Robocall ‘strike force’ sets out to end unwanted calls
The Federal Communications Commission is just as fed up with robocalls as you are. After opening the door for telecoms to offer robocall blocking services last year, and urging those companies to make them available for free last month, members of the FCC convened a meeting of the Robocall Strike Force this morning to figure out what should happen next. (And yes, that’s really what it’s called.)
“As in any pressing challenge like this,” FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said, “perfect is the enemy of the good. The nature of software, as you all know, is to start and continually improve. Let’s have that philosophy here.”
That fast-moving mentality is good news for folks sick of getting fake calls from the IRS at dinnertime, but it’s too bad the part of the meeting the public got to see was a little light on the substance. Still, we got get a finer sense of the companies throwing their weight behind this cause. Beyond AT&T, Apple and Google (which were already known to be part of the strike force), AT&T CEO and strike force chief Randall Stephenson conformed that “technical experts” from Comcast, Level 2, Nokia, Samsung, Sprint and Verizon.
“We have carriers, device makers, OS developers, network designers, and as you heard the commissioner speak, regulators and lawmakers are going to have a role to play in this as well,” said he added. “So what we’re going to have to do is come out of this session with a comprehensive playbook and that we [will] all go out and begin to execute.” Beyond that, Commissioner Ajit Pai raised more specific questions about steps the working group could take, from encouraging Congress to pass an anti-spoofing act proposed in 2015 to pushing for enforcement actions against known, shady telemarketers.
Not long after, strike force members in attendance took sequestered themselves behind closed doors to get to work. Here’s hoping up they cook up a thorough plan of action soon — they’ll report their findings in 60 days.
Via: Reuters
Apple to Join ‘Robocall Strike Force’ to Crack Down on Automated Phone Calls
Apple, AT&T, Google, and 30 other companies will join efforts with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission this year to crack down on automated phone calls, otherwise known as “robocalls,” according to Reuters.
AT&T chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson will make the announcement at the first “Robocall Strike Force” meeting at the FCC later on Friday, the company said.
The so-called “Robocall Strike Force” will provide the FCC with “concrete plans to accelerate the development and adoption of new tools and solutions” to crack down on automated phone calls by October 19, the report claims.
Last month, the FCC sent a letter to phone companies and intermediaries, presumably including Apple, expressing how robocalls and telemarketing calls are the number one source of consumer complaints it receives. FCC chairman Tom Wheeler urged the companies to respond within 30 days with concrete, actionable solutions to tackle the problem, and AT&T was quick to agree that action is needed.
AT&T is prepared to take a leadership position in the industry in the development of comprehensive solutions. We currently allow many of our customers to block calls using black-listing software like Nomorobo and we are committed to providing our customers with the best blocking tools available for use with their knowledge and consent. […]
For these reasons, and at the request of Chairman Wheeler, Mr. Stephenson has agreed to chair a new Robocalling Strike Force, the mission of which will be to accelerate the development and adoption of new tools and solutions to abate the proliferation of robocalls and to make recommendations to the FCC on the role government can play in this battle.
The U.S. has some protective measures in place to prevent automated phone calls. The FCC, for example, requires private companies to have prior consent to robocall or robotext mobile phones. Americans can also add their phone numbers to the FTC’s Do Not Call list to prevent legitimate telemarketers from calling. Last, the FCC expects carriers to respond to consumer requests to block robocalls.
The strike force will push for further solutions, such as developing secure Caller-ID authentication technology, supporting the Anti-Spoofing Act of 2015 in U.S Congress, and implementing new technologies to identify and block robocalls. Apple’s involvement in the strike force remains unclear, but iOS 10 will include at least one combative measure: a new caller ID extension for spam alerts.
Tags: FCC, AT&T
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AT&T unveils ‘overage-free’ phone plans to counter Verizon
No, the big US carriers aren’t done shadowing each other’s moves yet. AT&T has responded to Verizon’s new phone plans with Mobile Share Advantage plans that scrap overages and increase the data you can get, but carry their share of catches. Prices now start at $30 per month (plus $20 per phone) for 1GB of data with unlimited US talk and text, and you won’t wake up to a horrific bill if you underestimate your needs. As with Verizon, you’ll be throttled to 128Kbps for the remainder of the month if you hit your data cap — you can drop $20 for an extra 10GB if you can’t imagine going without streaming videos for a few days.
