If AT&T was not involved in the decision,timberland boots usa, the FCC may not have the legal authority to intervene. As a federal appeals court in Washington made clear in the broadcast flag case, the agency’s authority does not usually extend to computer hardware, at least in cases that Congress has not explicitly authorized.
Thursday’s vote represents only a small first step toward more federal rules. While not all formal inquiries result in new regulations, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski did stress that his agency should be “relentless” in its pursuit of wireless innovation.CTIA, the organization which represents the big wireless operators in the U.S., has said that the industry is very competitive and innovative.
Declan McCullagh is a contributor to CNET News and a correspondent for CBSNews.com who has covered the intersection of politics and technology for over a decade. Declan writes a regular feature called Taking Liberties, focused on individual and economic rights; you can bookmark his CBS News Taking Liberties site, or subscribe to the RSS feed. You can e-mail Declan at declan@cbsnews.com.