---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: <20200713140617.GA27145@telecom.csail.mit.edu> Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2020 14:06:17 +0000 From: Moderator <telecomdigestsubmissions@remove-this.telecom-digest.org> Subject: As the pandemic continues, it's time to see the internet as a utility Running water and electricity are considered basic parts of our modern life. Advocates say a good connection to the internet is just as important. When school went online, districts scrambled to get WiFi hot spots for thousands of kids. That didn't fix the problem. By David Schechter DALLAS - In almost every American home and apartment today you will find running water and electricity. But how about the internet? Here's what I want to know: Has the coronavirus pandemic made a home internet connection just as essential as water and power? https://www.wfaa.com/article/tech/digital-divide-internet-is-a-utility/287-c8b0bc38-2c36-4ee0-9f11-ba2229222d76 -- Bill Horne Telecom Digest Moderator ------------------------------ Message-ID: <20200713134606.GA27116@telecom.csail.mit.edu> Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2020 13:46:06 +0000 From: Moderator <telecomdigestsubmissions@remove-this.telecom-digest.org> Subject: It's Time for the NLRB to Conduct Union Elections Electronically Last week, Reps. Andy Levin (D-Mich.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Penn.) introduced the bipartisan SAFE (Secure And Fair Elections for) Workers Act. The bill, which is cosponsored by 44 other members of Congress, removes the ban on electronic voting in National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) representation elections. Meanwhile, the NLRB's General Counsel has issued new guidance on minimizing COVID-19 related health risks during in-person representation elections. Instead of recommending mail-in balloting if in-person elections cannot be held safely, the General Counsel advises that elections should be cancelled altogether. https://cwa-union.org/news/its-time-for-nlrb-conduct-union-elections-electronically -- Bill Horne Telecom Digest Moderator ------------------------------ Message-ID: <20200713142130.GA27234@telecom.csail.mit.edu> Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2020 14:21:30 +0000 From: Moderator <telecomdigestsubmissions@remove-this.telecom-digest.org> Subject: Google signs up Verizon for its AI-powered contact center services By Frederic Lardinois Google today announced that it has signed up Verizon as the newest customer of its Google Cloud Contact Center AI service, which aims to bring natural language recognition to the often inscrutable phone menus that many companies still use today (disclaimer: TechCrunch is part of the Verizon Media Group). For Google, that's a major win, but it's also a chance for the Google Cloud team to highlight some of the work it has done in this area. It's also worth noting that the Contact Center AI product is a good example of Google Cloud's strategy of packaging up many of its disparate technologies into products that solve specific problems. https://techcrunch.com/2020/07/13/google-signs-up-verizon-for-its-ai-powered-contact-center-services/ -- Bill Horne Telecom Digest Moderator ***** Moderator's Note ***** Yes, it's a press release. I just find it funny that Verizon can't figure out how to do work-at-home without Google's help. Bill Horne Moderator ------------------------------ ********************************************* End of telecom Digest Wed, 15 Jul 2020