They’re definitely offering more data than before, and in some cases represent better deals. If you pay $100 per month for two lines, for example, you’ll get 6GB to play with instead of 5GB. However, it’s also clear that AT&T is raising the base rate in at least a few circumstances. Before, you paid a total of $45 per month for 300MB. You’re now shelling out at least $50, and that slight price hike is generally true across the board. And of course, it’s not strictly true that overages are gone… you’re just paying a flat $20 (for that 10GB boost) on your own terms instead of automatically incurring costs.
This could still be a better deal than at Verizon, depending on what you want. There’s no mention of paying extra to enable overage-free throttling on lower-priced plans, and subscribing to a 10GB or larger plan lets you use your service in Mexico with no extra fees. You need at least a 16GB plan to get that perk at Verizon, although Big Red’s feature also includes Canada. Just understand that this isn’t quite the bargain that it sounds like at first blush.
Source: AT&T Newsroom
AT&T Introduces New Data Plans Without Overage Charges
AT&T has introduced new Mobile Share Advantage plans that eliminate data overage charges. Instead, after customers use all of their high-speed data amounts, all data usage will be reduced to a maximum of 128 kbps for the rest of their bill cycle, akin to what T-Mobile has offered for several years.
Old Plans
– 300MB for $20/month
– 2GB for $30/month
– 5GB for $50/month
– 15GB for $100/month
– 20GB for $140/month
– 25GB for $175/month
– 30GB for $225/month
New Plans
– 1GB for $30/month
– 3GB for $40/month
– 6GB for $60/month
– 10GB for $80/month
– 16GB for $90/month
– 25GB for $110/month
– 30GB for $135/month
AT&T charges an additional $20 access charge per smartphone per month for each plan. The carrier previously charged $25 per month for 5GB or lower plans and $15 per month for 15GB and above plans. Overage charges, meanwhile, were previously $15/GB or $20 per 300MB for customers on the now-eliminated 300MB plan.
40GB, 50GB, 60GB, 80GB, and 100GB data tiers are also available, with business customers can choose plans with between 25GB and 200GB of data shared across up to 25 lines. The new plans continue to include unlimited U.S. talk and text, rollover data, sharable data, and Mobile Hotspot tethering.
AT&T boasts that many of its new plans include more data at a lower cost per megabyte than some plans it offers today.
For example, if you have 2 smartphone lines on a current Mobile Share Value 5GB plan for $100 per month, you can now get the new Mobile Share Advantage 6GB plan – 1 additional GB of data for the same price, plus no overages. If you need more data, for $20 more a month, you can get 10GB of data.
We’ve also revised our 25GB and higher plans. We now offer a new 25GB plan for $190 per month for 4 smartphone lines (previously $235 per month) and our 30GB plan is now $215 per month for 4 smartphone lines (previously $285 per month). Customers can add up to 10 lines on both plans.
The new Mobile Share Advantage plans are available August 21. Existing AT&T customers will not be automatically migrated to the new plans, so those interested in switching should inquire with the carrier next week.
AT&T follows in the footsteps of Verizon’s new data plans introduced last month.
Tag: AT&T
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AT&T Working Towards Faster Deployment of 5G, 10-100x Faster Than 4G LTE
AT&T has announced that it is working with several global tech leaders to enable faster 5G deployment once 3GPP completes the first release of the official specifications, which will form the basis of the global standards for the next-generation wireless technology.
Specifically, the carrier has entered preliminary discussions with Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, Huawei, Intel, LG, Nokia, Qualcomm, Samsung, SK Telecom, Telstra, Vodafone, and others to find and resolve key standards issues early and bring 5G to market sooner.
“We’re joining other tech leaders to find and resolve key standards issues early and bring 5G to market sooner,” said Tom Keathley, senior vice president- wireless network architecture and design, AT&T. “Interim and fragmented pre-standard specifications can distract from the ultimate goal. Linking trials to the standards process is the fastest path to large-scale global 5G deployment.”
AT&T began trialing 5G wireless technologies this year, including lab tests in the second quarter and outdoor tests in Middletown, New Jersey and Austin, Texas over the summer. The carrier anticipated 5G speeds to be 10 to 100 times faster than today’s average 4G LTE connections, with reduced latency, and it achieved that goal in June when its 5G data speeds hit up to 10 Gbps in the lab.
