Advanced Television

Policy

Movistar fined for ‘discrimination’ against rivals

Spain’s largest telco Movistar has been fined €6 million for discriminatory actions against its rivals when repairing breakdown in its copper and FTTH networks used by third parties. The company took too much time and delayed without justified cause the provision of its services when repairing breakdowns in the networks used by its competitors. The […]

November 7, 2019From David Del Valle in Madrid

UK Lords call for PSB safeguarding

The Communications and Digital Committee of UK parliament’s upper chamber the House of Lords has warned that public service broadcasters (PSBs) need to be better supported to ensure that they can continue to produce high-quality drama and documentaries which reflect and examine UK culture. In return, the broadcasters need to adapt to ensure that they […]

November 6, 2019By Colin Mann

US ‘STELA’ Act still in limbo

The Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act (STELA), which permits US satellite viewers to watch ‘distant’ TV broadcasts from the main networks, has to be renewed before the end of the year or it will automatically die (“sunset”, as legislators describe the ending of a Law). Current estimates say that some 870,000 homes, almost all […]

November 5, 2019By Chris Forrester

ACE action forces pirate operation closures

The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) – a global coalition dedicated to protecting the dynamic legal market and reducing online piracy – has achieved another major win when the operator of two giant sources of illegal, unauthorised content, agreed to cease all operations. Prior to this ACE action, Openload and Streamango were massive piracy […]

November 1, 2019By Colin Mann

Twitter outlaws political ads

Twitter is set to ban all political advertising worldwide, saying that the reach of such messages “should be earned, not bought”. “While internet advertising is incredibly powerful and very effective for commercial advertisers, that power brings significant risks to politics,” Jack Dorsey, CEO of the social media platform, tweeted. Reacting to the news, Brad Parscale, […]

October 31, 2019

Facebook to pay Cambridge Analytica data fine

Facebook has dropped an appeal against a £500,000 (€0.58m) fine imposed by the UK’s data protection watchdog for its role in the Cambridge Analytica scandal. As part of the agreement, Facebook has made no admission of liability. The social media giant said it “wished it had done more to investigate Cambridge Analytica” earlier. James Dipple-Johnstone, […]

October 30, 2019

Jail, heavy fine for Singapore ISD seller

An electronics retailer in Singapore has been convicted of selling illegal streaming devices (ISDs), which provided access to illegal broadcasts of Premier League football and other entertainment content. Synnex Trading and its Director Jia Xiaofeng were found guilty of four criminal charges of copyright infringement. Jia was sentenced to 12 weeks in jail and ordered […]

October 30, 2019By Colin Mann

C-Band Alliance: Now it’s 300 MHz

The C-Band Alliance (CBA) has moved decisively towards the FCC preferred release of 300 MHz of spectrum over the US. The CBA had previously insisted that it could only manage to clear 200 MHz (180 MHz + a 20 MHz ‘guard band’). The spectrum is being cleared to help the deployment of 5G cellular technology […]

October 29, 2019By Chris Forrester

Ofcom boost for 5G roll-out

UK comms regulator Ofcom has updated proposals to release crucial airwaves to meet growing demand for mobile broadband and support the rollout of 5G. To help improve mobile services and enable more people and businesses to access 5G networks, Ofcom is planning to release more mobile airwaves through an auction in spring 2020. Improving mobile […]

October 28, 2019By Colin Mann

FCC: ‘C-band decision very soon’

The FCC is still on track for a decision on C-band spectrum this autumn, FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly said at Mobile World Congress Americas in Los Angeles on October 23rd. He spoke of various initiatives to free up extra spectrum for cellular use, including C-band, and stressed that the FCC has its eyes on 300 […]

October 25, 2019By Chris Forrester