Telecommunications regulation

Tear gas talk by Michigan lawmaker's aide leads to FBI visit

Jan. 6, 2021 10:59 AM EST

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — An FBI agent visited the home of a Michigan lawmaker's top aide after authorities were told that she had discussed the use of tear gas before the election. But Katie Reiter said the visit was because of a bizarre misunderstanding: She had been on the phone 10 days earlier in October...

FILE - In this Aug. 16, 2018, file photo, the Fitbit Charge 3 fitness trackers are displayed in New York. EU regulators cleared Google's plan to buy fitness tracking device maker Fitbit after the company promised to silo off user data and not use it for advertising. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

Australian regulator delays decision on Google-Fitbit merger

Dec. 22, 2020 8:16 AM EST

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s competition regulator on Tuesday delayed for three months its decision on Google’s plan to buy fitness gadget maker Fitbit for $2.1 billion despite the European Union giving conditional approval to the deal. Shares of Fitbit Inc. tumbled almost 7% before...

FILE - In this Monday, Nov. 6, 2017, file photo, shoppers check out smart phones at a store in Beijing, China. Companies including the Chinese arm of TripAdvisor Inc. have been ordered by regulators to overhaul their mobile phone apps in what the Chinese government says is a crackdown on pornography and other improper content. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

China orders removal of 105 apps, including TripAdvisor

Dec. 9, 2020 6:13 AM EST

HONG KONG (AP) — Companies including the Chinese arm of TripAdvisor Inc. have been ordered by regulators to overhaul their mobile phone apps in what the Chinese government said is a crackdown on pornography and other improper content. The National Cyberspace Administration ordered the removal of 105 apps...

Senate OKs Trump pick for FCC, adding hurdle to Biden plans

Dec. 8, 2020 6:34 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has narrowly approved President Donald Trump’s lame-duck nominee to become a member of the Federal Communications Commission, setting up the agency for a stretch of partisan gridlock likely to stymie President-elect Joe Biden’s policies. The vote Tuesday was 49-46...

FILE - In this June 24, 2020 file photo, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai testifies during a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation committee hearing to examine the Federal Communications Commission on Capitol Hill in Washington. Pai, a Republican, says he is leaving the telecommunications regulator on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, 2021. President-elect Joe Biden will choose a new Democratic head for the agency. A new administration typically picks a new chairman. (Alex Wong/Pool via AP, File)

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to leave telecom agency on January 20

Nov. 30, 2020 12:45 PM EST

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, a Republican, says he is leaving the telecommunications regulator on Inauguration Day. President-elect Joe Biden will choose a new Democratic head for the agency. A new administration typically picks a new chairman. Pai has presided over a contentious FCC over...

UK to ban new Huawei gear installations after Sept

Nov. 30, 2020 5:48 AM EST

LONDON (AP) — Wireless carriers in the U.K. won’t be allowed to install Huawei equipment in their high-speed 5G networks after September 2021, the British government said Monday, hardening its line against the Chinese technology company. The deadline is part of a roadmap the British government is...

FILE - In this Sept. 9, 2020, file photo, an Indian army convoy moves on the Srinagar- Ladakh highway at Gagangeer, northeast of Srinagar, Indian-controlled Kashmir. India banned 43 mobile apps on Tuesday in a move targeted at China, with which it is locked in a military standoff along a border in the Himalayas.(AP Photo/ Dar Yasin, File)

China demands India rescind app ban amid border tension

Nov. 25, 2020 3:51 AM EST

BEIJING (AP) — China on Wednesday demanded India rescind a ban on more Chinese mobile phone apps amid tension between Beijing and other governments over technology and security. A foreign ministry spokesman accused India of violating global free-trade rules and discriminating against Chinese companies....