By 
The FCC vote is in, and by a 3-2 majority has mandated data roaming in favor of smaller, regional carriers. Much like larger carriers like AT&T and Verizon are required to open up their network infrastructure to voice and text roaming, the same is now required for data. Those attempting to surf the web, check email, and whatnot outside of their network now get data access courtesy of the major carriers. At the threat of slowing expansion into smaller markets, the two largest carriers in the US aren’t too happy about the decision. The FCC has defended the mandate, citing the ability for AT&T and Verizon to still negotiate roaming rates and fees.
[via Engadget]
If this is any indication of what might be coming down the road At&t better worry about there supposed merger. It won’t happen trust me. Meanwhile all the little carriers will appreciate this from the fcc.
owned. sorry you greedy fools. its called being competitive and not having a monopoly. FCC PWNS JOO
According to Fox news the House struck down the FCC rule http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/04/08/house-votes-repeal-fcc-regulation-internet-access/?test=latestnews
Fox has news?
Leave it to the Republicans to spearhead the lead in screwing the small business and customers, yet again.
So, in the “And vs. Grasshopper” you would be the grasshopper, mooching off of the work that others have done?
“Ant vs Grasshopper”, darn sling makes it difficult to type. sorry!
What are you talking about seriously?
Republicans stripping away last December’s ruling (not this one) is all about the lobbyists.
And for either ruling – there is no Ant vs. Grasshopper comparison – no one was getting something for nothing.
No mooching going on here. The small telcos have to pay the big telcos for using the airwaves. And try to remember that the airwaves belong not to AT&T or Verizon. They belong TO US CITIZENS. AT&T and Verizon are merely licensing it.
I am a customer of a “small business” (tmobile…for the time being). I knew what I was getting into when I signed up, and I love my service. Yes, I have holes in my service in which I rarely spend time. But I don’t need to leech off of AT&T to be happy. This deal sounds like it would force tmobile and att to make deals…that will jack up my costs. @#$%! Let me keep my plan and my costs and leave me the hell alone! But the DemocRAT way is to make things “fair”. What they create is dependent classes (leeches) and over-regulation. We are so screwed!
Again, I’d hardly call paying someone for use of the same airwaves “leeching.” The FCC is merely requiring that the big guys offer the rental.
If you think the Democrats are “the party for the rest of us”, then you seriously need a reality check. They are BOTH the party for the rich. (Note that I said “rich” and not “high income earner.” HUGE differences.
they both are rotten.but ill select less of the two evils..so republican can kiss my ass.
This isn’t the ruling that the FCC struck down – they struck down last December’s ruling – much worse, kiss the net as you know it goodbye.
That is not the same rule as this one.
That isn’t the same thing
ok, so now what i want to know is will the smaller markets have to allow us to data access on their towers???
Only a complete dolt would believe the DEMS aren’t in bed with lobbyists and then spew political bs in this forum. The DEMS want to regulate the snot out of everything and the REPs wants them to keep their mitts off and leave people alone. I say FOX has great news, and they kill in the ratings. Just like Android kills in the ratings.
Only a dolt would believe there is actually a difference in being a democrat vs being a republican. The whole 2 party system is just a divide and conquer strategy for much larger scale plans.
u freakin republican moron,and fox sucks.the rep..are the root of all evil//and apple users.
As I said on Arstechnica, I’m really surprised that Verizon is against this:
When I first signed up for a cell phone, in 1999 or 2000, I got a plan from Verizon that guaranteed No Roaming and No Long Distance … the sales guy explained that I wouldn’t pay a roaming charge, even if I got out of the Verizon network, they’d pick up the tab for that, in exchange for the extra $5/month, or whatever it was, that this plan cost. This was before much, if any, data was happening on phones, so I’d guess that this only applied to the voice network.
I feel like the “commercially reasonable” terms could lead us back into the days of huge roaming charges and/or higher priced plans that guarantee no roaming charges… I would’ve pegged Verizon to be behind this, since they’ve always loved those mysterious fees and value-added plans.
It says the big guys have to give access, but it doesn’t say they have to let you roam at 4G… guaranteeing they are going to make it as painful as possible for those non-Verizon/AT&T customers
fuck all this political fucktardotry. take that shit elsewhere. im here for android news and info NOT political fanboyism.
Although I agree with this decision, I think we should get rid of the FCC and have our own POLITICIANS make these decisions.
The net neutrality rules that the FCC passed two months ago are horrible, because hidden inside those rules is that it will give our government the authority to censor the information we get through the internet.
This means that FCC could easily begin censoring the conservative websites just a few years down the road, which will prevent Americans from being able to get accurate news on the web about what’s happening in congress.
Government is evil. Let the market work. Anyone for more government needs a .45 between their vapid eyes.
FCC to be wiped out on 2013. Bet on it!
nice.
Yeah, free markets like the loosely regulated banks that lead us to near financial catastrophe in 2008 and 2009. Get real.
And wht doyou think woudl hapopen if market really were ungoverned? DO you think in the end when there is jsut ATT and Verizon we’ll be paying what we are now or more likley 50% more!
Conservative and Libertarian ideologues would have us live in a much worse place than we are living now. But at least we’d be ideologically pure in their eyes, and that’s all that’s important to them.
Market fundamentalism is just as stupid as Islamic fundamentalism.