Social Feed

TheForce

Supporting Founder Pub Member / Supporter

Last reply Aug 5, 2009 · posted in The Phone & Tablet Zone

Should FCC quash the Apple-AT&T exclusivity?

This is intended to be a debate like thread.

There seems to be a brewing argument over this in that the iphone is using licensed airwaves that are considered owned by the people of the US, not Apple nor AT&T, two private companies who are both funded by public investors (publicly traded stock).

While the iphone, technologically speaking is only capable of GSM service, that would exclude Verizon and Sprint/Nextel, The restriction that Apple and AT&T have on this is that by contract, they are restricting T-Mobile, the other major GSM cell service.

My opinion- While I don't think the FCC would have a case to require Apple to make a CDMA version of the phone, I also believe the exclusivity of the AT&T agreement could be found to be illegal. This would mean that T-Mobile at minimum should be allowed to offer iphone service. Then, maybe, if the exclusive arrangement is busted up, Apple would be quicker to get the ball rolling on a CDMA version for the other services.

If the iphone was paid for by full retail price, no subsidy from AT&T, then it should be legal to get service from any provider. If you bought with an AT&T subsidy, then the exclusive service from the subsidy provider would be binding, IMO. That's only fair.

20 Replies · 2865 views

Load Replies (20) Reply Legacy View

TheForce

Aug 5, 2009

Mike - It has to do with the idea that a private company is regulating an FCC license in their civil contracts. Like you putting up a speed limit sign or even a toll gate in front of your house on your public street. Competition is not the concern, but as stated, private business regulating the airwaves. It is something they are always concerned about but often look the other way, until a Senator, or in this case 8 Senate requests are made for them to do their job.

As for your TV example, it is more like this- Say Samsung made a TV that restricted the Networks you could get, only allowing certain ones and excluding others. The FCC requires that TV's receive all channels. This would be similar. FYI- TV shows are not licensed by the FCC, only TV stations that broadcast the shows.

BTW- the FCC is not just looking at Apple - AT&T exclusive arrangement, but all FCC licensed phones that the mfg has restricted distribution, favoring a particular carrier. I suspect that by this time next year the idea that a particular phone will only be allowed to be serviced by a particular carrier will be over.

IMO, this would be a good thing for Apple. Given the success of their iphone, to escape the AT&T clutches of exclusivity would immediately resolve two problems for Apple. 1. to have an immediate outlet for more iphone sales. 2. allow the additional iphones to run on more networks, resolving the continuing AT&T bandwidth problems.
Last year, Verizon has said that they anticipate an immediate sales of about 20 million units if a CDMA version were available. This would come from their own promotion where about 25% of their customer base would want to switch to the iphone.

stogie5150

Aug 5, 2009

Don Landis said:
Last year, Verizon has said that they anticipate an immediate sales of about 20 million units if a CDMA version were available. This would come from their own promotion where about 25% of their customer base would want to switch to the iphone.

QFT. I made 10 years with VZW this year, and I'd have an iphone in a second if they made a CDMA version.

AT&T is TERRIBLE here, so an iphone is a non-starter when the service sucks.

mike123abc

Aug 5, 2009

Don Landis said:
Mike - It has to do with the idea that a private company is regulating an FCC license in their civil contracts. Like you putting up a speed limit sign or even a toll gate in front of your house on your public street. Competition is not the concern, but as stated, private business regulating the airwaves. It is something they are always concerned about but often look the other way, until a Senator, or in this case 8 Senate requests are made for them to do their job.

The cell companies bought the spectrum from the US. It is still regulated, but they are not public. You cannot open your own cell company and use their frequencies, or get a license to use them, you would have to buy your own frequencies when/if they come up for sale again either from the government or an existing owner. You as a consumer cannot even buy a device to legally receive these frequencies outside of an agreement with the cell company. They are not public.

It is like Dish and DIRECTV. DIRECTV has an exclusive NFL ST.

