Cerillion Blog

Donald Trump is heading back to the Oval Office next year, but what could his dramatic return to the halls of power mean for domestic and international telecoms policy?

The FCC now requires service providers in the US to slap “nutrition labels” on their fixed and wireless plans to stop customers gorging themselves on bad broadband. Will this move create a healthy market for customers, or leave a bad taste?

Could major US tech firms soon be paying their dues to telcos to fund network infrastructure upgrades in Europe? Perhaps, if the EU gets its way, but is this a vital new source of revenue for connectivity providers, or a profit-leeching protection racket?

Could a text message save your life in an emergency? From this summer, the UK Government will finally catch up with other countries and start sending out alerts to all mobile phones in the event of major accidents and disasters – why has it taken so long to implement this and what are the pitfalls to avoid?

Shutting down legacy telecoms services is a necessary task on the path to modernisation, but risks cutting vulnerable users off. How can telcos continue to innovate without leaving customers behind? And why are many telcos shuttering their 3G networks before 2G?

Internet connectivity is increasingly being considered a utility, alongside gas, electricity, and water – but as a recent New York lawsuit has highlighted, telcos aren’t so excited by this news. To what extent should they be required to provide access to those on low incomes?

Internet giants such as Netflix, Facebook and Google, among others, have formed an unlikely coalition to go all out against the Federal Communications Commission’s proposed repeal of existing net neutrality provisions. Should subscribers to digital streaming services start to worry? Shashank Venkat finds out.