December 2012

“Scammers may see cellphones as the new frontier for fraud,” said David Kolata, executive director of the Citizens Utility Board in Illinois.

“Cramming” is the practice of placing unauthorized third-party charges on cell phone bills and it is a problem that’s increasing in Illinois. With cramming, the charges are small — typically between $1.99 and $9.99 — but they add up to an estimated $1.4 million being scammed from Illinois consumers, according to an investigation by CUB and Validas, a wireless industry research firm. Nationally, the total cost to cellphone users may exceed $59 million, the investigation found. The scammers rely on consumers not checking their long and complicated cellphone bills, and not noticing a slight increase in cost. Only about 1 in 20 customers who have been crammed catch the cost, Kolata said. Cellphone users can block third-party use of their phones, but this often comes as an additional charge from the cellphone service provider. That charge may be more than the cost of the cram.

A White House effort to improve the cybersecurity of the nation’s commercial power grid could soon be expanded to other critical sectors, such as transportation and water.

The Energy and Homeland Security departments kicked off the initiative, known as the Electricity Sector Cybersecurity Capability Maturity Model, this year as an effort to assess and improve the security of thousands of utility companies. A key component of the initiative is a self-evaluation survey of more than 300 questions that helps utilities evaluate their cybersecurity, identify gaps and plan how to mitigate risks and implement necessary changes.

Among the questions asked, for example, are whether:

• Cybersecurity requirements are considered when establishing relationships with suppliers and other third parties.
• Personnel vetting, such as background checks and drug tests, is performed at hire for positions that have access to electrical delivery assets.
• Training programs are aligned to support cybersecurity workforce management objectives.

Cellphone bills can be confusing messes filled with activation fees and one time charges, but AT&T wants to help its customers navigate them a little better by offering personalized video explanations of every bill. Rather than a general overview of frequently asked billing questions, the new videos have itemized explanations of your monthly bill, and will be available via email or your myAT&T account.

Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX). He’s controversial (especially in Internet circles), and he's just been appointed to lead a committee in Congress — making him a key power player in crafting the nation’s science and technology policy.

In the days since he was chosen for the job by his Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives, some have condemned the selection, questioning Congress’ preservation of the committee’s status quo and its ability to make appropriate appointments to positions that are considered vital to the nation’s future. Rep Smith is set to take over his new chairmanship of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology next year, but it’s not the veteran lawmaker’s first time sitting at the head of the table in Congress. He’s leaving the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, where in 2011 he proposed a copyright enforcement bill called the Stop Online Piracy Act. (SOPA did not go well for Representative Smith, or for the bill’s corporate backers that wanted some legislative C4 from Congress to blow up the internet.) But while SOPA’s controversy burns bright in recent memory, it’s just one data point of many. Since 1980, for nearly half of his life, Representative Smith has been a professional lawmaker — and most of those years have already been spent on the committee he’s about to lead.