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Groups Want Field Hearings on AT&T-T-Mobile Merger A coalition of advocacy groups wrote to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski asking him to hold field hearings on AT&T's proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA. The groups cited the FCC's field hearing in Chicago on the Comcast-NBC Universal merger and asked Genachowski to hold a series of public hearings around the country to discuss the implications of the merger.

Gautham Nagesh, The Hill

FCC Refuses to Say Wireless Industry Is Competitive -- Again Once again, the FCC this week declined to say whether or not there is effective competition in the wireless industry. As a result, this non-conclusion provides few clues as to what the FCC will do regarding the pending merger of AT&T and T-Mobile.

Chloe Albanesius, PC Magazine

FCC Proposes New e-Rate Eligibility Rules A proposed new rule for the federal e-Rate program could discourage schools from buying service contracts when they purchase network equipment, at least one program expert warns. The rule is part of a draft version of the latest Eligible Services List for the e-Rate, which provides discounts on the cost of telecom services and Internet access. If approved, the revised list would take effect in the 2012 program year.

eSchool News

NFL to FCC: Leave Sports Blackout Rule Alone The NFL has told the FCC not to tinker with the sports blackout rules, which prevent cable or satellite providers from carrying an NFL game when the over-the-air broadcast is blacked out due to lack of attendance at the game.

John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable

Why Is European Broadband Faster and Cheaper? Blame the Government The nation that invented the Internet ranks 16th in the world when it comes to the speed and cost of our broadband connections. It's not surprising that we lag behind such hacker havens as Sweden and Finland, nor densely-populated Asian nations like Japan and South Korea. But the U.S. also trails countries that are poor by European standards: Portugal is just ahead of us in 15th place; Italy is number 14. Why is the U.S. so far behind?

Rick Karr, Engadget

Net Neutrality from the Creators' Perspective A free and open Internet presents infinite possibilities not only for we content creators but for a fully informed, inspired, and yes, entertained citizenry as well, offering a vast variety of options far beyond what is currently available on television, radio and in movie theaters.

Michael Winship, SavetheInternet.com

Hearing on Govt. Spectrum Use Slated The House communications subcommittee has slated yet another in a string of spectrum hearings, this one on federal government spectrum use.

John Eggerton, Multichannel News

Civil Rights Groups Campaign Against Proposed Internet 'Spy' Law Canadian civil rights groups are planning a summer-long campaign to raise awareness about a proposed law they say would force Internet companies to spy on their users.

Jason Magder, Montreal Gazette

Android Activations Now Total 500,000 Per Day In December, Google announced that it was activating 300,000 Android phones a day, a boost from the 200,000 activations it had logged a few months before. Android, in other words, was ascendant. And guess what? Android isn't done climbing.

Christian Science Monitor

The Real Smartphone Wars Have Only Just Begun Pre-pay cellphones globally dominate 70 percent of the market. As Android explodes and Apple ponders an iPhone Lite, prepare yourself for the true smartphone skirmish.

Fast Company

The iPhone Effect: How Apple's Phone Changed Everything Apple's iPhone debuted four years ago, and we sometimes take it for granted how much has changed since then. The phone altered the smartphone landscape and ushered in the modern era of intelligent, connected devices. Apple has not cruised to the top and in fact continues to trail nemesis Google’s Android in smartphones sales. But it shook up the industry and forced changes and upheaval among many competitors.

GigaOM

FCC Wants More Details on KUSF Transaction The FCC is taking a close look at third-party funding relationships at KUSF in San Francisco, the college radio station that KUSC in Los Angeles took over in January as part of its proposed $6 million signal expansion into the Bay Area.

Current

Coming Soon: The "Reading Rainbow" Flash Mob LeVar Burton, former host of the now-defunct PBS show, "Reading Rainbow" wants fans to join a public performance of its theme song.

Emma Mustich, Salon

Lords Report: Ofcom Should Have Final Say over BBC Complaints Media regulator Ofcom, rather than the BBC, should have the final say over complaints about impartiality and accuracy with the corporation's programs, according to a House of Lords committee report.

Tara Conlan, The Guardian

Around the country, broadcasters are using sneaky legal deals and loopholes to evade the FCC's media ownership rules. This "covert consolidation" takes many forms, but the results are the same: Media companies pad their bottom line by sacrificing local journalism, competition and diversity. Tell the FCC that covert consolidation has to go. It's time to change the channels.

Supreme Court Has Ruled; Now Games Have a Duty It is now the law of the United States that video games are art. It is now the law of the United States that video games are a creative, intellectual, emotional form of expression and engagement, as fundamentally human as any other.

New York Times

MySpace Expected to Be Sold Within Two Days News Corp. is expected to sell the troubled social media site MySpace in the next two days. Two front-runners have emerged in the auction process: online ad company Specific Media and private equity firm Golden Gate Capital.

Reuters

Half of U.S. 20-Somethings Have No Landline The shift away from landlines continues, as 24.9 percent of all American adults now live in homes with wireless-only voice connections. Among younger adults aged 25 to 29, the numbers are twice as high; more than half have only a cellphone.

Ars Technica

New Online Open Newsroom a Hit for Swedish Newspaper A pioneering Swedish newspaper that involves its readers in the daily editorial decision-making process says the new approach has been a massive hit with users and advertisers.

Journalism.co.uk

Maui Police Discover Google, Drop Subpoena Against Maui Time An extensive investigation by the Maui Police Department has determined that the use of Google's search function is more effective than threatening its local newsweekly with legal action.

Association of Alternative Newsweeklies

Pope Tweets for First Time, Uses iPad The Vatican is continuing to take steps to pull itself into the 21st century, as they have announced the launch of a brand new Vatican news site with a Tweet. Not just any Tweet, but the first official Tweet from Pope Benedict XVI himself.

WebProNews

Only Five Networked Cars for Every 1,000 Would End Traffic By hooking up just a few cars to a grid that allows engineers to adjust conditions based on real-time traffic conditions, everyone would be blessed with congestion-free rides.

Fast Company

FBI Raids Iowa Woman's Home in Lulz Security Hacker Investigation The hacking group Lulz Security ended its 50-day reign of terror this weekend, but law enforcement's hunt for its members will go on. Last week, FBI agents raided an Iowa woman's home because of her connections to the group.

Gawker