Today, Public Knowledge and Communications Workers of America notified the Federal Communications Commission of the withdrawal of objections to the Verizon/TracFone merger in exchange for commitments from Verizon that protect TracFone’s most vulnerable subscribers. Access Humboldt, the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society, and the California Center for Rural Policy also joined the letter withdrawing objections. 

Today, reports indicate that the Department of Justice is investigating alleged collusion between AT&T and Verizon at GSMA, a standards-setting body. The alleged collusion would make it more difficult for consumers to move from one carrier to another.

Today, reports indicate that Verizon Wireless reduced connection speeds for mobile subscribers accessing streaming video services as part of a “video optimization” systems test. The company issued no warnings to consumers prior to testing, but claims “the customer video experience was not affected”.

Today, reports indicate that one of Verizon’s business partners, Nice Systems, exposed millions of Verizon customer records.

Background: Today, Verizon and Google announced that they have reached a private agreement on a legislative proposal for Net Neutrality.

The following is attributed to Sherwin Siy, Deputy Legal Director of Public Knowledge:

“We have already expressed our alarm at the extraordinary loopholes present in Verizon and Google’s proposal. However, the proposal also damages open Internet efforts through commission as well as omission. The section on “case-by-case enforcement” directs the FCC to defer to rules set by industry-led advisory groups. Combined with the proposal’s recommendation that the FCC have no rulemaking authority with respect to consumer protection and nondiscrimination, the agreement outsources the FCC’s powers and authorities to the very industries these rules are supposed to oversee.”

Background: Today, Verizon and Google announced that they have reached a private agreement on a legislative proposal for Net Neutrality.

The following is attributed to Gigi B. Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge:

“The agreement between Verizon and Google about how to manage Internet traffic is nothing more than a private agreement between two corporate behemoths, and should not be a template or basis for either Congressional or FCC action. It is unenforceable, and does almost nothing to preserve an open Internet.

Public Knowledge is on the other side of a lot of public policy issues from Verizon. That said, Verizon’s new “Custom TV” plans are a move in the right direction. It’s great to see a company announce–and then launch–a new approach that is good for viewers, good for the provider, good for competition and ultimately good for programmers, as well.

On Wednesday, the Federal Communications Commission announced that it reached a $7.4 million settlement with Verizon over the company’s misuse of its customers’ private information (“customer proprietary network information,” or “CPNI”) for internal marketing, which violated longstanding federal privacy rules.

Today Public Knowledge sent letters to AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon as the first step in the process of filing open internet complaints against each of them at the FCC. The letters address violations of the FCC’s transparency requirements, which are the only part of the open internet rules that survived court challenge.

Verizon wants to replace copper landlines destroyed by Hurricane Sandy with a new fixed wireless service called Voice Link. But should victims of natural disaster be guinea pigs when fundamental basic services are at stake? Especially when it means losing access to broadband?

Ever since Hurricane Sandy destroyed huge pieces of its landline network last October, Verizon made it clear it did not want to rebuild its traditional copper network. Most folks assumed that meant replacing damaged copper with fiber. While some consumers have grumbled about being upgraded to a more expensive service, no one doubts fiber to the home represents a step up – especially on the broadband side. 

But what about those communities where Verizon does not want to spend the money upgrading to FIOS? Turns out, rather than an upgrade to fiber, these communities will play guinea pig for Verizon’s new, cheaper, more limited wireless alternative called “Voice Link.”