Does the FCC control the radio spectrum in your home?

Nice question

The new magicJack uses, without permission, radio frequencies for which cellular carriers have paid billions of dollars for exclusive licenses.

Borislow said the device is legal because wireless spectrum licenses don’t extend into the home.

AT&T, T-Mobile and the Federal Communications Commission had no immediate comment on whether they believe the device is legal, but said they were looking into the issue. CTIA — The Wireless Association, a trade group, said it was declining comment for now. None of them had heard of YMax’s plans.

U.S. carriers have been selling and experimenting with devices that act similarly to the wireless magicJack. They’re called “femtocells.” Like the magicJack, they use the carrier’s licensed spectrum to connect to a phone, then route the calls over a home broadband connection. They improve coverage inside the home and offload capacity from the carrier’s towers.

But femtocells are complex products, because they’re designed to mesh with the carrier’s external network. They cost the carriers more than $200, though some sell them cheaper, recouping the cost through added service fees. YMax’s magicJack is a much smaller, simpler design.

Read the story  – http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/us_tec_gadget_show_magicjack

Femtocells – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Femtocell

What’s the FCC up to now?

Forcing you out of your cricuit-switched landline to IP Telephony?

See the document – https://frrl.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/fcc_all_iptelephony_da-09-2517a1.pdf

Read an article – http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/12/fcc-plans-for-death-of-circuit-switched-phone-networks.ars