The FCC has taken a major step toward offering financial support for people struggling to pay broadband bills during the pandemic. If approved, the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program could provide $50 per month to millions of households, and more in tribal lands. From a report: The EBBP was created in the budget passed by Congress earlier this year, which earmarked $3.2…
Tag: Lifeline
Should Retraining Programs for Laid-Off Retail Workers Include Computer Programming?
Appearing on ABC, former Chicago Mayor and Obama White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel on Friday volunteered some suggestions for an economic recovery plan that America’s next president could implement. “One of the things we’ve got to do to rebuild, mainly on infrastructure,” he begins, before switching to additional ideas for also offering a more promising future to laid-off retail…
T-Mobile Will Stop Saying Its 5G Network Is Better Than It Actually Is
Earlier this week, the FCC fined T-Mobile $200 million for its abuse of Sprint’s Lifeline program for low-income consumers — the largest fine to be paid in commission history. Now, the Better Business Bureau’s National Advertising (NAD) is telling T-Mobile to tone down its misleading 5G claims about having the “best 5G network.” Gizmodo reports: The NAD’s investigation of T-Mobile’s 5G…
T-Mobile Will Pay $200 Million To Settle Sprint’s Alleged Lifeline Abuse
T-Mobile is paying the price for the reported misdeeds of its recent acquisition. From a report: The carrier has agreed to pay a $200 million settlement over FCC allegations Sprint abused the Lifeline program for low-income communications, claiming subsidies for 885,000 customers that weren’t using the initiative. The agreement also requires that T-Mobile honor the rules of a consent decree.The provider…
In India, Engineers and MBAs Are Turning To Manual Labor To Survive the Economic Crash
As India’s economy reels in the aftermath of one of the world’s strictest lockdowns, a rural employment program has emerged as a lifeline for some of the tens of millions left jobless. From a report: The government program — which aims to guarantee 100 days of unskilled work in rural areas — was intended to combat poverty and reduce the volatility…
More Pre-Installed Malware Has Been Found In Budget US Smartphones
Pre-installed malware has been discovered on another budget handset connected to Assurance Wireless by Virgin Mobile. ZDNet reports: Back in January, cybersecurity researchers from Malwarebytes discovered unremovable malware bundled with the Android operating systems on the Unimax (UMX) U686CL, a low-end handset sold by Assurance Wireless as part of the Lifeline Assistance program, a 1985 U.S. initiative which subsidizes telephone services…
Broadband’s Underused Lifeline For Low-income Users
The federal government’s main program to keep lower income people connected is only serving one-fifth of the people it could help, even during a pandemic that has forced school and work online. From a report: Millions of Americans still lack access to the high-speed internet service that’s become vital as people remain stuck at home and reopenings reverse. The Lifeline program,…
Pandemic Shows Why .Org Domains Are Important
The Los Angeles Times published an op-ed by the executive director of Access Now, a global organization that works to protect privacy, free expression, digital security and human rights among internet users. Now that the sale of the .org registry has been blocked, he explains why that matters. As the pandemic has shown, it has been left to civil society organizations,…
A Feature on Zoom Secretly Displayed Data From People’s LinkedIn Profiles
After an inquiry from The New York Times reporters, Zoom said it would disable a data-mining feature that could be used to snoop on participants during meetings without their knowledge. From a report: For Americans sheltering at home during the coronavirus pandemic, the Zoom videoconferencing platform has become a lifeline, enabling millions of people to easily keep in touch with family…
Judge Forces America’s FCC To Seek New Public Feedback on Its Net Neutrality Repeal
“Earlier this week, the FCC successfully defeated Mozilla’s attempt to undo the commission’s repeal of net neutrality,” reports Engadget. “But, while siding with the body, judges have asked the FCC to determine if repealing the law to prevent a multi-speed internet has had any negative consequences.”
That includes checking if net neutrality repeal has harmed public safety, reduced spending in infrastructure or…