Efforts to make Caller ID more useful - and more trustworthy - aren't stopping at the nationwide rollout of STIR/SHAKEN, with a new push to include company logos on your phone's screen. Get ready to hear plenty from carriers about Rich Call Data (RCD), which combines Caller ID with anti-spoofing authentication to make it more obvious at a glance who's calling you.
The anticipated Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G will, by all accounts, feature support for Samsung's upcoming S Pen Pro accessory. Though Samsung hasn't yet confirmed this support, multiple leaks have surfaced claiming as much and now we have the closest thing to confirmation so far: official documents published by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Amazon is working on radar tech that could be used for sleep tracking, gesture control, and more, potentially paving the way to a new Echo smart device that might offer similar features to Google's latest Nest Hub. Currently, select Amazon Echo smart display models use camera-based person tracking, in order to keep the user centered for video calls. However this new system could be far more precise in its tracking.
There's a set of versions of the Google Pixel 5a out in the radio registry universe this week with details on this device's release. Given the data that comes to the FCC and is shared with the public as a result, we can see that Google's created at least three versions of the Google Pixel 5a. One seems ready for the USA, while the others look like they're ready for international markets.
The US FCC is declaring a victory against spam and spoofed robocalls, though concedes the war against scammers is unlikely to ever end. The largest voice service providers in the US now comply with the STIR/SHAKEN caller ID authentication standards, the Federal Communications Commission announced today, helping make it much tougher for spam calls to masquerade as authentic.
It looks like Verizon will soon hop on the smart display bandwagon. The company is apparently creating its own smart display based on Amazon's Alexa voice assistant, and while it sounds like this new smart display will share a lot of its features with its competitors, there is one feature that might give it an edge in the smart display space.
It's still two months away but almost everything about the Galaxy Z Fold 3 has been leaked by now. Of course, those come with disclaimers about their accuracy, even when many people say almost the exact same things about this or that feature. It's still a different case, however, when someone more authoritative practically puts a rubber stamp on those rumors, and one probably can't get more authoritative than the US FCC, at least as far as third-party sources of information go.
Emergency Alerts - the loud, often-startling warning notifications that pop up on your phone, TV, and radio - are getting a revamp, the FCC has announced, including a new "National Alerts" category which you won't be able to opt-out of. The Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts can be used for everything from forest fire warnings to incoming ballistic missile announcements, though in recent years the shortcomings of the existing system had become clear.
An LTE version of the upcoming and currently unannounced Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 has appeared in an FCC listing, revealing some details about the wearable and what consumers can expect in terms of connectivity. Based on the documents, it seems the next-generation Galaxy Watch will share some similarities with the current-gen model, but with notable upgrades.
SpaceX's Starlink deployment could face a new hurdle, with satellite operator Viasat petitioning the FCC to stop Elon Musk's company from expanding its internet-beaming constellation. Viasat, itself a satellite internet provider, has accused Starlink of being a potential environmental nightmare, as SpaceX targets more than 4,400 satellites in total.
The FCC started their Emergency Broadband Benefit Program this week as administered by USAC (with FCC oversight). This Emergency Broadband Benefit Program will deliver up to $50/month discount for broadband service and associated equipment rentals for qualifying low-income households. This program also aims to deliver up to $75/month discount for households on qualifying Tribal lands, and a one-time discount of $100 for the purchase of a laptop, tablet, or desktop computer for some households.
In February of this year, the FCC voted to create a new $50 broadband subsidy for low-income people or those who lost income during the coronavirus pandemic. Enrollment for the subsidy for US residents is set to begin on May 12, and the FCC has a website set up where people can register for the subsidy. Consumers do have to use an approved broadband provider to be eligible to participate in the program.