Again the other cell companies are not percluded from doing business because they do not have the iPhone. Going back to the TV business again it is like a local independent station competing against a network TV station. The network station probably has an unfair advantage, but it is not illegal.

grydlok

Aug 5, 2009

Don Landis said:
As for your TV example, it is more like this- Say Samsung made a TV that restricted the Networks you could get, only allowing certain ones and excluding others. The FCC requires that TV's receive all channels. This would be similar. FYI- TV shows are not licensed by the FCC, only TV stations that broadcast the shows..

If your only choice was a Samsung then I can see a problem. Now if you go into this knowing in advance than you are the fool.

navychop

Aug 5, 2009

"The FCC requires that TV's receive all channels."

Not exactly. All public channels. Remember [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USDTV"]USDTV - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia@@AMEPARAM@@/wiki/File:Usdtvlogo.png" class="image"><img alt="Usdtvlogo.png" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/da/Usdtvlogo.png"@@AMEPARAM@@en/d/da/Usdtvlogo.png[/ame] Scrambling the signal for pay purposes is established as permissible. Same effect - limiting access to part of the spectrum to certain people.

TheForce

Aug 5, 2009

navychop- No, I don't ignore the existence of encrypted tv in the ATSC license for subscriber base viewership. The huge difference is this is indeed sanctioned by the FCC and is part of the ATSC broadcast license open to all TV stations if they can make it work.

Not so with the private contractual agreements that exclude other licensed carriers for phone service. Now, if USDTV decided to only allow people, say Catholics or those who own Ford Trucks for argument sake, then it would be in violation, but that was not the case. Anyone who could get the signal could subscribe and receive the channels. According to your link the USDTV had a major technical flaw that caused it to ultimately fail. Not surprised, as I feel if it wasn't for this reception sensitivity, it would be a business model and whether the public would buy it enough to make it a success. But, that's beyond the subject of this phone debate.

View all replies (20)

dfergie

Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU!

Last reply 18 minutes ago · posted in What's Cooking?

What's For Lunch?

We have a Breakfast and Dinner thread so...

Continuing from the Breakfast thread, found Cornbread mix so ...
Yellow Cornbread Mix
2 Hatch Green Chiles -diced
1 Egg
2/3 cup of milk
add to greased pan
Bake for 400f 20-25 minutes(From instructions)
now to put together and try... this to go with pinto beans...

5449 Replies · 336086 views

Load Replies (5449) Reply Legacy View

TRG

Oct 19, 2026

Club sandwich and corn chowder. Iced tea.

Reactions: Bobby, Mr Tony and dfergie

dfergie

Oct 19, 2026

Chili dog bowl, water… (homemade chili)

Reactions: TRG, Bobby and Mr Tony

TRG

Monday at 2:53 PM

Leftover wanton soup and pork fried rice. Water.

dfergie

42 minutes ago

Sweet tea…

Reactions: Bobby and TRG

TRG

18 minutes ago

Tuna salad sandwich on toasted honey whole wheat bread with a handful of kettle chips. Water.

Reactions: Bobby

View all replies (5449)

iJustine

47 minutes ago · posted in iJustine

iPhone Duo's First Concert! Revis!

Time for another AWESOME video from iJustine!

View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/yj3f7ab5pBI

Direct YouTube Link - iPhone Duo's First Concert! Revis!
The official iJustine Website's Website
Buy her book!

0 Replies · 4 views

Replies Reply Legacy View

TWiT Tech Podcast Network

47 minutes ago · posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network

New iPad mini Announced... at $699?

Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!

View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7NJXMnbT1Mk

Direct YouTube Link - New iPad mini Announced... at $699?
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed

0 Replies · 4 views

Replies Reply Legacy View

Scott Greczkowski

Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge

Last reply Today at 12:33 PM · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Song Name Game Part 3!

Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!

So let the game continue!

The last song was added by Bobby who posted...

