James F. Booth

For more than 25 years, James Booth has provided consulting and legal services to telecommunications carriers and to enterprise companies that manage their own telecommunications networks. Since June of 2009 he has also served as General Counsel of Spread Networks, LLC, which is the industry leader in the construction and operation of low latency high speed networks. Before joining Spread he was General Counsel for OnFiber Communications, a competitive telecommunications provider, and was the sole attorney for Qwest Communications International in support of its construction of an 18,800 mile fiber optic network spanning the United States. Earlier he was lead counsel for U S WEST in its wireless and cable television ventures in the United States, Europe and Hong Kong.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

FCC Likely to Consider Using Satellite Airwaves for In-Flight Internet

In-flight Internet speeds could rival those on the ground under a proposal expected to move forward on Thursday. U.S. airlines have been rolling out Internet service on flights for several years. But the service, which typically uses Earth-based antennas, is often too slow for today's data-guzzling Web apps. Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) is pushing the Federal Communications Commission to freeing up airwaves used by the satellite industry. Such a system could be years away, but commissioners are likely to vote Thursday in favor of opening the issue to public comment, agency officials said. Qualcomm has been lobbying on the matter since 2011. http://www.foxbusiness.com/news/2013/05/08/fcc-likely-to-consider-using-satellite-airwaves-for-in-flight-internet/