Barack Obama

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said he still step down from his post in the coming weeks after nearly four years as the chief of the commission. His announcement ends months of speculation about if or when he would depart and comes just days after his colleague, Republican Commissioner Robert McDowell, said he will also resign in the next few weeks.

AT&T Mobility said it supports unlocking customers' devices if they have met the terms of their service contract and it has the unlock code for a device. The clarification from the nation's No. 2 carrier came as senators introduced legislation to protect unlocking.

The Obama administration said it supports consumers who want to unlock their mobile phones without fear of breaking the law, and it urged legislative fixes to remedy a recent government ruling on the topic that removed protections for people who do unlock their phones.

A petition asking the White House to rescind a government ruling restricting consumers from unlocking their cell phones crossed the 100,000-signature threshold Thursday, meaning the Obama administration will need to formally respond to the petition.

Lobbyists representing major cable operators and programmers, broadcasters and Hollywood studios said they support proposals President Obama released Wednesday aimed at reducing gun violence.

Now that President Obama has been re-elected, many in the wireless industry are trying to determine how the FCC might change during his second term. Most agree that even if FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski steps down during Obama's second term, the FCC's policy priorities are unlikely to charge very much.