One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters

CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!

Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game

Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.

Example:

Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow

Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio

Another example:

Ride the Lightning -- Metallica

Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne

Get it?

An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....

68658 Replies · 2680224 views

Load Replies (68658) Reply Legacy View

Reactions: c-spand

dishstaller

Today at 10:32 AM

I Wanna Talk About Me - Toby Keith

Reactions: RaiderPower

Bobby

Today at 10:51 AM

98.6 - Keith

harshness

Today at 11:25 AM

I'm Easy - Keith Carridine

Reactions: Bobby and RaiderPower

gms49ers

Today at 11:41 AM

It's Easy - Boston

RaiderPower

Today at 12:33 PM

Take It Easy On Me - Little River Band

Reactions: dishstaller

View all replies (68658)

reubenray

Last reply Today at 10:36 AM · posted in Computers and Gadgets

Laptop Shutting Off When On Battery?

Lately my eight year old Dell laptop has been shutting off even when I have a full battery. I have had to keep it plugged up all the time to keep this from happening. Any idea what is causing this? I replaced the battery about three years ago.

2 Replies · 46 views

Load Replies (2) Reply Legacy View

arlo

Today at 10:09 AM

A recalibration might be needed. Even if it shows full, the individual cells may have become unbalaced. And the BMS chip in the battery reports false information to the pc.
Try this. Start it up in the bios/uefi and leave it there until the battery dies and it shuts off.
It might just keep running longer than in Windows. Or run for a short while and shut off.
If it's the first case. Probably just needs a balancing. If the latter, the pack might just be dead.
Not throwing stones but perhaps just a cheaply constructed battery with substandard cells. Could be.

Patience. Keep restarting it in bios/uefi until it won't fire up anymore.
Then plug the charger in and let it complete a full charge. And see what happens. If it's better.
Do the same thing one more time. Run it until it dies dead-dead. Then just let it charge, pc shut off.
When charged, it might be better. It might not be.

There are bench jigs that read the actual BMS and override it to let a tech manually monitor and charge the separate packs. They can also reset any "time bombs" in it that cause an otherwise good pack to show bad.
Maybe Santa will be good to me some year.

You might just need a new battery. Maybe the PC power management chip is going. A Dell common thing.
Leaving a laptop plugged in with a full battery is known to reduce the life. Asus for one recommends that you don't leave the charger plugged in all of the time even when shut down. And setting Windows to charge the battery to 85% instead of 100% increases life.
That's all I got.

dishstaller

Today at 10:36 AM

arlo said:
That's all I got.

That was quite enough....I definitely learned something from your post. Thanks

TRG

Pub Member / Supporter

Last reply Today at 10:27 AM · posted in Computers and Gadgets

Starlink Router question

I set up a music server for my brother a few years ago. It's basically a small headless computer but it needs to have a DHCP IP address reserved for it in the router settings. This was easy to do in his DSL router. He's switching to Starlink now and I was wondering if these setting are easily accessible in the Starlink router. I'm pretty sure he will be getting the latest V5 router.

5 Replies · 285 views

Load Replies (5) Reply Legacy View

b4pjoe

Saturday at 2:12 PM

TRG said:
I set up a music server for my brother a few years ago. It's basically a small headless computer but it needs to have a DHCP IP address reserved for it in the router settings. This was easy to do in his DSL router. He's switching to Starlink now and I was wondering if these setting are easily accessible in the Starlink router. I'm pretty sure he will be getting the latest V5 router.

If you can't get into the router to reserve an IP address just don't use DHCP on the device that needs connected and assign it to a specific IP address in the network settings.

Reactions: harshness

HipKat

Saturday at 11:07 PM

TRG said:
I set up a music server for my brother a few years ago. It's basically a small headless computer but it needs to have a DHCP IP address reserved for it in the router settings. This was easy to do in his DSL router. He's switching to Starlink now and I was wondering if these setting are easily accessible in the Starlink router. I'm pretty sure he will be getting the latest V5 router.

