The EpiPen is a necessity for people who are at risk of anaphylaxis, a life-threatening type of allergic reaction. They’re a common item in kids’ backpacks and home first-aid kits, and the name has become a generic term that refers to epinephrine auto-injectors. Yet the product itself is only available as a brand-name product that costs hundreds of dollars. [More]
Government Policy
ITT Tech Students: Don’t Pay For Loan Consolidation, Discharge, Or Transfer Help
By 9.7.16
They say one person’s misfortune is another’s gain, but the Department of Education doesn’t want that to be the case for tens of thousands of students affected by ITT Educational Services’ closure of 130 ITT Technical Institute campuses, no matter how good the deal sounds. [More]
TSA: Most Travelers Waited 30 Minutes Or Less In Airport Security Lines This Summer
By 9.7.16
Remember four months ago, when everyone was cranky at the Transportation Security Administration because of epically long security screening lines at the nation’s airports? Now that the summer is over, the agency wants everyone to know that it drastically cut wait times in the last few months. [More]
FCC Chair On 5G Future: “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet.”
By 9.7.16
If you’re the wireless industry, you have to pay attention to the FCC. Everything it does determines everything you can do. So it’s not surprising that at the industry’s big annual event today, FCC chairman Tom Wheeler would take the stage for a keynote. And in that speech, he brought together a whole bunch of different FCC actions into one whole picture of what he hopes the communications future can be. [More]
Loan Discharges, Transferring Credits: What ITT Tech Students Need To Know
By 9.7.16
Nearly 40,000 now-former ITT Technical Institute students are now left picking up the pieces after the for-profit college operator abruptly closed all 130 of its campuses this week. The Department of Education wants to help those students to be aware of all options — and to avoid getting pulled in by shady offers that are too good to be true.
[More]
Now That ITT Tech Is Closed, What Options Do Students Have?
By 9.6.16
Nearly 40,000 students have been left in educational limbo following the sudden closure of all 130 ITT Tech campuses. What options are available to these stranded students who have invested their time and money in a shuttered school?
Lawyer: Employers Should Take Away Workers’ Right To Sue; Arbitrators “Know Where Their Bread & Butter Comes From”
By 9.6.16
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is currently working on rules to stop banks, credit card issuers, and others from forcing customers to sign away their right to a jury trial. Opponents claim that this change will only benefit trial lawyers, but some candid advice from one lawyer shows exactly why these protections are needed — and who really stands to benefit. [More]
Revised FCC Set-Top Box Proposal Inches Closer To Reality
By 9.6.16
Early this year, FCC chairman Tom Wheeler put forth a proposal: how about doing away with those set-top boxes you’re required to rent, for lots of money, in order to watch pay-TV? After all, it’s 2016, surely we can do better? Naturally, the suggestion became an instant political football. But after seven months of working it out, the rumor mill says a compromise is on its way. [More]
New York Launches Antitrust Investigation Into EpiPen Schools Program
By 9.6.16
Amid calls for drugmaker Mylan to drop the price of emergency allergy treatment EpiPen, the attorney general for the state of New York has launched an antitrust investigation into a program that helps to put EpiPens in schools, potentially to the detriment of competition. At the same time, U.S. lawmakers are pushing regulators for a federal antitrust probe on the program. [More]
Samsung Announces “Product Exchange Program” For Galaxy Note 7 — But Don’t Call It A Recall
By and 9.2.16
Despite confirming to media outlets earlier today that the Galaxy Note 7 would be “recalled” — implying that the company would soon go through official regulatory channels — Samsung has gone ahead and announced details of a “product exchange program” that is not, in actuality, an official recall. [More]
Makers Of E-Cigarettes And Pricey Cigars Want To Avoid FDA Approval And Regulation
By 9.2.16
Until earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration didn’t have authority to regulate some new or unusual smokeable products that have been growing in popularity, like premium cigars, hookah tobacco, vaping products, and e-cigarettes. However, the industries behind these products are fighting regulation with lobbyists, hoping to do away with the new rule. [More]
FDA Rules: You Can’t Sell “Anti-Bacterial” Hand Soap With Triclosan Anymore
By 9.2.16
After more than half a decade of various proposals, investigations, and dithering, the FDA today has announced that it’s changing the rules. 19 active ingredients in your hand soap — most notably including triclosan, until recently very common — are going to be heading off the market. [More]
Samsung Will Recall Galaxy Note 7 After Reports Of Battery Explosions, Fires (But Hasn’t Done It Yet)
By and 9.2.16
Entenmann’s Recalls Brownie Bites And Muffins Because Plastic Shards Are Not Tasty Treats
By 9.1.16
Tiny blueberries and chocolate chips are delicious additions to your baked goods, but tiny shards of plastic definitely are not. If you bought mini muffins or brownie bites made from bulk baker Entenmann’s in the last two weeks, check the packages: it might be part of a recall of items that could contain small plastic pieces. [More]
Explosion On Truck Carrying Takata Airbags Not Caused By Improper Shipping
By 8.31.16
On Aug. 22, a truck carrying potentially volatile airbags made by auto parts company Takata exploded, killing one person and injuring four others. Today, federal safety regulators said that the tragic incident could not be blamed on improper shipping. [More]
Diamond Macadamia Nuts Recalled For Possible Salmonella Contamination
By 8.31.16
Nuts are a delicious and filling snack and a tasty addition to a cookie, but they’re a lot less healthy when they come with a generous coating of Salmonella bacteria. That’s the case with macadamia nuts from Diamond, which have been recalled after routine testing turned up bacteria on a bag of nuts. [More]
For-Profit College Operator Sues Feds After Non-Profit Status Rejected
By 8.31.16
Earlier this month, the Department of Education denied non-profit status to a chain of for-profit career colleges, accusing the schools’ operators of trying to avoid accountability with the switch. This week, the Center for Excellence in Higher Education fired back, suing the Department, alleging the government has a political agenda of putting career schools out of business. [More]
IKEA Taking Its Time Providing Records Related To Massive Dresser Recall
By 8.30.16
Two months after IKEA and the Consumer Product Safety Commission took the unprecedented step in recalling 29 million top-heavy Malm and other models of dressers and chests linked to the deaths of six children, the retailer has missed a deadline to hand over documents related to the recall. [More]
