Verizon used the North American International Auto Show to announce a retrofit connected-vehicle service called Verizon Vehicle that will be available this spring to more than 200 million older cars (1996 and later) regardless of the user’s wireless carrier. The subscription-based service will launch in Q2 and offer drivers GPS-directed roadside assistance; automatic urgent incident alerts to a Verizon member care center in case of an accident; one-button connection to a live agent in case of emergency; an “auto health system” with predictive diagnostics to translate messages such as “check engine”; a mechanic’s hotline for immediate assistance; parking and meter tools to help drivers locate a vehicle and keep tabs on time left on a meter; maintenance alerts; and stolen vehicle location assistance, Verizon said Tuesday. The subscription-based service operates through an OBD (on-board diagnostics) reader that can mount in a vehicle’s under-dash diagnostic port, a Bluetooth-enabled speaker that attaches to the visor and a free smartphone app. Subscribers can choose to use the app or have the service contact them -- by phone, text, push notification or email -- if a problem is detected with the vehicle, Verizon said. The speaker offers one-button push connection to the member care group, the mechanics hotline and roadside assistance -- as well as a second button for SOS emergency situations, Verizon said. Subscriptions are $14.99 monthly with a two-year contract, and equipment is included in the subscription price, it said. Verizon is offering the first month of service for free with pre-orders, it said.
The FCC Wireless Bureau gave commenters an additional two weeks to weigh in on the FCC’s proposed competitive bidding rules for the TV incentive auction. In December, the bureau already had delayed the initial deadline for filing comments on the Oct. 1 competitive bidding rules NPRM (see 1412080075). Comments were due Dec. 29, replies Jan. 20. The new deadlines were moved to Jan. 23 for comments, Feb. 12 for replies. The latest deadlines are Feb. 6 and Feb. 26, respectively. The bureau cited the fact that the AWS-3 auction is still in progress. Extending the deadlines "should continue to serve our objective of increasing the likelihood that interested parties will be able to take into account more complete information about the results of the bidding,” the bureau said Tuesday.
Zero rating narrows, rather than widens, the digital divide, Daniel Lyons, associate professor at Boston College Law School, said Monday on the American Enterprise Institute's tech blog. Lyons said offerings by Sprint and T-Mobile of zero-rated services are helpful rather than harmful to competition. The zero-rating question is seen as one of the toughest facing the FCC as it moves forward on net neutrality rules (see 1411140046). “Sprint and T-Mobile lack the scale and spectrum holdings they would need to compete head-on with Verizon and AT&T. Instead, each is introducing a differentiated product to appeal to customers who are not satisfied with traditional wireless broadband plans,” Lyons wrote. “Sprint’s social media plans target cost-conscious customers who want to access Facebook or Twitter on-the-go, but who are unwilling or unable to pay for full mobile Internet access. Similarly, T-Mobile’s streaming audio bundle appeals to heavy music consumers who would otherwise have to purchase larger data bundles or forego [sic] mobile music altogether on the larger carriers’ plans.”
The FCC Wireless Bureau extended by two weeks the comment deadline on a Nov. 21 public notice seeking to refresh the record on wireless hearing aid compatibility rules. Comments are now due Feb. 5, replies Feb. 20. CTIA, the Hearing Loss Association of America and the Telecommunications Industry Association sought a 30-day delay, the bureau noted Monday. The groups said the extension would allow “a more robust record” to develop, the bureau said. It opted instead for 14 days, saying "we believe the additional time will facilitate careful and deliberate considerations of these matters.”
U.S. Cellular will start testing its Voice over LTE service in two or three unidentified markets this year, a U.S. Cellular spokeswoman said Friday. The company also will focus on completing its 4G network.
Hogan Lovells cited a Dec. 19 FCC notice of violation against Nike on Friday as “the latest example of increased FCC enforcement activity.” The FCC issued the notice to Nike for interference from a defective UHF amplifier card in Nike’s distributed antenna system network. Nike subsequently replaced the amplifier card, ceasing the interference, the FCC said. The notice “is the latest indication that the FCC Enforcement Bureau is taking a more aggressive approach towards FCC rule violations under new acting Bureau Chief Travis LeBlanc,” Hogan Lovells said in a blog post. The notice is also “an important reminder for all companies that operate wireless equipment to keep a close watch on FCC compliance and enforcement developments,” Hogan Lovells said.
Americans would “risk losing the ability to benefit from new services and products” if the FCC subjects wireless to Title II-based net neutrality regulations, CTIA said in a YouTube video released Friday. The group said it supports Open Internet rules but with “mobile-specific” rules. The organization also released a shorter version of the video.
The Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) said it formed an Emergency Location Task Force to improve location accuracy for wireless 911 calls. The task force is forming to support the goals included in the indoor location accuracy road map released in November by APCO, NENA and the top four U.S. wireless carriers (see 1412150061). The task force will focus initially on standards to support the road map commitments but also will collaborate with other organizations to “seek broader implementation and adoption of solutions, including with the Third Generation Partnership Project,” ATIS said in a Friday news release.
Sprint had 967,000 net additional subscribers in Q3, marking a turnaround for the company, it said in a news release Thursday. The company will provide full results for Q3 in February.
The FCC will take up an order on ensuring that accurate caller location information is automatically provided to public safety officials for all wireless calls to 911, the agency said in releasing its tentative agenda for its Jan. 29 meeting. Chairman Tom Wheeler in a blog post Thursday said the order he's circulating takes advantage of the "'roadmap'" proposed by APCO, AT&T, CTIA, the National Emergency Number Association, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon (see 1411190064) for improving location accuracy for calls made indoors. But recognizing the "valid criticisms raised by some public safety stakeholders," the report and order provides "confidence-building measures and backstop thresholds that set clear targets and deadlines for improving indoor location and hold parties accountable for results," Wheeler wrote. The agency also will hear a presentation on its new Consumer Help Center (see 1501050038). Wheeler's proposal, announced Wednesday (see 1501070046), to increase the broadband benchmark speed to 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload and to issue a notice of inquiry on improving broadband deployment was not on the agenda. The proposal is a vote on circulation, an agency spokesman said.