They are not. Your best bet is to set up a third-party router, attached to the Starlink for your server, that you can get into, like a Linksys, etc

Reactions: Foxbat

Foxbat

Sunday at 12:44 AM

TRG said:
…it needs to have a DHCP IP address reserved for it in the router settings. This was easy to do in his DSL router. He's switching to Starlink now and I was wondering if these setting are easily accessible in the Starlink router. I'm pretty sure he will be getting the latest V5 router.

The Starlink V5 Install Kit I just got comes with the Mini Router. It is pretty limited in what it can do. For example, it can provide only one IP subnet at a time, no Guest Network, but it does support the pass-thru to a third-party Router. You can also split the Wi-Fi into separate 5 GHz & 2.4 GHz SSIDs to help some IoT devices that don't support 5 GHz bands to work.

The larger Starlink Router that still comes with the V4 Kit does support a Guest Network with separate IPv4 Subnet, but it's $120 from Starlink. And it still won't do DHCP Reservations.

harshness

Sunday at 11:46 AM

If you can restrict the DHCP address space to assign addresses to one end of the subnet (i.e. x.x.x.50+), you can manually assign the IP address on pretty much any operating system. This is a default behavior on several popular routers. As the Router Mini only supports 235 devices, I expect that's already done.

Another option is to use a router that supports PoE to power the antenna. This article discusses that option (under PoE Power heading):

Starlink V5 Is Here: What RVers Need to Know

Overview of the new Starlink V5 model along with comparison to the previous V4 model along with a recommended setup for mobile internet users.

mobilemusthave.com

Reactions: Foxbat

Foxbat

Today at 10:27 AM

Now that I've had the v5 kit with the Mini Router, it's not as bad as I first thought. Yes, no DHCP reservations, but you can set up multiple SSIDs that have separate IPv4 subnets, and like the big brother, you can select from 192.168.x.0/24 or 10.x.0.0/16 (where "x" is 1-4).

You can also split a subnet and have different SSIDs for the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz channels to handle some IoT devices. I haven't discovered what subnet the 2nd NIC on the router assigns, I'm guessing it's the first subnet.

dishstaller

Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter

Last reply Today at 10:27 AM · posted in The Chit Chat Club

I think we could all use a laugh - Rodney Dangerfield on Carson

Good...simple humor. Enjoy

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E92AtfTLge4

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJy0WnejlF4

2 Replies · 51 views

Load Replies (2) Reply Legacy View

Jimbo

Today at 12:37 AM

Not Rodney, but a laugh ...

View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WHEcmortfK0?feature=share

dishstaller

Today at 10:27 AM

Sorry for posting the wrong link. Just corrected it.

dishstaller

Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter

Last reply Today at 10:17 AM · posted in The Chit Chat Club

At least 64 dead in Spanish passenger train collision

Terrible tragedy. You would think that they would have safe guards in place that would prevent something like this from happening. I guess if you are going to ride in a passenger train it might be best to get a car near the rear.

At Least 64 Dead After Two High-Speed Trains Collide In Spain | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

2 Replies · 55 views

Load Replies (2) Reply Legacy View

Reactions: Jimbo

Jimbo

Yesterday at 11:24 AM

dishstaller said:
Terrible tragedy. You would think that they would have safe guards in place that would prevent something like this from happening. I guess if you are going to ride in a passenger train it might be best to get a car near the rear.

At Least 64 Dead After Two High-Speed Trains Collide In Spain | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

They will have to look at the switching sections to determine WHY 2 trains were on the same track ... at the same time.

dishstaller

Today at 10:17 AM

Thought this article might be of interest to some of you who might travel via train.

The safest seat to sit on in a train

Safety experts have shared top tips on train safety after a fatal railway crash in Spain killed 69 people, including where the safest place is in an emergency.

www.dailymail.com