The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is a federal government agency tasked with enforcing regulations in the area of wire and radio communications. The FCC also regulates broadcast stations, television, amateur radio operators, radar, repeater stations, and Morse code radio stations.
The FCC is able to enforce regulations through fines and the revocation of broadcast licenses. The complainant has the burden of proof in a petition to deny revocation.
The FCC is tasked with encouraging broadband deployment and promoting the openness and interconnectivity of the internet. Consumers are entitled and encouraged to view the legal Internet content of their choice. They are allowed to run applications and utilize services that they have freely chosen.
They are allowed to run applications and utilize services that they freely choose. Additionally, they may may connect devices of their choosing to the internet, as long as the device causes no harm to the network.
The FCC is also charged with maintaining standards of decency over the airwaves and levies fines when standards are not kept. The Janet Jackson Super Bowl “wardrobe malfunction” case is one well known example of FCC intervention when decency standards were not met.
FCC Proposes Smartphone Database
Theft of smartphones is becoming a big problem as new devices are constantly being sold and appearing on the market. On Tuesday, the FCC put forth several suggestions, including the creation of a cellular database that would let wireless providers disable the functions of cellphones if a device is reported stolen.
The proposal would call for the wireless provider to block the device if it is reported stolen, preventing it from being used afterwards. The FCC plans to gradually introduce the database over the next 18 months.
Congress is also planning to pass laws to make evading a stolen phone database a federal crime. This would include tampering with identifiers on wireless devices.