33 Years of the Digest ... founded August 21, 1981
Copyright © 2014 E. William Horne. All Rights Reserved.

The Telecom Digest for Oct 9, 2014
Volume 33 : Issue 179 : "text" Format
Messages in this Issue:
Driving with voice-activated infotainment is really distracting, studies say (Monty Solomon)
Using new Corvette's valet-recording tech could be a felony in some states (Monty Solomon)
Analysis: Wireless data caps more about profit than congestion (Monty Solomon)
Google Glass "no safer" than phones for texting while driving (Monty Solomon)
Dozens of European ATMs rooted, allowing criminals to easily cash out (Monty Solomon)
This is what happens when 911 fails (Monty Solomon)
Verizon's gamble on Internet rules may have backfired (Bill Horne)
AT&T will pay $105 million for unauthorized charges on customer bills (Bill Horne)
Low Price, High Hopes For a Phone (Monty Solomon)

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.  - Abraham Lincoln

See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details.

Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2014 08:51:54 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> To: telecomdigestsubmissions.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Driving with voice-activated infotainment is really distracting, studies say Message-ID: <p06240854d05ae3ac3e33@[172.16.42.4]> Driving with voice-activated infotainment is really distracting, studies say Test subjects also rear-ended two cars trying to use Siri behind the wheel. by Megan Geuss Oct 7 2014 Ars Technica http://arstechnica.com/cars/2014/10/driving-with-voice-activated-infotainment-is-really-distracting-studies-say/
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2014 09:08:15 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> To: telecomdigestsubmissions.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Using new Corvette's valet-recording tech could be a felony in some states Message-ID: <p06240859d05ae7a12b9a@[172.16.42.4]> Using new Corvette's valet-recording tech could be a felony in some states GM is sending updated software to make Valet Mode less legally questionable. by Megan Geuss Sept 26 2014 Ars Technica http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/09/new-corvettes-valet-recording-tech-could-be-a-felony-in-12-states/
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2014 08:58:44 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> To: telecomdigestsubmissions.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Analysis: Wireless data caps more about profit than congestion Message-ID: <p06240855d05ae564a55d@[172.16.42.4]> Analysis: Wireless data caps more about profit than congestion Network congestion is real, but monthly data caps don't prevent it. by Jon Brodkin Oct 8 2014 Ars Technica http://arstechnica.com/staff/2014/10/analysis-wireless-data-caps-more-about-profit-than-congestion/
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2014 09:02:48 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> To: telecomdigestsubmissions.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Google Glass "no safer" than phones for texting while driving Message-ID: <p06240858d05ae65cdf75@[172.16.42.4]> Google Glass "no safer" than phones for texting while driving Study shows that multitasking on the road is never a good idea. by Katie Collins Sept 27 2014 Ars Technica http://arstechnica.com/cars/2014/09/google-glass-no-safer-than-phones-for-texting-while-driving/
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2014 09:00:58 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> To: telecomdigestsubmissions.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Dozens of European ATMs rooted, allowing criminals to easily cash out Message-ID: <p06240856d05ae5d6c007@[172.16.42.4]> Dozens of European ATMs rooted, allowing criminals to easily cash out Criminals with physical access to ATMs install malware to control flow of money. by Robert Lemos Oct 7 2014 Ars Technica Criminals are installing fairly sophisticated malicious programs on banks' ATMs, allowing them to control access to the machines and easily steal cash, security firms Kaspersky and Interpol said in a joint statement released on Tuesday. ... http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/10/dozens-of-european-atms-rooted-allowing-criminals-to-easily-cash-out/
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2014 09:34:31 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> To: telecomdigestsubmissions.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: This is what happens when 911 fails Message-ID: <p0624085ad05aedab95e8@[172.16.42.4]> This is what happens when 911 fails Our most important lifeline isn't always there when you need it By Colin Lecher October 3, 2014 The Verge On a June morning in Washington, William Leneweaver, the state's E911 IT projects and operations manager, was alerted to a call. A man had been attempting to dial emergency responders, but he couldn't get through. He was left listening to a "fast busy" - a pre-recorded tone. Eventually, he made contact by borrowing someone else's phone. The staff of the state's Vancouver call center, where the call was received, began investigating what might have prevented the call from going through. They made test calls with Sprint phones, the same provider the man had. No 911 service. They had someone in another location make more calls. Same problem. ... http://www.theverge.com/2014/10/3/6414949/911-call-failures-fcc
Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 19:45:36 -0400 From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net> To: telecomdigestsubmissions.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Verizon's gamble on Internet rules may have backfired Message-ID: <m14iav$mv6$1@dont-email.me> Verizon (VZ) set off a wide debate in January over how the federal government should regulate the Internet by winning a legal challenge to the existing rules. It now looks possible that the company’s victory has paved the way for its political defeat. The Federal Communication Commission held the final roundtables on its net neutrality regulations on Tuesday, and FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler will presumably retreat to his office to finalize his proposal. He has said he wants to have new rules in place by the end of the year, meaning a vote could happen at the commission’s open meeting on Dec. 11. http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-10-08/new-neutrality-verizons-gamble-on-internet-rules-is-backfiring -or- http://goo.gl/j7OOGR -- Bill Horne (Remove QRM from my address to write to me directly) And as I watch the drops of rain Weave their weary paths and die I know that I am like the rain There but for the grace of you go I - Paul Simon
Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 19:51:44 -0400 From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net> To: telecomdigestsubmissions.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: AT&T will pay $105 million for unauthorized charges on customer bills Message-ID: <m14imf$ne6$1@dont-email.me> By James O'Toole Listen up, AT&T customers: You may be in for a refund. AT&T has agreed to pay $105 million for "cramming" unauthorized charges on the monthly bills of its wireless customers, federal and state regulators announced Wednesday. The charges -- typically $9.99 per month -- came from third-party services for things like trivia, horoscopes and love tips. AT&T is accused of keeping at least 35% of the fees, as well as obscuring the charges on bills and preventing customers from securing full refunds. The deal is the largest cramming settlement in history, and includes the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, as well as all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. http://money.cnn.com/2014/10/08/technology/mobile/att-cramming/ - - - - - - - - - - Say it ain't so, Mister Vail! -- Bill Horne (Remove QRM from my address to write to me directly) "If you waste your time a-talkin' to the people who don't listen, "To the things that you are sayin', who do you think's gonna hear. "And if you should die explainin' how the things that they complain about, "Are things they could be changin', who do you think's gonna care?" - Kris Kristofferson
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2014 19:57:33 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> To: telecomdigestsubmissions.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Low Price, High Hopes For a Phone Message-ID: <3281450B-EB95-49C4-B85A-2A8725D12E1D@roscom.com> Low Price, High Hopes For a Phone The One smartphone, for months the subject of discussion and so far available only by invitation, will be available for preorder this month. For years, the tech industry has been waiting on a unicorn device: a great, low-priced smartphone. While most other technologies keep getting cheaper, many of today's high-end smartphones cost upward of $650, which is more than the price Apple slapped on its very first iPhone, way back in 2007. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/09/technology/personaltech/oneplus-one-review-high-hopes-for-low-price-phone.html -or- http://goo.gl/bMQcE3

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