T-Mobile Denies Lying To FCC About Size of Its 4G Network (arstechnica.com) 31
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: T-Mobile has denied an allegation that it lied to the Federal Communications Commission about the extent of its 4G LTE coverage. A group that represents small rural carriers says that T-Mobile claimed to have 4G LTE coverage in places where it hadn't yet installed 4G equipment. That would violate FCC rules and potentially prevent small carriers from getting network construction money in unserved areas. T-Mobile said the allegations made by the Rural Wireless Association (RWA) in an FCC filing on Friday "are patently false."
"RWA's misrepresentations are part of an ongoing pattern of baseless allegations by the organization against T-Mobile designed to delay or thwart competition in rural America and deprive rural Americans of meaningful choice for broadband services," T-Mobile wrote. "The organization's repeated disregard for fact-based advocacy is a disrespectful waste of Commission time and resources." RWA members have conducted millions of speed tests at their own expense to determine whether the major carriers' coverage claims are correct. The RWA says both Verizon and T-Mobile have exaggerated coverage, and the FCC is taking the allegations seriously. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced last week that the FCC has begun an investigation and that a preliminary review of speed-test data "suggested significant violations of the Commission's rules." The FCC has not said which carrier or carriers violated the rules.
"RWA's misrepresentations are part of an ongoing pattern of baseless allegations by the organization against T-Mobile designed to delay or thwart competition in rural America and deprive rural Americans of meaningful choice for broadband services," T-Mobile wrote. "The organization's repeated disregard for fact-based advocacy is a disrespectful waste of Commission time and resources." RWA members have conducted millions of speed tests at their own expense to determine whether the major carriers' coverage claims are correct. The RWA says both Verizon and T-Mobile have exaggerated coverage, and the FCC is taking the allegations seriously. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced last week that the FCC has begun an investigation and that a preliminary review of speed-test data "suggested significant violations of the Commission's rules." The FCC has not said which carrier or carriers violated the rules.
Shame (Score:3)
on the FCC for not actually checking information.
Shame on the carriers for believing their own coverage maps.
The best way to solve this would be to require the carriers to install 4G/5G towers in the areas they lied about with enough towers to cover the entire area.
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I think it'd be better to force them to pay the rural carriers to do it.
They should be fined enough to cover the money they were trying to deny competition.
Re:Shame (Score:4, Interesting)
T-Mobile said the allegations made by the Rural Wireless Association (RWA) in an FCC filing on Friday "are patently false."
So, it's interesting that folks use adverbs like "patently" prior to denunciations of evildoing, as if modifiers are not a red flag.
Yes, they should be fined, and in a significant manner, but alas, if the money indeed goes to the third party, whistle-blowing rural carrier, it's "extremely" important to verify the veracity of the complainant... if we don't want this to end up the Cellular equivalent of local police jurisdictions' seizure of money deemed to have been acquired suspiciously.
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Better yet, just hire Google to add a Cellular Radio Style Censor and let the data flow into the Maps database. Third party verification, and if the streetview photos I've seen of rural areas is any indication we should have a full map in 3-4 years, refreshed on a 4 year cycle.
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They all lie (Score:2)
News at 11!
My friends know of many local dead spots for AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. Do you think any of their coverage maps accurately show their lack of coverage? HELL NO.
To anyone with a clue (Score:2)
What I would really like to know is where has the 100s of millions in fees the government has taken on communications bills over the years for rural network expansion has gone?
For years government has collected rural coverage expansion fees on electric and communications bills. In order to provide additional services in areas having trouble. Heck they st
Are you for real? (Score:1)
That money was given to the big communications coperations as an incentive to get them to pay for equipment upgrade network coverage expansion costs.
At&t lobbied hard to get the money and when it did....promptly declared everything was actually not that bad, that it was awesome in fact, and that there was no need to actually use the money for anything other than paying executive bonuses because they deserved them on account of being suddenly so extremely profitable!
You think I'm making this up? Google i
Can you hear me now? (Score:4, Interesting)
T-Mobile says: "We have coverage here, here, here ..." ..."
Little rural company says: "They lied! They don't have coverage there, there, there,
Should be trivial to check, without even any fancy equipment. Take a T-Mobile 4G phone to there, there, there, ... and make a call. "Can you hear me now?"
Now that both sides are on record, whichever is lying can be fined big time - which will more than pay for the FCC guy making the trip and tests.
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(or tethered phone and run speed test.)
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Verizon told the client they had North and South Dakota covered.
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and besides.. (Score:2)
It's really how you use it.
It's not a lie... (Score:3)
it is an alternatively reported size......
Lies (Score:3)
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Why single out T-Mobile?
Because AT&T and Verizon are trying to do something about that pesky "UnCarrier" making then look bad in the public's eye. Time to start calling in some campaign donation favors and derail the Sprint merger before T-Mobile becomes a real competitor to them.
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Every telecom has exaggerated the size of their mobile network to a cute regulator at the bar here and there.