1. Monthly archive
  2. February 2019

February 2019

Rep Eshoo, Sen Markey Introduce Legislation to Crack Down on Surprise Telephone, Cable, and Internet Fees

Rep Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Sen Ed Markey (D-MA) introduced the Truth-In-Billing, Remedies, and User Empowerment over Fees (‘TRUE Fees’) Act. The TRUE Fees Act requires phone, cable, and internet providers to include fees, charges, and surcharges in the prices they advertise for service; allows customers to end their contract without early termination fees if their provider increases prices; prevents hikes on equipment fees unless providers improve equipment; and prohibits forced arbitration clauses for wrongful billing errors.

FCC Adopts Connect America Fund Transition Rules

The Federal Communications Commission adopted a Report and Order that sets the rules of the road for the upcoming transition between legacy Connect America Fund support in certain price cap areas, and new, auction-based support for voice and broadband. The Connect America Fund (CAF) Phase II Auction, which closed in August of 2018, allocated nearly $1.5 billion in support for broadband in rural areas currently lacking it.

FCC Eliminates Equal Employment Opportunity Broadcaster Mid-Term Filing Requirement

The Federal Communications Commission voted to eliminate the Broadcast Mid-Term Report (Form 397) filing requirement, concluding that this paperwork has become redundant and unnecessary. The FCC has used Form 397 in its mid-term reviews of broadcasters’ equal employment opportunity practices.

FCC Seeks to Combat Illegal Spoofed Texts & International Calls

The Federal Communications Commission proposed rules banning illegal spoofed text messages and international calls. The proposed rules would enable the agency to address consumer concerns about unwanted text messages and scam calls from overseas. The rules, if adopted, would ensure that the FCC is also able to bring enforcement actions against bad actors who spoof text messages and spoofers who seek out victims in this country from overseas. 

FCC Acts To Improve Management Of IP Captioned Telephone Service For Americans With Hearing Loss

The Federal Communications Commission took steps to improve Internet-based relay services for people who are deaf or hard of hearing and communicate by speaking.

Facebook inadvertently pulls, reinstates Trump Organization ads labeled as political

Facebook removed more than 100 ads paid for and posted by The Trump Organization after Facebook mistakenly classified them as political in nature and requiring payment disclosures. Advertisements for the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC,  the Trump National Doral golf course in Miami, and the Trump Turnberry Resort in Scotland were among the 117 ads removed from Facebook. Those ads have returned to Facebook after the network was notified by Scotland's national newspaper The Scotsman that some Trump property posts had been labeled as political.

Is the FTC powerful enough to be an effective privacy cop? New report raises questions

The Federal Trade Commission is supposed to be the US government’s top Internet privacy cop. But a new Government Accountability Office report report raises questions about whether the agency has the resources and authority it needs to protect consumers. In the past decade, the FTC has filed just 101 enforcement actions regarding Internet privacy. While nearly all of the actions resulted in settlements that required companies to take action, in most cases the FTC didn’t have the authority to issue fines.

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