As it stands, 5G is still a ways off. The 3GPP group aims to complete the first phase of the worldwide standards process by 2018, but AT&T’s own 5G network rollout is not expected until a few years later in 2020. It also remains too soon to determine Apple’s roadmap for 5G in terms of future iPhones. But, given AT&T’s efforts, 5G deployment could take place at least somewhat sooner than anticipated.
Tags: AT&T, 5G
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iPhone 7 Could Launch on September 23 Following September 9 Pre-Orders
With Apple set to launch the iPhone 7 next month rumors about the phone and the event where it will debut have been picking up. We’ve already heard information suggesting the iPhone 7 will be introduced at an event set to take place on Wednesday, September 7, two days after the Labor Day holiday, and now it appears we may have some insight into the actual release date.
While Apple typically releases the iPhone about two weeks after introducing it, suggesting a September 16 launch date, new scheduling information from AT&T shared by 9to5Mac indicates that the iPhone 7 might not launch until later in the month, on September 23.
A leaked AT&T retail schedule featuring “Merchandising Reset” hours indicates employees will need to spend several hours reorganizing AT&T stores on both September 9, 2016 and September 23, 2016. It’s possible this schedule pertains to the iPhone, but there’s no concrete proof that it does.
Previous information from notable smartphone leaker Even Blass has suggested pre-orders for the iPhone 7 will take place on Friday, September 9, two days after the prospective debut event, which is in line with the schedule from AT&T.
Blass has also predicted an iPhone launch for September 16, but if this AT&T information is accurate and does pertain to release preparations, that previous prediction could be incorrect. September 16 and September 23 are both likely candidates for an iPhone release date.
Regardless of when Apple plans to release the iPhone 7, we don’t have long to wait for an unveiling with only three weeks to go until the rumored September 7 event date. Media invites for the event are likely to go out next week, perhaps on Thursday August 25 or Friday, August 26.
Related Roundup: iPhone 7
Tag: AT&T
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HTC’s Nexus phone efforts show up at the FCC
If there was any doubt that HTC is working on at least one Nexus phone this year, the FCC (and a handful of leaks) just erased it. The regulator has received an HTC filing for smartphones that will be explicitly branded as a Nexus — a letter says you’ll find the user manual on Google’s Nexus page. The entries don’t really show the devices or say exactly what they can do, but the hardware should have full network support for all major North American carriers and beyond. Not that there’s much mystery as to what one of those devices looks like, as you’ll soon see.
Leaks from both Android Police and @Usbfl on Twitter show photos of what’s believed to be the 5-inch Marlin, the smaller of two Nexus devices that HTC is reportedly making this year (the other is the 5.5-inch Sailfish). They line up with a previous render AP made based on a source’s description, and support earlier rumors that both HTC Nexus devices would have a metal-and-glass design, not just the larger one like last year.
Assuming the images are accurate, they also suggest that earlier spec leaks are on the mark. Whether you choose Marlin or Sailfish may depend entirely on your preferred screen size. Both would have a higher-end Snapdragon processor (most likely the 820 or 821), 4GB of RAM, a 12-megapixel rear camera, an 8-megapixel front shooter and at least 32GB of built-in storage. Logically, 2015-era perks like a rear fingerprint reader and USB-C would carry over. There’s still no definitive release window for either Nexus, but they won’t necessarily launch at the same time as the Android Nougat upgrade arrives. Most likely, you’ll have to wait until sometime after LG unveils the first Nougat phone on September 6th.
The 2016 HTC Nexus looks like a cross between the Nexus 4 & iPhone with glass and fingerprint scanner on the back. pic.twitter.com/7pm9fhszki
— nexus (@usbfl) August 14, 2016
Via: The Next Web
Source: FCCID.io, Android Police, Usbfl (Twitter)
FCC Demands AT&T Refund $7 Million in Unauthorized Charges by Scammers
The FCC’s enforcement bureau announced today it has reached a settlement with AT&T that will see the carrier pay $7.75 million for allowing scammers to charge thousands of customers approximately $9 per month for a sham directory assistance service.
AT&T has agreed to issue full refunds to all current and former customers who received unauthorized third-party charges from January 2012 onwards. The refunds are expected to total $6.8 million, while AT&T will also pay a $950,000 fine to the U.S. Treasury.
