Search results for "us government"

Canadian tried in China on spy charges, no verdict announced

China on Friday put on trial one of two Canadians held for more than two years in apparent retaliation for Canada’s arrest of a senior Chinese telecom executive. Canada said its consular officials were refused permission to attend the proceedings against Michael Spavor, who is accused by China of stealing state secrets. Jim Nickel, the […]

FCC eyes up 3 new Chinese telecoms companies for CCMC designation

The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) is eyeing up to three new Chinese telecoms companies for potential addition to the U.S.’ Communist Chinese military companies (CCMC) designation, the regulator announced on Wednesday. The FCC launched proceedings to determine whether to end authorization, China Unicom Americas, Pacific Networks and its wholly owned subsidiary ComNet’s authority to provide […]

FCC hits robocaller with record $225 million fine

The Federal Communications Commission has fined Texas-based telemarketers $225 million—the largest fine in FCC history—for transmitting approximately 1 billion robocalls, many of them illegally spoofed, to sell short-term, limited-duration health insurance plans, the agency said. According to the agency press statement, the robocalls falsely claimed to offer health insurance plans from well-known health insurance companies […]

Encrypted messaging app Signal blocked in China

Encrypted messaging app Signal appears to have been blocked in mainland China, the latest foreign social media service to cease working in a country where the government tightly controls the flow of information. As of Tuesday, users of the app within China had to connect to a virtual private network (VPN) that allows them to […]

Automakers embrace electric vehicles. But what about buyers?

The world’s major automakers have made something abundantly clear: They believe electric vehicles will dominate their industry in the years ahead. Yet for that to happen, they’ll need to sell the idea to people like Steve Bock. When Bock recently replaced his family’s 2013 Honda Pilot SUV, he considered — and then dismissed — the […]

U.S. judge lifts CCMC ban on Xiaomi

A U.S. federal judge rolled back on a Department of Defense ban on investments in Chinese budget smartphone maker Xiaomi, citing insufficient evidence that the company posed a national security threat. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras said that the court had found the Department of Defense (DoD) had “not made the case that […]

Ooredoo reaches top 40 global telcos for the first time

Qatari telecoms giant Ooredoo Group announced on Sunday that it has reached the 40th position in the top 50 global telecommunications brands, up one place from 41 in 2020, as confirmed by the Brand Finance Telecoms 150, 2021 report. This is the fifth consecutive year where Ooredoo Group has appeared on the list, as it […]

'Big burden' for schools trying to give kids internet access

When the coronavirus pandemic shut down schools, educators had to figure out how to get kids online. Fast. In a patchwork approach born of desperation, they scrounged wireless hot spots, struck deals with cable companies and even created networks of their own. With federal relief money and assistance from state governments and philanthropists, they have […]

As climate fight shifts to oil, Biden faces a formidable foe

President Joe Biden’s bid to tackle climate change is running straight through the heart of the U.S. oil and gas industry — a much bigger, more influential foe than Democrats faced when they took on the coal industry during the Obama years. Coal dominated U.S. power generation for decades, with the bulk of that fuel […]

Gig economy shifts: Spain makes delivery riders employees

The Spanish government on Thursday announced legislation that classifies food delivery riders as employees of the digital platforms they work for, not self-employed, in a legal change that could have far-reaching consequences for Spanish businesses. The legislation also includes a groundbreaking requirement for companies operating the platforms, such as Glovo and Deliveroo, to hand over […]