FCC

A mysterious wireless Apple device with Bluetooth and NFC has surfaced in an FCC filing

A mysterious low-powered wireless device from Apple has just passed testing by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and could be released in the United States in the next few months, according to an FCC filing that was first spotted by French blog Consomac.

It's designated by the model number “A1844”, includes both Bluetooth wireless functionality and built-in NFC and is rated at between 100mA and 700mA (from 5.5V to 13.2V).

Apple and other tech giants join forces with FCC to crack down on spammy robocalls

Robocalls, phone calls that uses a computerized autodialer to deliver a pre-recorded message, may become a thing of the past as Apple, Google and other Silicon Valley giants join forces with the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to crack down on spammy automated phone calls, according to Reuters this morning.

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson is expected to make the announcement at the first “Robocall Strike Force” meeting at the FCC later today.

iPad Pro and Apple Pencil approved by FCC

With about two weeks left until the official launch of the iPad Pro and the Apple Pencil, the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved both devices, GforGames reported today.

Both the Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + Cellular models of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro have received final approval yesterday, October 15, documents published by the FCC reveal.

AT&T gets FCC waiver to begin offering Wi-Fi Calling

The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday gave AT&T permission to begin offering Wi-Fi Calling, reports The Verge. The Commission has granted the carrier a waiver, allowing it to offer the feature without the typically-required support for TTY, a service for those with disabilities.

AT&T announced last week that it had intended to deploy Wi-Fi Calling on September 25, the day Apple launched its new iPhone 6s, but decided to delay its release until it received word from the FCC. Now that the Commission has given the green light, the feature should be available shortly.

AT&T fined $100 million by FCC over unlimited data throttling

The US Federal Communications Commission announced plans on Wednesday to fine AT&T $100 million for unsuitable throttling practices. The Commission issued a press release on its website this morning proclaiming the decision, charging the carrier with violating the '2010 Open Internet Transparency Rule.'

The move comes as the result of an in-depth investigation, where the FCC found that AT&T—the second largest wireless provider in the US—had not adequately informed its customers with unlimited data plans that it would be dramatically slowing down their Internet access once they crossed a particular threshold.

Verizon and Sprint to pay $158 million in bill cramming settlement

The FCC announced on Tuesday that Verizon and Sprint have agreed to pay $158 million to settle their bill cramming investigations with the Commission. Verizon Wireless will pay $90 million and Sprint Corporation will pay $68 million, and much of that will go to consumer refunds.

"For too long, consumers have been charged on their phone bills for things they did not buy," said the oft-outspoken FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. “We call these fraudulent charges ‘cramming,’ and with today’s agreements we are calling them history for Verizon and Sprint customers.”

FCC to hotels: blocking Wi-Fi hotspots is illegal!

Many of us have been there. You just checked in to a nice hotel and went right to your room. After taking a shower, you pull out your Mac to connect to a personal Wi-Fi hotspot in the hope of getting some work done. But alas, it won't work. Slowly but surely, a sinking feeling sets in that you're being forced to use the hotel's exorbitantly priced Wi-Fi.

The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) wants to put an end to the practice and on Tuesday issued a public enforcement advisory warning hotel chains and other commercial establishments that intentionally blocking or interfering with Wi-Fi hotspots is illegal.

T-Mobile agrees to pay $90 million to settle with FTC over unwanted charges

Following a complaint that the United States Federal Trade Commission filed over T-Mobile this summer over fraudulent services, the Deutsche Telekom-owned wireless carrier today announced it has agreed to pay $90 million to settle cramming accusation. Carrier cramming, a form of fraud popular among major US carriers, results in small charges being added to a bill by a third party without the subscriber's consent or disclosure.

Such unlawful charges typically cover unwanted text message alerts and other services like unauthorized SMS subscriptions for horoscopes, sports scores, ring tones and similar services that cost ten bucks per month or more.

Sprint just had a bad day: Record FCC fine, no more Nascar partnership

Sprint just had a pretty bad day, sending its stock down 5 percent after some troubling news. The Wall Street Journal reports an FCC official confirmed the regulatory body is preparing to fine Sprint, the nation's third-largest mobile carrier, a record $105 million after allegations it charged consumers for unwanted text message alerts and other services.

FCC documents reveal Apple-branded Beats Bluetooth Solo2 headphones

Newly discovered FCC documents have leaked what may be the first Beats product released under Apple's banner: Bluetooth-enabled Beats Solo2 headphones. First spotted by 9to5Mac, the new Solo2s look nearly identical to their predecessor, with the exception that they're wireless.

The headphones will utilize Bluetooth Low Energy tech, and won't be Beats' first cordless can offering. The company has, for a while now, carried the Beats Studio Wireless–although looking at previous line pricing, it's likely that the new Solo2 product will be a bit more affordable.

AT&T forced to pay $105 million over bogus billing

The US government has just handed AT&T a significant fine for allowing third party companies to stealthily tack on their charges to customer phone bills for things like spam SMS text messages. The announcement was made on Wednesday in a joint press conference by the FCC and FTC, who say this is the largest "cramming" settlement in history.

In total, AT&T will pay out $105 million to settle the case—$80 million is earmarked for the FTC, which it will use to set up a reimbursement program, $5 million will go to the FCC, and $20 million will go to individual states. Additionally, the carrier has been ordered to begin proactively informing subscribers if extra fees are going on their accounts.