Sure, we at Consumerist have our issues with the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, but here’s one case where centralized government control of the booze supply may be a good thing. Since the Liquor Control Board owns and operates all liquor stores in the state, reports of exploding prosecco bottles filtered in to the government in a timely manner, and they in turn have alerted the public. [More]
Government Policy
Former FCC Commissioner: “We Should Be Ashamed Of Ourselves” For State of Broadband In The U.S.
By 6.18.14
In Washington, DC today, a group of internet industry executives and politicians came together to look back on the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and to do a little crystal-ball gazing about the future of broadband regulation in the United States. Former FCC commissioner Michael Copps was among the presenters, and he had sharp words for the audience about the “insanity” of the current wave of merger mania in the telecom field and the looming threats of losing net neutrality regulation. [More]
Suit Seeks $10 Billion Compensation For GM Vehicle Owners Over Brand Damage
By 6.18.14
If you’re keeping a running tally of the General Motors ignition switch defect lawsuits, you can add one more. The company faces a new lawsuit seeking compensation – in the tune of more than $10 billion – for owners of who have lost resale value on their GM vehicles. [More]
NHTSA Opens Investigation Into Fiat Chrysler Ignition Switch Issues
By 6.18.14
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is having a busy summer: The regulators on Wednesday opened two investigations into alleged ignition switch defects, this time related to several Fiat Chrysler minivans and sport utility vehicles. [More]
Lawmakers Not Exactly Thrilled By GM CEO Mary Barra
By 6.18.14
A lot has happened since General Motors CEO Mary Barra first appeared before lawmakers looking into the massive GM ignition switch recall tied to at least 13 deaths. The company has admitted a culture of incompetence while denying a cover-up, recalled another 3 million vehicles, and faces concerns that the total death count may be significantly higher than 13. So this morning’s hearing before a Congressional subcommittee was less friendly than Barra’s previous visit. [More]
Regulators: SunTrust Mortgage Must Provide $540M In Relief To Consumers Wronged By Shady Practices
By 6.17.14
Homeowners underwater with their mortgages and those who lost their homes to foreclosure could be seeing a bit of relief now that several federal agencies and state attorneys generals have filed an order requiring SunTrust Mortgage, Inc. to provide restitution for servicing wrongs. [More]
Originator of “Net Neutrality” Running For Office In New York, Hopes To Prevent Comcast/TWC Merger
By 6.17.14
The academic who coined the term “net neutrality,” and who has been among its most vocal advocates, is now running for office in New York. Tim Wu hopes to become lieutenant governor after what he describes as a “start-up campaign,” and he’s running with a tech-focused message: that New York needs to act against the merger of Comcast and Time Warner Cable. [More]
CDC Concerned That We’re All Ignoring Chia Seed Recall
By 6.17.14
While Consumerist readers are generally up-to-date on the latest recalls, most Americans aren’t. Yet we hadn’t even shared the current recall of potentially salmonella-contaminated chia seeds that have sickened at least 65 people across the United States and Canada. [More]
Proposed Bill Would Require FCC To Forbid Internet Fast Lanes
By 6.17.14
The FCC is spending the summer considering their Open Internet Rule, the piece of cable company f*ckery with a giant loophole allowing companies to negotiate paid prioritization of their network traffic. Today, Democratic lawmakers are planning to introduce a bill that would outright ban those fast lanes. [More]
If Texas Farmers Want Chipotle To Buy Their Beef, They Should Stop Feeding Antibiotics To Cattle
By 6.17.14
Yesterday, the Commissioner of the Texas Dept. of Agriculture wrote to the founder and CEO of burrito chain Chipotle, saying he was “shocked” by Chipotle’s “foolish” decision to buy beef from cattle raised in Australia when there are so many cattle farmers in the Lone Star State, accusing the company of abandoning American farmers — but glossing over the fact that the domestic supply is limited if Chipotle wants to stick to its guns about using antibiotic-free beef. [More]
Regulators, Manufacturers, Dealers, And Mechanics Get To Read About Car Defects — But Not Consumers
By 6.17.14
The thirteen-year-long mess of the GM ignition switch recall was, in part, a failure to see and identify patterns in the data. Over the course of a decade, individual consumers lodged complaints that, put together, could have revealed the whole problem sooner. But nobody got to look at the whole, because all of the service bulletins that carmakers like GM send to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration go into its database… and never come back out. Too bad so sad, says NHTSA, but lawmakers and auto-safety advocates are hoping to change that. [More]
There Are So Many Auto Recalls, People Tune Them Out
By 6.16.14
So far, 2014 has been a year of automotive recalls, beginning with the General Motors ignition recall. After just one company recalled 11 million vehicles, any other recalls just feel like piling on. Experts worry that consumers are starting to tune out and not pay attention to any recall announcements in the media at all. [More]
FCC Chair Tom Wheeler Says He Is Not A Dingo
By 6.16.14
A couple weeks back, HBO’s John Oliver questioned whether it was wise to fill the FCC Chairman vacancy with former cable/wireless lobbyist Tom Wheeler, likening the decision to a parent hiring a dingo as a babysitter. Wheeler takes issue with the comparison and is now publicly denying that he is a child-devouring canine. [More]
Timberland Boots Have A Lifetime Warranty, Unless You’re In Prison
By 6.15.14 — Updated: 1.20.17
Prison commissaries sell basic consumer goods like deodorant and snacks, and also optional clothing items like socks and work boots. A reader’s letter brought a dilemma to our attention: the regular warranty exchange procedures don’t work when you’re in prison and can’t receive outside mail. [More]
Snooping Sites, Aimless Ads, Sexist Stereotypes: A Look Back At The Week In Tech News
By 6.13.14
It’s a big, busy world, and even with a smartphone in your pocket at all times it’s hard to read everything written about it in a week. Sometimes, useful info slips through the cracks. So, here are five interesting stories from the world of internet and technology news. [More]
FCC To Look Into Data Bottlenecks And Pay-For-Access Deals With ISPs
By 6.13.14
The whole point of net neutrality is that Internet Service Providers like Comcast and Verizon shouldn’t be allowed to actively prioritize or degrade the data they help to deliver; it should all be treated equally. But as we’ve seen with Netflix speeds over the last year, ISPs can passively allow downstream data to bottleneck, effectively telling the largest content providers that they have to pay for more direct access. After omitting this latter issue in his controversial net neutrality proposal, FCC Chair Tom Wheeler announced today that it’s time for his commission to consider it. [More]
GM Recalls Another Half-Million Cars For Ignition Switch Problems, But Different Ones This Time
By 6.13.14
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: General Motors has issued a recall of a half-million of its cars because if the driver’s knee hits the keys while they’re in the ignition, the key can pop out, causing the car to lose power and potentially crash. [More]
Ford To Reimburse 200,000 Drivers For Another Batch Of Bad MPG Ratings
By 6.13.14
Less than a year after being slapped on the wrists for posting inaccurate MPG info on its cars, Ford could be on the hook for more than $100 million in payments to around 200,000 drivers of several additional vehicle models that were sold with overstated fuel economy ratings. [More]
