In the future, instead of throwing away plastic packaging and film covering our food, we might just eat it. Researchers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture are working on a few alternatives to plastic wrap, including an edible film that’s also biodegradable. [More]
Government Policy
SuperValu, Key Foods, Better Valu Frozen Corn Recalled For Possible Listeria Contamination
By 8.22.16
Did you think that you were safe from listeria-laden frozen vegetables simply because we haven’t shared news of any in a few months? Not so fast, person who enjoys vegetables! Here’s yet another recall, this one for veggies sold at SuperValu, Key Food, and Better Valu stores under private-label brands. The product in question is frozen cut corn. [More]
SEC Fines California Health Insurer $340,000 For Breaking Whistleblower Protection Laws
By 8.19.16
When a business is doing something shady and illegal, often the best-placed people to know about it are the employees who are supposed to carry it out. That’s why there are laws in place to protect whistle-blowers who report their employers to the appropriate authorities… and breaking those laws can sometimes land a company in as much trouble as doing the thing an employee would report them for to begin with. [More]
FCC’s Robocall Strike Force Kicks Into Action Today
By 8.19.16
Last month, after FCC Chair Tom Wheeler called on the telecom industry to finally do something about the nuisance of pre-recorded, auto-dialed robocalls, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson agreed to head up a joint private-public Robocall Strike Force tasked with actually doing something about these calls. Today, this elite squad of telephonic titans is meeting for the first time. [More]
Harley-Davidson To Pay $15M To Resolve Creation Of “Super Tuners” That Violate Emission Standards
By 8.18.16
Turns out that the use of so-called “defeat devices” to cheat federal emissions standards isn’t just relegated to four-wheeled vehicles made by Volkswagen. Harley-Davidson today agreed to settle charges it violated the Clean Air Act by paying $15 million, as well as buying back and destroying nearly 340,000 “super tuners” that emit higher amounts of certain air pollutants than what the company certified to EPA. [More]
9-In-10 Big Banks Strip Customers Of Their Right To Jury Trial
By 8.17.16
If you ask someone on the street if they should have the right to sue their bank over something like an illegal overdraft fee, nearly everyone you speak to will invariably say yes. But a new report confirms that nearly all big banks are forcing customers to give up their right to a jury trial. [More]
Mitsubishi Recalls 45K Outlander Sports Over Fire Concerns
By 8.16.16
Generally speaking you don’t want your vehicle to leak in any way: gas, oil, or any other fluid. For that reason, Mitsubishi is recalling more than 45,000 vehicles that may leak transmission fluid, increasing the risk of a fire. [More]
The FDA Doesn’t Actually Have The Power To Recall Cosmetics That Harm People
By 8.15.16
Last month, the Food and Drug Administration announced that it would be investigating claims from consumers that the “cleansing conditioner” Wen, purportedly developed by celebrity hairstylist Chaz Dean, had caused scalp irritation and even made some users’ hair fall out. The FDA looked into the situation after receiving 127 complaints about the product, but didn’t know that the marketer, Proactiv maker Guthy-Renker, had received more than 21,000 complaints about the product that it wasn’t obligated to report to the FDA. [More]
5 Brands Of Curry Powder Recalled Because Of Lead-Contaminated Turmeric
By 8.15.16
Since turmeric is a key ingredient in curry powder, it was inevitable that the recall of some brands of turmeric for lead contamination would eventually lead to the recall of some curry powder. So far, one company whose powder is sold under five different brands has announced a recall. [More]
What You Need To Know About New Rules Allowing Debt Collection Robocalls From Feds
By 8.11.16
If you ask any American to name the things they love the most, they are sure to reply, “debt collectors, intrusive pre-recorded phone calls, and the federal government!” So today — under orders to do so from a piece of rushed, tacked-on legislation — the Federal Communications Commission released its final rules allowing the federal government and some of its contractors to make debt-collection robocalls to wireless lines. [More]
Feds: For-Profit College Chain Can’t Switch To Non-Profit To Avoid Accountability
By 8.11.16
The Department of Education has denied non-profit status to a chain of for-profit career colleges, accusing the schools’ operators of trying to avoid accountability.
[More]
Why Are There So Many Foods With Metal Pieces All Of A Sudden?
By 8.10.16
People who pay close attention to food recalls may have noticed a recent increase in reports of food products that have been recalled because there are metal pieces in them. Are they linked? Should we run magnets through all of our food just to be sure? The answers are “maybe,” and “no.” [More]
NHTSA Taking A Road Trip To Remind Motorists To Fix Recalled Vehicles
By 8.10.16
If you don’t remember to get your recalled vehicle fixed, what if some kindly bureaucrats came to the lot where you’re parked to remind you? That’s what employees of the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and some auto manufacturers are doing this week. They’re on a tour that’s like a political campaign, but not asking people to vote: they’re asking motorists to repair their vehicles and install their child safety seats correctly. [More]
Appeals Court: Municipal Internet Is Great, But States Can Still Restrict Access
By 8.10.16 — Updated: 1.25.17
More than a dozen states have laws that either prohibit counties and cities from operating their own broadband internet networks, selling service directly to consumers, or expanding their service behind a prescribed footprint. In 2015, the FCC voted to preempt two of these laws — in Tennessee and North Carolina — but this morning a federal appeals court says the FCC lacks the legal authority to do so. [More]
Fiat Chrysler Recalls 550K Vehicles Over Gear Shifter
By 8.10.16
Six months after Fiat Chrysler first recalled 811,586 vehicles equipped with a confusing gear shifter that has been linked to one death, 68 injuries, and hundreds of crashes, the carmaker has issued a similar recall for 505,000 vehicles that are equipped with another version of the automatic transmission shifter. [More]
Government Warns VW Sellers: Don’t Mislead Diesel Owners About Buyback Program
By 8.9.16
As part of a $15 billion settlement with the federal government, Volkswagen agreed to buy back hundreds of thousands of vehicles equipped with emissions-cheating “defeat devices.” While the lure of receiving more than the current value of their vehicle is presumably high for customers who feel duped by VW, federal regulators want to ensure these consumers receive what they’re entitled to through the settlement. [More]
FCC, Historic Preservation Groups Agree To Speed Up This Whole 5G Deployment Thing
By 8.9.16
For an agency that telecom companies like to lambaste as old-fashioned, out-of-touch, and wedded to the past, the FCC sure is speeding up full-tilt into the future. To wit: the Commission is streamlining a bunch of regulations to make it as easy as possible to build 5G networks as fast as possible. [More]
Local Governments Say AT&T, Verizon Aren’t Paying 911 Fees
By 8.9.16
In much of the country, local 911 call centers are funded from mandatory fees of around $1/line placed on phone bills. However, recently filed lawsuits allege that AT&T, Verizon and others are slashing the 911 fees they charge business customers, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars uncollected. [More]
