Part of the break-up deal between AT&T and T-Mobile required AT&T to hand over $1 billion in spectrum if the deal were to fail. As we all know, the two companies gave up on the merger in late December. AT&T and T-Mobile started this week by making a request with the FCC to begin the more »

We’ve all experienced situations when we’re watching television late at night and the volume suddenly spikes during a commercial. We jump up, fumble with the remote and lay there angry for another five minutes because our zen-like state had been interrupted. I’m here to tell you that won’t be a problem for too much longer. The Federal Communications Commission has made it so we won’t have to suffer through those moments ever again.

The concept of bill shock may become a thing of the past. The FCC and the CTIA have come to an agreement that requires mobile providers to send alerts to customers who are close to, or have gone over their monthly allotment of voice, text and data services. There had been hundreds of customer complaints within the last year from customers that were hit with bills they couldn’t possibly afford. In about 18 months, all carriers will have adopted this new alert system.

AT&T’s bid to acquire T-Mobile USA has gotten more grim. In response to the United States Department of Justice’s antitrust suit to block the merger, former Federal Communications Commission chairman Reed Hundt has drawn his own conclusion. Simply put, Hundt doesn’t think AT&T stands a chance in this case.

Yesterday, the Federal Communications Commission sent a letter to AT&T to inform the company that two of its proposed acquisitions will be examined jointly and not separate. Those two acquisitions are for T-Mobile USA and Qualcomm’s Lower 700 MHz D spectrum licenses. Qualcomm announced it was selling these licenses to AT&T in December 2010, but it hasn’t been approved by the FCC yet.

Vizio has been very quite on revealing details about its upcoming smartphone and tablet. The last time we heard anything official about either of the devices was during CES 2011 in January. This Android-packing device with the 8-inch screen is believed to become a bargain (yet reliable) tablet on the market. There’s still no word on a release date, but at least we know it’s inching ever closer to release.

On Thursday, the FCC opened a docket regarding AT&T’s proposed acquisition of T-Mobile. AT&T needs the approval of the FCC in order for the deal to go through. There is some controversy as to what a combined AT&T and T-Mobile would mean for the mobile phone industry in the United States. AT&T and Verizon would control an estimated 80% of the wireless market. This has led Sprint to oppose the merger. As the FCC begins its long review process, let’s examine what criteria the FCC is using to approve the deal and why AT&T feels this deal is beneficial to customers.

No other company stands more firmly against AT&T’s proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA than Sprint. If the FCC approves the bid, Sprint will become the smallest nationwide cellular provider in the country behind AT&T and Verizon. AT&T could grow to be almost three times the size of Sprint as far as revenue is concerned. In a statement today, Sprint says the approval of the acquisition would create a duopoly of the wireless industry in America.

AT&T’s $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA has some big hurdles ahead of it. The deal has to be approved by the Federal Communications Commission before consumers begin to see any changes. This process could take over a year. Some individuals do not believe the FCC will let the deal go through despite AT&T’s assertion that a merger would be beneficial to the public. The fact is that even if AT&T’s acquisition is approved, it may not have control of T-Mobile USA in its entirety.

Google and Verizon have announced a deal regarding net neutrality. As part of it, Verizon has agreed not to throttle or prioritize Google traffic coming through its pipes, but the agreement doesn’t cover mobile phone data. The companies have been working on the deal for months, ever since Verizon Wireless began carrying Android phones. When more »