Verizon's Cable Deal Would Widen Digital Divide, Lawmakers Say

A proposed deal between Verizon and four major cable companies could lead to consumers paying higher prices and having less access to high-speed Internet, a group of lawmakers said on Monday.

In December, Comcast, Cox, Time Warner and Bright House Networks agreed to sell Verizon a $3.6 billion portion of the wireless spectrum. The cable companies and Verizon, the nation’s top wireless carrier, also agreed to market and sell one another’s products and services.

Verizon and Comcast executives testified earlier this year that the deal would help Verizon handle an expected shortage of wireless spectrum triggered by more consumers' streaming of audio and video on smartphones and tablets.

But in a letter sent Monday to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski and Attorney General Eric Holder, more than 30 House members warned the agreement would have “far-reaching implications on the competitive landscape across the nation" and would give Verizon and the cable companies involved an "enormous advantage over their competitors."

The deal appears to limit competition in voice, video, Internet and wireless markets, they said. "This could lead to reduced investment in infrastructure, job loss, fewer choices, and ultimately higher prices for consumers," the lawmakers warned.

The agreements require approval by the Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department’s antitrust division.

The agreement would also eliminate competition between Verizon and the cable companies and reduce Verizon's incentive to expand its high-speed Internet and video service, known as FiOS, the lawmakers also claimed. "This would leave many of the communities we represent on the wrong side of the digital divide," they said.

In March, community groups in Boston, Baltimore, Syracuse, Albany and Buffaloasked the FCC to block Verizon's deal with the cable providers, claiming it would ensure that they would never receive Verizon's FiOS service in their towns.

Last fall, Verizon said it planned to offer high-speed wireless in homes in Verizon's territory that do not currently have FiOS.

The lawmakers also claimed the deal would “eliminate thousands of good, middle-class jobs needed to build competing broadband networks."

Monday's letter was the latest plea for the deal between Verizon and the cable companies to protect the public interest.

In February, Sen. Al Franken urged the FCC and the Justice Department to investigate the deal, saying that “these joint-marketing agreements will turn these rival companies into partners, rather than competitors.”

Responding to those charges on Tuesday, Verizon spokesman Ed McFadden said in a statement, "Over the past six months we have addressed these issues, made a persuasive case that bringing unused spectrum to the marketplace to serve millions of consumers is strongly in the public interest, and we believe we are on track for approval later this summer."

Last year, regulators blocked AT&T's purchase of T-Mobile, which would have created the country's largest wireless company, saying it would leave consumers with higher prices and fewer choices for wireless service.

Galaxy Nexus to cost $299 at Verizon, report says

When Verizon Wireless' version of the Galaxy Nexus finally launches, it will cost consumers $299.99 with a two-year contract, according to areport in The Wall Street Journal.

Verizon is expected to launch Samsung's new smartphone sometime this month, but the report, from Dow Jones Newswires, doesn't indicate exactly when that will occur.

Verizon Wireless representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Widespread speculation has held that the newAndroid device will launch before the end of the year. A screenshot posted by Engadget earlier this month purported to show a Galaxy Nexus listing in the Best Buy inventory system with a starting date of December 11. But, as Engadget pointed out, an in-stock date does not necessarily mean that the device will be on store shelves that day.

The Galaxy Nexus, which dropped in Europe on November 17, comes with 4G connectivity and will be the first handset on the market to run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. In his review of the handset, CNET editor Kent German said that the "Galaxy Nexus is a big step forward for Android," but cautioned that without Ice Cream Sandwich, it's "just another Android device."

Galaxy Nexus to arrive in U.S. on Friday, report says

Verizon Wireless will begin selling its version of Samsung's Galaxy Nexus smartphone on Friday, according to documents purportedly from an authorized Verizon retailer.

An e-mail and PDF posted by RootzWiki say UPS will ship the phones to Verizon stores on December 6 and gives an "official launch date" of Friday, December 12.

"Do not receive the product in via your scanner (this is a change in procedure)," the e-mail warned those collecting the shipments to stores--perhaps in response to the frequency with which sales plans have been revealed through screenshots of retail inventory systems.

Verizon didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The phone has been highly anticipated because it marks the U.S. debut of Google's Ice Cream Sandwich version ofAndroid. But where some companies give advance notice about when new models will go on sale, Verizon has been very cagey, saying only that the Galaxy Nexus would arrive before the end of 2011.

The Galaxy Nexus will cost $299.99 with a two-year contract, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday.

The Galaxy Nexus has gone on sale in the United Kingdom, though it's a slightly different version than the model Verizon will sell. Verizon's uses 4G wireless networking with the LTE standard, compared to 3G in Europe.

Droid 4 Launching Already? Here’s Why

Motorola and Verizon Wireless are reportedly about to release the Droid 4, less than five months after the launch of its predecessor.

The rumor comes from Droid Life, which posted some convincing leaked product shots and a chart that compares the Droid 4 with the Droid 3 and Droid Razr.

Should this report prove accurate, the Droid 4 will look a lot like the Droid Razr, but with a slide-out keyboard tacked on. It’ll include a slightly faster processor than the Droid 3 (1.2 GHz dual-core instead of 1 GHz dual-core), a bigger battery, an HD front-facing camera and support for Verizon’s 4G LTE network. The Droid Razr’s “Smart Actions,” which improve battery life by turning certain features on and off automatically, are also along for the ride in the Droid 4, and so is support for Motorola’s Webtop docks.

Other specs that are the same as the Droid 3 include a 4-inch qHD display and an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera. Both phones run Android 2.3, according to Droid Life’s leaked spec sheet.

If not for the 4G LTE support, Verizon wouldn’t have much justification for selling a Droid 4 this holiday season. The reported spec boosts over the Droid 3 are minor, and the software experience should be pretty similar. But Verizon is really pushing 4G in its high-end smartphones, and the carrier probably doesn’t want to go through the holidays without a flagship phone that has a hardware keyboard.

Will Droid 3 buyers squeal with rage if the Droid 4 launches on December 8, as rumored? Sure, but better Android phones are always right around the corner, and when the Droid 3 launched this summer, it was no secret that 4G phones were on the way. That’s just the way it goes.