• On June 27, 2012, the FCC Enforcement Bureau announced that it has resolved its investigation of Comcast regarding compliance with the Comcast/NBCU merger conditions. The investigation ends with a consent decree whereby Comcast will voluntarily pay $800,000 to the U.S. Treasury and continue to offer stand-alone, or “naked”, broadband for an additional year longer than originally required. Under the consent decree, Comcast will continue to offer a broadband-only service for $49.95 a month until February 2015. More details are available here.
  • On June 26, 2012, the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project released a report on cell phone Internet usage, finding that 17% of respondents do most of their online browsing on their cell phone, rather than a computer or other device, and that 55% of respondents use their cell phone to go online to some degree. This is a marked increase from 2009, when 31% of cell owners responded that they used their phone to go online. These findings summarize a national telephone survey of 2,254 adults age 18 and over conducted March 15-April 3, 2012, including 903 interviews conducted on the respondent’s cell phone. More information, including the Report, is available here.
  • Short form applications for the FCC mobility auction must be filed by July 11, 2012. The auction will take place on September 27, 2012 and will distribute as much as $300 million from the USF. A news release on the auction is available here. The procedures for the auction are available here.