Technology

The FCC under outgoing chair Julius Genachowski Friday unanimously voted to lift  a host of phone company regs it called unnecessary and outdated. It also sought input on getting rid of even more. but telcos suggested the FCC fell short of the mark.

There were over 120 regulations the FCC said it would either modify or not enforce, the commission said, while pointing out that one it's keeping is the requirement that companies "notify consumers when services are being eliminated."

ViaSat has tapped Boeing to build ViaSat-2, a next-gen, Ka-band satellite that will “double the bandwidth economics” of its current broadband satellite while also increasing its coverage footprint by seven-fold as it targets a spate of markets, including residential and government services and in-flight connectivity.

Opponents of the FCC's conditional waiver to Charter Communications for set-tops with downloadable security, which includes notably the Consumer Electronics Association, have until end of day Monday (May 20) to appeal that decision to the full commission, according to an FCC spokesperson. A spokesperson for CEA said it was "considering all options," but FCC staffers are anticipating that it will appeal the Media Bureau-level decision.

TiVo, the DVR pioneer that helps users record their favorite shows, is about to help them find something good to watch on live TV, as well.

TiVo has added a “What to Watch Now” dashboard to its iPad app that combines recommendations with personal preferences to create a handful of customizable, finely-filtered "feeds" to help viewers find that video needle in the haystack without exploring the vastness of the program guide.