---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: <20180418064631.GA32356@telecom.csail.mit.edu> Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2018 02:46:31 -0400 From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net> Subject: Government rests its case in lawsuit to block AT&T, Time Warner merger by Hadas Gold and Tom Kludt Government attorneys rested their case on Tuesday in their lawsuit to block AT&T's $85 billion purchase of Time Warner as the two company's top executives prepare to testify. AT&T had already started calling witnesses last week due to a scheduling issues with the government's final witness, RCN Chief Executive Jim Holanda. On Wednesday, both Time Warner CEO Jeffrey Bewkes and John Stankey, AT&T's Senior Executive Vice President in charge of the Time Warner merger integration planning, will take the stand. http://money.cnn.com/2018/04/17/media/att-time-warner-rcn-jim-holanda/index.html -- Bill Horne (Remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly) ------------------------------ Message-ID: <557AAD6F-C678-461A-B616-B468016D263E@roscom.com> Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2018 23:18:41 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> Subject: GDPR and the End of the Internet's Grand Bargain GDPR and the End of the Internet's Grand Bargain In May the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation goes into effect, two years after passage by the European Parliament. This radical new privacy law, which covers any business that processes information about EU residents, will dramatically affect the way data is collected, stored, and used, including for U.S. companies doing business abroad. https://hbr.org/2018/04/gdpr-and-the-end-of-the-internets-grand-bargain ------------------------------ Message-ID: <barmar-FAEA6A.17495316042018@reader.eternal-september.org> Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2018 17:49:58 -0400 From: Barry Margolin <barmar@alum.mit.edu> Subject: Re: Flip phone remains popular In article <920eef21-2652-4d11-b3a4-23baeace9e04@googlegroups.com>, HAncock4 <withheld@invalid.telecom-digest.org> wrote: > An article in the Phhiladelphia Inquirer describes how the > old style flip phone has its followers. "Users applaud their > simplicity, durability, and low-tech appeal." > > for full article please see: http://www.philly.com/philly/business/technology/the-flip-phone-is-the-new-protest-statement-20180413.html > I have one and like it because it serves my needs and is inexpensive. > But admittedly, all of my friends and family are addicted to their > smart-phones. GPS, photography, texting, and internet access are > favorite uses. A flip phone can do a few of those things, but > it's cumbersome. Me, too. Since I'm a techie, most people are very surprised that I'm a cellphone luddite. I make very few calls on it, so I have a pay-as-you-go plan that costs me about $120/year -- I think most people with smartphones are essentially forced to buy plays that cost them that much every month or two. It has a web browser, but I've never been able to do anything useful with it. I have a tablet (Kindle Fire HDX) that I use for mobile apps, the biggest problem is that it's limited to places with WiFi. But that's most places these days, as long as you're not in the boondocks. > Personally, when I use a computer, I like the traditional desktop > model--a fullsized keyboard and screen. When I use the telephone, > I talk on it, and like the high sound quality and reliability of a > traditional landline. I just don't talk on the phone very much! I call my Mom once a week, most incoming calls I get are junk calls. I do most communication via email, and I don't generally need to do that when I'm not at home (there's an email app on the tablet, I almost never use it). My computer is a laptop, but at home I connect it to a large monitor and fullsize keyboard and use it like a traditional desktop computer. But I can still take it with me when I go on trips, giving me the best of both worlds. > How long traditional landlines remain available remains to be > seen, as Verizon and AT&T seem to be hellbent to discontinue > service. How long a flip phone will still be functional likewise > is questionable, as many new everyday functions now require using > a smart-phone. For instance, to get a taxi (Uber), I believe > one needs a smart phone. To travel on public transit, one needs > a smart-phone to keep up with delays and schedule changes. > Traditional highway maps are harder to find, and GPS is needed. I discovered a few months ago that Lyft's app is available for my tablet. It uses the Location Services, which is based on WiFi hotspot locations, and you can also enter your location by hand if necessary, so the lack of GPS isn't a problem. Since most airports have WiFi, I can use it there. -- Barry Margolin, barmar@alum.mit.edu Arlington, MA *** PLEASE post questions in newsgroups, not directly to me *** ------------------------------ ********************************************* End of telecom Digest Wed, 18 Apr 2018