State urges 10-digit dialing to prepare for new area code
The new area code will “overlay” the entire 317 region, which means existing numbers won’t change but new ones could get the 463 code starting this fall.
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Indiana telcos get $51 million a year for rural broadband
The FCC awarded three telecommunications companies $51 million per year in grants for six years to help bridge the urban-rural digital divide.
CHAMPION OF INNOVATION: Entrepreneur rolls with telecom changes
Albert Chen, founder and CEO of Telamon Corp., made lots of course corrections during his decades-spanning career.
Charter in talks to buy Bright House Networks
U.S. cable company Charter Communications Inc. is in talks to acquire Bright House Networks, people with knowledge of the matter said. Bright House has more than 120,000 customers in central Indiana.
Evansville firm plans $17M fiber-optic network in Westfield
Metronet, a cable provider based in Evansville, has agreed to buy Inside Connect Cable and plans to spend $17 million to construct a fiber-optic network in Westfield.
Telecom firms fight over bill altering state powers
Opponents of the bill say it would give big companies more leverage in negotiating connection agreements with smaller firms. Supporters say it just reduces redundancy in laws already on the books.
New area code on tap for Indianapolis region
The telecommunications industry wants to add a new area code for the parts of central Indiana covered by 317. The bottom line for all residents: 10-digit dialing would be required for local calls.
State sues AT&T for suspending injured workers
The lawsuit alleges AT&T’s Indiana subsidiary “has a practice and policy” of suspending employees for at least one day after they report work-related injuries.
TerraCom defends sales surge, strategy to state regulators
An executive for the phone service company told regulators Wednesday that the firm's depth of experience—not fraudulent tactics—led to the creation of 30,000 federally subsidized accounts last year.
Inquiry targets cellphone subsidies
State officials want to know how an Oklahoma City company managed to set up 30,000 Indiana accounts for a federally subsidized phone program in less than a year. The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission has launched an investigation into whether TerraCom LLC is repeating federal violations it allegedly committed in Oklahoma.
Two neighboring utilities united by fiber in Hancock County
Unusual merger of Hancock Telecom and Central Indiana Power is paving the way for network deployment in rural areas.
BrightPoint buyer Ingram Micro mulls cost-cutting
A top BrightPoint Inc. executive expects little employment change for the distribution and logistics company’s 1,100-person central Indiana work force, despite the potential for job cuts and facility closings across the country.
Out-of-the-way telecom company to branch into Indy
Smithville Telephone, headquartered in Ellettsville, near Bloomington, is the state’s largest independently owned phone company. Its Smithville Digital division, which provides fiber-optic communications to businesses, hospitals and schools in 17 Indiana counties, mostly in the south, has quietly been growing on the periphery of Indianapolis.
Communications firm Metronet plants flag in Indy area
The Evansville company plans to install more than 200 miles of fiber-optic lines in Franklin.
Attorney general cheers death of federal cellphone measure
Attorney General Greg Zoeller had testified against the legislation, which would have allowed robocalls to cellphones, at a congressional hearing.
HICKS: Telecom reform in Indiana worked
Deregulation of monopolies tends to almost always make consumers better off. Indiana’s broad and effective telecommunications reform of 2006 is a classic example of this.
Hancock County utilities take on new name
The merged Hancock Telecom and Central Indiana Power have become NineStar Connect.
Indianapolis customers line up for Verizon iPhone
Customers waiting outside the Verizon Wireless store in Castleton early Thursday wanted two things: iPhones and warmth.
FBI investigating Durham firms for phone cramming
The FBI is asking land-line phone customers across the country to check their bills for phantom charges from more than 20 companies controlled by or connected to embattled financier Tim Durham.
Hancock County utilities set to proceed with merger
Consolidation of Central Indiana Power and Hancock Telecom will become official on Jan. 1. It took a change in state law to allow the merger to proceed.