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Republic Wireless Taps T-Mobile, Samsung Galaxy 7 In Wi-Fi Push

Wi-Fi calling startup Republic Wireless has added T-Mobile US ( TMUS ) as a cellular network partner and Samsung’s Galaxy S7 to its lineup of mobile phones. Republic Wireless earlier leased cellphone network access from Sprint ( S ). Users of Republic Wireless service use mobile phones that switch to cellular networks if public Wi-Fi is not available. T-Mobile stock edged down a fraction in midday trading in the stock market today , near 40.50. Shares of T-Mobile are up about 3% in 2016. T-Mobile has an IBD Composite Rating of 91 out of a possible 99, which puts it among the top 9% of all stocks in some key metrics that include revenue and earnings growth. Republic Wireless has fewer than 1 million customers, said a Bloomberg report . Alphabet ’s ( GOOGL ) Google rolled out a hybrid Wi-Fi/cellular service in early 2015, but it has not disclosed how many subscribers it has. Sprint and T-Mobile were both partners of Google in its launch. Cable-TV leader  Comcast ( CMCSA ) says it’s testing a hybrid Wi-Fi service under a network sharing agreement with Verizon Communications ( VZ ). Republic Wireless is a unit of Internet-calling service Bandwidth.com. While Republic Wireless says it will add Samsung’s Galaxy 7 and six other phones to its lineup, the Wi-Fi startup has been unable to forge a deal with Apple ( AAPL ).

Court Ruling On Open Internet Imminent For Comcast, Verizon, AT&T

A federal appeals court could hand down a decision any day on the Open Internet Order — also called “net neutrality” — rules opposed by Internet service providers such as AT&T ( T ), Comcast ( CMCSA ) and Verizon Communications ( VZ ). The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit typically releases decisions on Tuesdays and Fridays. Telecommunications, cable and wireless industry trade groups have challenged the Federal Communications Commission’s authority to enforce rules for an open Internet . In separate cases, Verizon and Comcast have successfully challenged earlier FCC net neutrality rules. A ruling from “D.C. Circuit 3” appeals court had been expected as early as April. The three-judge panel heard oral arguments in December. Judge David Tatel, who ruled against the FCC in an earlier case, in December appeared more favorable to the FCC’s position, some analysts say. Phone and cable TV stock will likely trade up or down depending on the ruling from the appeals court’s three judge panel. The case, however, could reach the U.S. Supreme Court. “Most agree this is an issue that will likely end up before the Supreme Court, especially if the FCC wins,” said Jennifer Fritzsche, a Wells Fargo analyst, in a research report published Thursday. Jonathan Atkin, an analyst at RBC Capital, said in a recent report that the appeals court may overturn rules on net neutrality that apply to wireless networks but uphold those for wireline broadband. Another court option is to “remand” the FCC’s rule-making back to the agency for additional work The FCC in February 2015 reclassified broadband services as a public utility, in order to enforce net neutrality rules under Title II of the 1934 Communications Act . The agency also expanded net neutrality rules to wireless networks for the first time. The rules bar ISPs from throttling, blocking or prioritizing Web traffic. The FCC also created a general conduct standard that ISPs cannot harm consumers or service edge providers, such as Alphabet ‘s ( GOOGL ) Google or Netflix ( NFLX ). Some consumer groups over the past six months have objected to new, so-called “zero-rated,” services offered by Verizon, Comcast and T-Mobile US ( TMUS ) that do not count video or data usage toward monthly caps.

Google I/O: Do Rivals Facebook, Amazon, Apple Have Things To Fear?

Speculation that Alphabet ’s ( GOOGL ) Google will take the wraps off a new virtual reality platform, taking on Facebook ( FB ), HTC and other rivals, is heating up ahead of its developers conference next week. Google is also expected to disclose more wrinkles for Android N , the next major update of the mobile operating system, due for release this year. And it might have something to say about Android apps coming to the Chrome OS or about  combining the two operating systems . While Nest Labs, acquired by Google in 2014, seems to be struggling, some Web pundits say Google could provide an answer to Amazon.com ’s ( AMZN ) “Echo” home hub. Google and Amazon also seem to be on a collision course in online video , but YouTube has not grabbed the spotlight at the developer’s conference in the past few years. Whatever new products and technologies are coming to Google I/O, slated for May 18 to May 20, will likely be unveiled by CEO Sundar Pichai in his keynote address. Pichai’s keynote is scheduled for 10 a.m. PT on May 18. The Google I/O schedule is packed with virtual reality. There’s speculation Google might roll out its own VR headset, firing back at Facebook’s Oculus Rift. Another line of thinking has Google sticking with its low-cost Cardboard VR offering for now. Like Facebook, Google may also be charging into augmented reality. While virtual reality immerses a user in an imagined or replicated world (like videogames, for instance), augmented reality overlays digital imagery onto the real world. That’s where Google’s “Project Tango” comes in. One of the first products to come from that effort is a new smartphone built by Lenovo and due out this summer. Google’s annual developer’s conference arrives before Apple ‘s ( AAPL ) June developers meeting. It remains to be seen whether Apple or Google talks much about driverless cars . Click here for the Google I/O schedule .