The scam was uncovered by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration while investigating two Cleveland-area companies Discount Directory, Inc. (DDI) and Enhanced Telecommunications Services (ETS) for drug-related crimes and money laundering. During the investigation, DEA officials discovered financial documents related to the scam that primarily targeted small businesses.
AT&T received a fee from the companies for each charge AT&T placed on its customers’ bills. Although DDI and ETS submitted charges for thousands of AT&T customers, they never provided any directory assistance service. Neither DDI, ETS, nor AT&T could show that any of AT&T’s customers agreed to be billed for the sham directory assistance service. Phone companies like AT&T have a responsibility to ensure third-party charges are legitimate and were approved by the consumer.
AT&T is required to cease billing for nearly all third-party products and services on its wireless bills, and can only reinstate charges of that kind with express informed consent from customers. The carrier also must revise its billing practices to ensure that third-party charges are clearly identified on bills, and offer a free service for customers to block third-party charges.
In 2014, AT&T similarly agreed to pay $105 million in fines and refunds for unauthorized third-party subscriptions and premium text messaging services. T-Mobile also reached a $90 million settlement with the FTC, which accused the carrier of “cramming” unauthorized SMS subscriptions like horoscopes on bills. The FCC has taken more than 30 enforcement actions against carriers for related cases since 2011.
Tags: FCC, AT&T
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AT&T, Verizon sued for giving businesses discounts on 911 fees
Calling 911 is one of those things you just expect to work regardless of the circumstances. A new lawsuit alleges that mobile carriers including AT&T and Engadget parent company Verizon are shortchanging the indispensable emergency service, however. Apparently, in an effort to cut deals with business customers, the aforementioned telcos have been lowering the typical $1 fee per-line charge that goes straight to funding 911 call centers, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The suit comes from Alabama businessman Roger Schneider, a member of his local 911 oversight board, who once was offered a discount on his bill by reducing the funding tax. Whoops. He’s been keeping an eye on such matters for about a dozen years and got service providers to settle for $3 million after discovering his county’s call centers were being shorted over $1 million each year.
On a bigger stage, in 2014 there was apparently a $600 million gap between what the government spends for maintenance, wages and upkeep and what it collects in the 911 fees. That’s a huge problem. So much so that Schneider’s suit is joined by a raft of others across the country. For their parts, AT&T and Verizon each denied shortcutting the emergency tax, saying that the claims are “baseless” and that they aren’t breaking the law, respectively. But when you start looking at the numbers WSJ is reporting, those sentiments feel incredibly hollow — especially when those companies and more have had to shell out millions for 911-related delays and outages before.
Source: Wall Street Journal
FCC Demands AT&T Refund $7 Million in Unauthorized Charges by Scammers
The FCC’s enforcement bureau announced today it has reached a settlement with AT&T that will see the carrier pay $7.75 million for allowing scammers to charge thousands of customers approximately $9 per month for a sham directory assistance service.
AT&T has agreed to issue full refunds to all current and former customers who received unauthorized third-party charges from January 2012 onwards. The refunds are expected to total $6.8 million, while AT&T will also pay a $950,000 fine to the U.S. Treasury.
The scam was uncovered by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration while investigating two Cleveland-area companies Discount Directory, Inc. (DDI) and Enhanced Telecommunications Services (ETS) for drug-related crimes and money laundering. During the investigation, DEA officials discovered financial documents related to the scam that primarily targeted small businesses.
AT&T received a fee from the companies for each charge AT&T placed on its customers’ bills. Although DDI and ETS submitted charges for thousands of AT&T customers, they never provided any directory assistance service. Neither DDI, ETS, nor AT&T could show that any of AT&T’s customers agreed to be billed for the sham directory assistance service. Phone companies like AT&T have a responsibility to ensure third-party charges are legitimate and were approved by the consumer.
AT&T is required to cease billing for nearly all third-party products and services on its wireless bills, and can only reinstate charges of that kind with express informed consent from customers. The carrier also must revise its billing practices to ensure that third-party charges are clearly identified on bills, and offer a free service for customers to block third-party charges.
In 2014, AT&T similarly agreed to pay $105 million in fines and refunds for unauthorized third-party subscriptions and premium text messaging services. T-Mobile also reached a $90 million settlement with the FTC, which accused the carrier of “cramming” unauthorized SMS subscriptions like horoscopes on bills. The FCC has taken more than 30 enforcement actions against carriers for related cases since 2011.
Tags: FCC, AT&T
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