---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: <20200104175115.GA19943@telecom.csail.mit.edu> Date: Sat, 4 Jan 2020 17:51:15 +0000 From: Moderator <telecomdigestsubmissions@remove-this.telecom-digest.org> Subject: Sinclair-Tied Stations Say AT&T 'Misled' FCC In Dispute A group of Sinclair-linked TV stations have told the Federal Communications Commission that AT&T's pay TV units "misled" the agency into believing the broadcasters' common agent dropped the ball amid programming negotiations. https://www.law360.com/articles/1231198/sinclair-tied-stations-say-at-t-misled-fcc-in-dispute -- Bill Horne Telecom Digest Moderator ------------------------------ Message-ID: <a94e0b3e-541a-41de-993b-a2dbd06d1a56@googlegroups.com> Date: 3 Jan 2020 14:03:50 -0800 From: HAncock4 <withheld@invalid.telecom-digest.org> Subject: NBC: How our phones became our whole lives in just 10 years NBC News reported that our phones are amazing, but we have come to rely on them too much. I see it every day when trying to recover the minutiae of a life from a ruined device. A person who runs a phone data recovery business writes about her experiences and the way modern phones have changed our lives. https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/how-our-phones-became-our-whole-lives-just-10-years-ncna1106436 ------------------------------ Message-ID: <26fdc024-7f6a-4ba5-86e2-0b6664dcf81a@googlegroups.com> Date: 3 Jan 2020 13:06:36 -0800 From: HAncock4 <withheld@invalid.telecom-digest.org> Subject: Re: Trump signs law to reduce robocalls, though they won't end On Friday, January 3, 2020 at 2:58:28 PM UTC-5, Monty Solomon wrote: > "The key is requiring these phone companies to help stop the calls > before they reach the consumer and do it at no additional charge," > said Consumer Reports' Maureen Mahoney. > > NEW YORK - An anti-robocalls measure signed into law Monday by > President Donald Trump should help reduce the torrent of unwanted > calls promising lower interest rates or pretending to be the IRS, > though it won't make all such calls disappear. > > The new law gives authorities more enforcement powers and could speed > up measures the industry is already taking to identify robocalls. And > when phone companies block robocalls, they must do so without charging > consumers. This should help Americans dodge many of these annoying > calls. > > https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trump-signs-law-reduce-robocalls-though-they-won-t-end-n1108896 Interesting article, thanks for posting it. Unfortunately, I am not optimistic. Certain practices are already illegal, such as to fake numbers on Caller ID to defraud or cause harm. But as the article explains, punishment for those offenses is rare. In my opinion, the federal and state governments simply will not bother assigning investigators and prosecutors to these cases, so the scammers know they can get away with it. The carriers won't bother implementing necessary technology to block or trace such calls, giving scammers cover. Nothing will be done about foreign originations. ------------------------------ ********************************************* End of telecom Digest Sun, 05 Jan 2020