What line does a traveler need to cross before he’s deemed worthy of arrest by airport security agents? According to one man, not only was he detained overnight after attempting to file a complaint about the way he was being treated, but a TSA supervisor then lied under oath about a bomb threat the traveler never made. [More]
Government Policy
CFPB Asks Court To Shut Down Texas Company’s Deceptive, Illegal Credit Card Offer
By 2.3.15
Back in December, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed a lawsuit against a Texas-based company that allegedly deceived consumers into paying fees to sign up for a sham credit card. The Bureau’s mission to shut down the company continued today when it asked a federal district court to make the company pay a $70,000 fine and permanently ban Union Workers Credit Services from offering any consumer credit products in the future. [More]
Report: FCC Chair To Propose Actual Net Neutrality, Reclassification Of Broadband Services
By 2.3.15
It’s been a long strange year for the internet, after a court threw out the net neutrality rule in January, 2014. But after comments, protests, legal threats, and a whole lot of back-and-forth, it now looks like the FCC chairman is poised to have the commission vote to regulate broadband services like phone services, under Title II of the Communications Act. [More]
Feds Warn That Claims Of Biodegradable Dog Poop Bags May Be Full Of… You Know
By 2.3.15
While some dog owners stick to tried-and-true methods of picking up their canine pals’ waste with the aid of plastic shopping bags, that’s a lot of plastic going into landfills. This is why there are several companies selling poo-collection bags labeled “biodegradable” or “compostable.” But the Federal Trade Commission is warning a number of the companies that make and market these products that they may be running afoul of laws against deceptive advertising. [More]
Deal Provides $480 Million In Debt Relief To Current & Former Corinthian Colleges Students
By 2.3.15
When student-loan servicing company Educational Credit Management Corporation revealed it would purchase 56 campuses belonging to embattled for-profit college chain Corinthian Colleges, regulators and consumer advocates began working to ensure that students affected by CCI’s collapse would be protected under the deal. Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the U.S. Department of Education announced some students would receive the help they deserve in the way of $480 million in debt relief. [More]
FCC Chairman: Commission Should Approve Cities’ Requests To Preempt State Laws That Block Local Broadband
By 2.2.15
Chattanooga’s biggest claim to fame, in 2015, might be its super-fast, publicly-owned, gigabit fiber network. The model has been hailed as a triumph of modern technology and infrastructure by the White House and the FCC, but the network has been unable to expand because of a law on the books in Tennessee designed to tamp down public competition to private ISPs. Last year, the city asked the FCC to intervene so they could build out their network — and now, it looks like they’re going to get their wish. [More]
Report: Overdrafting Just A Little Or A Lot Has The Same Negative Consequences For Consumers’ Accounts
By 2.2.15
For most consumers, overdrawing their checking account results in a hefty fee. While it’s safe to argue that consumer who have more overdrafts will pay more in fees, a new report from The Pew Charitable Trusts finds that both high-frequency and low-frequency overdrafters often face the same devastating financial ramifications from banks’ overdraft penalties. [More]
Report: CFPB To Release Rules Governing Payday Loan Industry Soon
By 2.2.15
Last March, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said it was in the “late stages” of crafting rules to rein in the often predatory payday lending industry. Nearly a year, later the agency is reportedly on the cusp of announcing said rules. [More]
2.12 Million Honda, Toyota & Chrysler Vehicles Recalled Because Airbags Should Only Deploy In Crashes
By 2.2.15
Car manufacturers’ troubles with airbags have followed them into the new year, with three manufactures recalling approximately 2.12 million vehicles because the safety devices may deploy at the wrong time. [More]
Appeals Court Sides With FTC In POM Wonderful False Advertising Case
By 1.30.15
The Federal Trade Commission hasn’t let the bee out of its bonnet over health claims made by POM Wonderful that it says amount to deceptive advertising, having kept on the company’s case since 2010. Now, eight months after POM made its case before a federal appeals court that it’s not being misleading about the things its juice can do, the court is siding with the FTC. [More]
FCC Proposes $640,000 Fine For AT&T’s Violation Of Airwave License Rules
By 1.30.15
If you don’t play by the Federal Communications Commission’s rules, then you’re likely going to get caught and have to pay a hefty fine. Just ask AT&T, which must pay $640,000 after violating rules and requirements for operating some airwave licenses. [More]
CFPB Proposal Aims To Improve Mortgage Access In Rural & Underserved Areas
By 1.30.15
A new proposal issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau this week aims to make it easier for consumers in rural and underserved areas of the United State to obtain mortgages. [More]
Feds Take Action Against Pair Of Deceptive Auto Title Lenders
By 1.30.15
When it comes to short-term, high-interest loans, payday lenders may get most of the headlines, but auto title loans can be just as perilous for borrowers, especially when the lenders use deceptive marketing. This morning, the Federal Trade Commission announced its first ever legal actions involving title loan operations that misled borrowers. [More]
Two Big Reasons The New Broadband Standard Is Bad News For The Comcast Merger
By 1.29.15
None of the big ISPs are happy about today’s FCC vote drastically increasing the bare minimum that qualifies as “broadband.” But even though executives at Verizon, AT&T, and plenty of others are probably muttering aloud rude words in the C-suite right now, Comcast and Time Warner Cable have good reason to be more worried than most. [More]
No More Posting Of Nude Photos For Operator Of Revenge Porn Site
By 1.29.15
My co-workers tell me that there are plenty of websites out there with images and footage of naked people who agreed to be photographed in such revealing conditions. But there are also so-called “revenge porn” sites that post intimate personal photos and videos of people who didn’t consent. Facing a lawsuit from federal regulators, the operator of one such site has agreed to get out of the revenge porn business. [More]
Google Says Net Neutrality Won’t Curb Expansion Of Google Fiber
By 1.29.15
Opponents of the net neutrality rules pending before the Federal Communications Commission claim that they would be an impediment to investment and slow the expansion and improvement of broadband networks around the country. But the folks at Google, who just added four new major markets for its Google Fiber service, aren’t terribly worried. [More]
USDA Introduces New Maple Syrup Grading System To Clear Up Consumer Confusion
By 1.28.15
If you think people don’t take maple syrup seriously, clearly you have never been to Vermont. While that state already switched up its grading system for the sweet stuff, the rest of the country is set to change as well with new categories introduced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture this week. [More]
