably."
5G raises twin privacy concerns, says former Bell Labs/AT&T Labs researcher
While 5G promises significantly faster mobile data connections, it also raises two privacy concerns, according a former researcher at Bell Labs and AT&T Labs Research. Dr. Steve Bellovin, who is now a professor of computer science at Columbia University, says the first issue is lo...
Contra Costa County approves controversial 5G small-cell antennas despite protests
Despite resistance from Contra Costa residents, Verizon Wireless will be allowed to install small-cell antennas and equipment in five public right-of-way spots around unincorporated Walnut Creek and Alamo. The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors voted on this Tuesday after li...
Rural broadband funding could connect more Ohio Valley communities to high-speed
With the new funding for a USDA Rural Development pilot program called ReConnect, which allows companies, nonprofits, and communities in under-served regions to apply for loans and grants to fund broadband projects, there may now be funding for building broadband infrastructure in...
AT&T strikes partnership with Microsoft involving network tech
AT&T is testing how to bring network edge compute capabilities into its 5G network with cloudcomputing service Microsoft Azure. In connection with the effort, AT&T is creating a site for the technology, which helps speed up wireless access for businesses, at the AT&T Foundry in Pl...
FCC chairman says US has early 5G lead
Ajit Pai, chairman of the FCC, said U.S. companies are the front-runners in the global race to build 5G wireless networks, a week after President Trump said those companies must step up their efforts or get left behind. "In my view, we’re in the lead with respect to 5G," Pai...
Telcos bet on connecting everything to recoup 5G costs
Industry association GSMA, which hosts the Mobile World Congress, sees a vast opportunity in 5G. It estimates the number of devices connected to the IoT "will triple to 25 billion by 2025, generating a fourfold rise in revenues to $1.1 trillion." Borje Ekholm, CEO of Ericsson, sai...