communicator

Verizon Wireless's new $2 "convenience fee" for paying a bill online has outraged consumers, and today the Federal Communications Commissions said it will look into the fee.

"On behalf of American consumers, we're concerned about Verizon's actions and are looking into the matter," the FCC said in its statement.

The FCC isn't providing further information about its investigation. The New York Times was the first to report the FCC's statement.

Verizon confirmed on Thursday that beginning January 15, it will charge customers $2 to pay their bills online using the one-time … Read more

In a move that would have been shocking a decade ago, Microsoft has made it possible for others' instant-messaging software to tap into its Windows Live Messenger.

Instant-messaging networks--the big ones are run by Microsoft, Yahoo, and AOL--once were well-defended strongholds, and developers of third-party programs like Trillian had to work hard to reverse-engineer their inner workings. But whatever residual excitement IM possessed has faded as new communication methods such as Facebook and Twitter have seized the spotlight.

I'm inclined to blame the companies involved. Had they banded together on a standard, IM could have become a staple of … Read more

Netflix shares spiked more than 6 percent today on rumors that Verizon Communications is thinking about buying the troubled DVD rental and movie-streaming service.

Verizon has made it clear it wants to get into the streaming business, and according to a report from DealReporter, the troubled Netflix could be just the ticket, especially since its stock has fallen off a cliff in recent months after a series of disastrous moves that have included raising prices and a now-abandoned plan to split its DVD rental and streaming businesses in two.

Still, despite those stumbles, Netflix remains a household name and, as … Read more

Verizon Communications has fired 40 employees involved in this summer's bitter labor strike for behavior the company said ranged from physical violence to making racial threats.

The company informed the employees by mail over the weekend of their terminations for violating the company's code of conduct while picketing a new contract, according to a Boston Globe report. More than 45,000 Verizon workers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states walked off the job to protest contract reduction offered by the company.

"We respect the rights of our employees to peacefully picket and protest during a strike. However, … Read more

A spectrum bill has passed through a subcommittee in the House of Representatives that authorizes FCC incentive auctions and also allocates spectrum to public safety.

On Thursday, the communications and technology subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the Jumpstarting Opportunity with Broadband Spectrum Act (JOBS Act).

The legislation authorizes the Federal Communications Commission to create an auction for selling wireless spectrum voluntarily released by TV broadcasters. And it also includes provisions for allocating spectrum and funding a nationwide public safety mobile broadband network.

Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.), who sponsored the bill, said it would help create 100,… Read more

Google is no longer the only employer that wants to recruit via tough-to-crack math questions.

Britain's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) intelligence agency has launched a Web site challenging visitors to crack a code, according to the BBC. The purpose is to find potential candidates to fill its posts dealing with cyberthreats, which the U.K.'s spy chief recently identified as a disturbing threat.

The competition started November 3 via an unbranded Web site at canyoucrackit.co.uk that displays a visual code resembling a grid of random numbers and letters. Visitors have to first crack that code before getting redirected to GCHQ's Web site, which further directs them on the types of jobs that they can apply for. … Read more

According to reports from tech industry site DigiTimes, smartphone makers are convinced that Apple will be adding near field communications, or NFC, to the next-generation iPhone, widely expected to be released in 2012.

The current smartphone market only has about 10 percent adoption of NFC technology, but according to Taiwan-based phone manufacturers, that number could rise to 50 percent by 2013.

Samsung, HTC, Nokia, and RIM all have NFC-enabled phones currently on the market. Rumors last spring had Apple adding the e-wallet technology to iOS and what is now the iPhone 4S. That, of course, did not come to fruition.… Read more

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission doesn't believe that AT&T's proposed $39 billion deal to acquire T-Mobile USA is in the public interest. And he's asking the other four commissioners to approve an administrative hearing, in which AT&T would have to prove otherwise.

The Wall Street Journal first reported on Tuesday that Chairman Julius Genachowski was considering such action.

The move by the chairman would put yet another hurdle in the way of the merger, which is already being challenged by the U.S. Department of Justice. The DOJ has filed a … Read more

Cox Communications is shutting down its wireless phone service, the company announced late Tuesday.

The cable provider said that it will stop selling its wireless service to new customers starting Wednesday, November 16. But it will continue offering the service to current customers until March 30, 2012. The company is offering current customers a $150 credit for every line that is being disconnected. And it is also waiving early termination fees.

Cox uses Sprint Nextel's 3G wireless network to deliver its mobile phone service. The company said that it was discontinuing the service because it was unable to compete … Read more