Image of early Candlestick Phone

The Telecom Digest
Saturday, November 26, 2022

Image of Modern Desktop Phone
Copyright © 2022 E. William Horne. All Rights Reserved.
Volume 41 Table of Contents Issue 266
FCC Releases Draft Nationwide Broadband Map
Oklahoma’s New Telemarketing Law Goes Into Effect, Joining Other States With Mini-TCPAs
The Danger Of Dark Patterns
Google Settles Location-Tracking Probe For Record-Breaking $391.5 Million
Message-ID: <20221125015206.GA879926@telecomdigest.us> Date: Fri, 25 Nov 2022 01:52:06 +0000 From: Bill Horne <malQRMassimilation@gmail.com> Subject: FCC Releases Draft Nationwide Broadband Map FCC Releases Draft Nationwide Broadband Map by Jennifer L. Richter , Douglas I. Brandon and Nicole McFarland After years of broadband data collection, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today released a draft of its new nationwide map of fixed and mobile broadband availability. The map interface is available here. The revised map will be the basis for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) allocation to the states of $42 billion in Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) grants next summer. Grant funds will be divided among state and tribal governments, who will issue subgrants prioritizing broadband buildout in currently unserved and underserved areas, as identified by the new map. For more on the map revision and grant allocation processes, see last week’s alert. https://www.mondaq.com/article/news/1253234?q=1803232&n=617&tp=4&tlk=11&lk=41
Message-ID: <20221125030003.GA881019@telecomdigest.us> Date: Fri, 25 Nov 2022 03:00:03 +0000 From: Bill Horne <malQRMassimilation@gmail.com> Subject: Oklahoma’s New Telemarketing Law Goes Into Effect, Joining Other States With Mini-TCPAs Oklahoma’s New Telemarketing Law Goes Into Effect, Joining Other States With Mini-TCPAs by David O. Klein On November 1, 2022, Oklahoma’s Telephone Solicitation Act (“OTSA”) took effect. Following a trend set by Florida, Oklahoma decided to enact its own rules to regulate intrastate telemarketing communications. Oklahoma’s regulations are the latest to take effect in a line of Mini-TCPA laws. These regulations have been coined Mini-TCPAs because they are the state equivalents of the TCPA. The TCPA, or Telephone Consumer Protection Act, is a federal statute designed to protect consumer privacy by restricting certain types of telemarketing communications. Over the years, The TCPA has been subject to wide-ranging interpretation across various federal circuit courts. States saw the need to design and enact Mini-TCPAs in order to ensure more consistent adjudication of claims within their borders. As detailed below, businesses should be aware of significant differences that exist between the TCPA and Oklahoma’s new telemarketing law. https://www.mondaq.com/article/news/1252020?q=1803232&n=614&tp=10&tlk=3&lk=43
Message-ID: <20221125021629.GA880092@telecomdigest.us> Date: Fri, 25 Nov 2022 02:16:29 +0000 From: Bill Horne <malQRMassimilation@gmail.com> Subject: The Danger Of Dark Patterns by Renee B. Appel On November 3, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a Complaint and Stipulated Order in federal court against an internet phone service provider to stop it from imposing junk fees and making it difficult for users to cancel their service. This action follows the FTC’s September publication of “Bringing Dark Patterns to Light,” a report demonstrating companies’ increased use of design practices known as “dark patterns” to influence consumers buying behavior (the “Staff Report”). The Staff Report is derived from a virtual workshop the FTC held in April 2021 addressing user interfaces across websites and mobile apps. In connection with announcing the Staff Report, Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection explained, “Our report shows how more and more companies are using digital dark patterns to trick people into buying products and giving away their personal information.” It was the FTC’s intent that the report “send a clear message that these traps will not be tolerated.” The FTC’s latest enforcement action confirms that message. https://www.mondaq.com/article/news/1252944?q=1803232&n=617&tp=4&tlk=17&lk=47
Message-ID: <20221125024251.GA880698@telecomdigest.us> Date: Fri, 25 Nov 2022 02:42:51 +0000 From: Bill Horne <malQRMassimilation@gmail.com> Subject: Google Settles Location-Tracking Probe For Record-Breaking $391.5 Million Google Settles Location-Tracking Probe For Record-Breaking $391.5 Million by Bram Schumer Google has agreed to pay a historic settlement of $391.5 million to end a privacy investigation brought by 40 state attorneys general regarding the search giant’s allegedly misleading location-tracking features. The states argued that, since at least 2014, Google violated consumer protection laws by misleading consumers into thinking they had turned off location-tracking in their Google account settings, when, in reality, Google continued to collect such location information and sell it to advertisers. The payout is the largest multistate privacy settlement in history. https://www.mondaq.com/article/news/1251768?q=1803232&n=617&tp=7&tlk=3&lk=53
End of The Telecom Digest For Sat, 26 Nov 2022
Helpful Links
Telecom Digest Archives The Telecom Digest FAQ