Opinion
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San Francisco Radiation Warning Law Prompts Lawsuit
Opinion -Passage of San Francisco’s “Cell Phone Right-to-Know” ordinance (see Infotech & Telecom News, August 2010) has been challenged in U.S. District Court. -
County Executive Group Requests $122 Million Stimulus for Bronx Wi-Fi
Opinion -Claiming all U.S. citizens have the right to affordable broadband access, the County Executives of America (CEA) applied for $122 million of federal stimulus monies to implement municipal wi-fi services in the Bronx. -
Chile Imposes Net Neutrality
Opinion -Chile has adopted network neutrality laws, PriceWaterhouseCoopers reports. -
North Carolina Stops Bill Banning Muni Wi-Fi
Opinion -State legislators rejected a bill introduced by North Carolina Senator David Hoyle (D) that effectively would have instituted a moratorium on new municipal wi-fi projects in the state. -
GAO Wireless Study: U.S. Customers Receiving Better Prices, Coverage
Opinion -A U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO) study of the wireless industry reports the past 10 years have been good for wireless subscribers. -
Debate Continues as Formal Filings End for NBC/Comcast Merger
Opinion -As federal government regulators pondered whether to allow the nation’s largest cable provider—Comcast—and the NBC TV network to merge, analysts continued their criticisms of the agency’s failure to approve the merger. -
Advocacy Groups Push FCC to Regulate Texting
Opinion -Advocacy groups have begun a push to persuade the Federal Communications Commission to force rules amounting to network neutrality on providers of text messaging services. -
Broadcast Spectrum Bill Raises Property Rights Concerns
Opinion -U.S. Sen. John D. Rockefeller (D-WV) has introduced a bill that would direct the Federal Communications Commission to proceed with its plans to auction off unused broadcast spectrum. -
California City’s Free Municipal Wi-Fi Plan Draws Fire
Opinion -The city government’s effort to provide free wireless service for the residents of Milpitas, California has had a history of trouble. -
Swedish Pirate Party Raises U.S. ISP Throttling Issues
Opinion -Global intellectual property and net neutrality are emerging as important issues in the Swedish Parliament. -
FCC Sues Radio Station for Tardy Contest Prizes
Opinion -The Federal Communications Commission leveled its big guns at tiny Saga Communications over a contest payment dispute. -
Cops’ Easy Access to Suspects’ iPhone Info Raises Privacy Concerns
Opinion -Those who think an iPhone is only for saving address book entries may be surprised to learn police are using the devices’ saved data caches to catch criminals. -
FCC Third-Way Cause of Regulatory Uncertainty
Opinion -The Federal Communications Commission’s drive to impose network neutrality regulations on the Internet by applying rules adopted in 1934 for the telephone industry continues to draw fire from broadband companies such as Verizon. -
California Considers Internet Sales Tax
Opinion -Facing a $20 billion budget gap, the California state legislature is reviving a tax-hike plan targeting out-of-state online retailers. -
Connecticut AG Investigates E-Book Pricing
Opinion -Contract provisions between publishing houses and e-book sellers Amazon and Apple, Inc. have drawn the attention of Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. -
AT&T Implements Metered Pricing for Wireless Users
Opinion -AT&T has begun imposing limits on smart phone data consumption, potentially setting the stage for metered pricing for the industry. -
FCC, Fox Battle Over Commission’s Authority
Opinion -The Federal Communications Commission and the Fox Television network are at odds over the content in the January 3 episode of the animated series American Dad. -
New Bill Seeks to Rein in FCC Regulatory Authority
Opinion -Recent attempts to regulate the Internet by the Federal Communications Commission have prompted Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) to introduce the Freedom for Consumer Choice Act. Cosponsored by Sen. -
Obamacare’s Tangled Web of Taxes
Opinion -“Oh! what a tangled web we weaveWhen first we practise to deceive!” This quotation from Sir Walter Scott’s poem Marmion is particularly applicable to the U.S. -
Vermont Forced to Pay Medicare Recipients Twice in Budgetary Snafu
Opinion -President Barack Obama's health reform law has resulted in Vermont seniors on Medicare receiving their benefits twice in a budgetary snafu which is being criticized as a sign of the new law’s inefficiency. -
Berwick Recess Appointment Sparks Capitol Hill Backlash
Opinion -Angry at President Barack Obama’s recess appointment of Donald Berwick to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), senators on Capitol Hill continue to demand Berwick appear before a congressional committee for hearings on his -
Idaho Case Could Signal More Justice Department Involvement in Physician Lawsuits
Opinion -In what could be a precedent-setting case, five Idaho orthopedists have settled an antitrust suit launched by the U.S. -
New Policy Regime Undermines HSA Growth
Opinion -Although the full policy ramifications of President Obama’s health care overhaul remain unclear, the legislation is expected to have a significant impact on popular Health Savings Accounts. -
Massachusetts Health Insurance Rate Cap Creates Legal, Financial Problems
Opinion -An emerging political battle in Massachusetts over insurance rate caps may foreshadow a problem on the national scene in the near future under President Obama’s sweeping health care reforms.
