LITTLE ROCK — FCC eases rules for in-flight Internet
The Federal Communications Commission moved Friday to ease licensing requirements for in-flight Internet services.
“These new rules will help airlines and broadband providers offer high-speed Internet to passengers,” FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, who has pushed the Federal Aviation Administration to relax its restrictions on in-flight use of electronic devices such as tablets and smart phones, said in an emailed statement.
The FCC, which shares regulation of in-flight communications with the FAA, has since 2001 authorized companies to offer Internet service on a case-by-case basis, the agency said in a news release.
The new rules set up a way to establish that systems meet standards for not interfering with aircraft controls, a step toward getting FAA approval, the FCC said.
The agency, in an order, set rules for satellites to communicate with mobile devices used by aircraft passengers and crews. In such systems, an antenna on the airplane communicates with satellites, and mobile technologies such as Wi-Fi spread signals within the aircraft’s hull, the FCC said.
The new rules will allow “faster, more efficient” licensing of the technologies, the agency said.
- Bloomberg News
LG will add Google TVs to its line
LG Electronics Inc., the second- largest Korean electronics maker, is unveiling two new television models based on Google Inc.’s software.
The Seoul-based company will introduce the televisions at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next month, the company said in a statement last week. The new models will feature a redesigned remote control and improved voice recognition-based search.
Google, operator of the world’s most popular search engine, is trying to get more electronics-makers to adopt its TV software, which debuted to lackluster sales for initial hardware partners Sony Corp. and Logitech International in 2010. The software brings Google’s search and online services, such as YouTube, to television screens with Internet connectivity. LG said it will use Google’s software in some models alongside its own smart-TV technology.
“Wherever it makes sense, we’ll continue to look at it,” James Fishler, LG’s vice president of marketing and sales, said in an interview. “There are some unique features within the Google technology that helps pair your smart phone more seamlessly to your television.”
Google introduced a redesigned version of the service in October. Google TV 2.0’s interface was intended to better showcase YouTube, and it opens up the platform for developers of its Android operating system to build applications for TV.
Business, Pages 20 on 12/31/2012