Earlier today — almost exactly a year after rejecting the merger of Time Warner Cable and Comcast — both the FCC and the Justice Department gave their blessing to the marriage of TWC and Charter. But what does that really mean for the millions of consumers who will be affected by the merger? [More]
Government Policy
Debt Collection Lawsuit Mill Hit With $2.5M Penalty
By 4.25.16
A New Jersey-based law firm that handed out hundreds of thousands of debt-collection lawsuits based on false or nonexistent information must — along with an associated debt buyer — pay $2.5 million in penalties to settle federal accusations that they were operating a lawsuit mill in violation of the law. [More]
Investigation Into Honda’s Inaccurate Death And Injury Reports Closed
By 4.25.16
Eighteen months and $70 million later, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has closed a probe into Honda’s failure to report over 1700 injuries and deaths over a period of 11 years without further penalties against the carmaker. [More]
NHTSA Shames Distracted Drivers With #JustDrive Twitter Hashtag
By 4.25.16
Distracted drivers aren’t just making phone calls or taking their eyes off the road to text. Many of them are going on Twitter while they should be concentrating on driving. Which is why the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is trying to shame them into putting their phones down. [More]
15 Types Of Frozen Vegetables Sold At Costco, Meijer Recalled Over Listeria Concerns
By 4.25.16
For the second time this month packages of frozen vegetables sold at national retailers has been recalled for possible listeria contamination. CRF Frozen Foods issued a recall of 15 frozen vegetable products sold at Costco and Meijer stores over the weekend. [More]
Federal & State Agencies Probing High Lead Levels In Cra-Z-Art Jewelry Kits
By 4.22.16
Under federal law, the acceptable level of lead that can be present in a product is capped at 100 parts per million. A recent investigation by the New York Attorney General’s office found 10 times that level of lead in certain children’s jewelry toys sold by national retailers like Target, Walmart, and Amazon, and now federal regulators have opened a probe into the crafts. [More]
U.S. Investigating Mitsubishi Over Falsified Fuel Mileage Data
By 4.22.16
Two days after Mitsubishi revealed that employees manipulated mileage test data for 620,000 vehicles sold in Japan since 2013, U.S. regulators have opened their own investigation into the carmaker to find out if the same shenanigans occurred stateside. [More]
3 Reasons Comcast’s Samsung App Is Not The Answer To Set-Top Box Reform
By 4.21.16
Yesterday, only weeks after the FCC voted to draft rules that would require pay-TV companies to open up the set-top box market to competitors, Comcast announced a deal with Samsung that will allow owners of certain TVs to access their cable TV without the need to pay for a cable box every month. The industry and its supporters are heralding the news as a clear demonstration that the FCC should just shut up and stop all its regulating, but the reports of the set-top box’s death are greatly exaggerated. [More]
Online Payday Lenders Could Be Worse Than Traditional Payday Lenders
By 4.20.16
The typical outsider’s view of payday lending involves seedy looking storefront shops in strip malls near pawn shops and bail bonds, so the idea of going to a short-term lender with a cleanly designed, professional website might seem more appealing (not to mention convenient). However, a new report finds that online payday loans may wreak more financial havoc than their bricks-and-mortar counterparts. [More]
6 Things We Learned About The IRS’s Fight Against Fraud And Identity Theft
By 4.19.16
Things are difficult for the IRS right now. For the last few years, people contacting the IRS have encountered lengthy phone hold times, and identity theft and refund fraud drain billions of dollars’ worth of tax refunds into the pockets of international criminals. The Government Accountability Office has the job of overseeing government agencies, including the IRS, and it released a new report today about its issues and possible ways to fix them. [More]
130,000 Polaris Off-Road Vehicles Recalled After 160 Reports Of Fires & One Death
By 4.19.16
After receiving 160 reports of fires that resulted in 19 burn injuries and the death of a 15-year-old passenger, Polaris announced Tuesday that it would recall 130,000 recreational off-highway vehicles. [More]
More Walgreens “Nice!” Brand Sliced Fruit Recalled For Possible Glass Shards
By 4.18.16
Only a few months after recalling Walgreens Nice! store-brand orange slices because shards of glass might have found their way into the jars, the company is recalling jars of Nice! peach slices and mixed fruit for the same reason. [More]
After Third Death Linked To Toppling Dressers, IKEA Expands “Repair Program”
By 4.18.16
Last July, following the deaths of two children crushed by falling IKEA dressers, the retailer and the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a “repair program” that involved little more than sending out wall anchors to affected customers. Now, in the wake of a third death, IKEA is expanding that program. [More]
More Than 1M Chevy, GMC Trucks Recalled Over Seatbelt Defect
By 4.15.16
Properly secured seatbelts can prevent someone from being thrown around a vehicle in the event of a crash, potentially saving their lives. That may not be the case for nearly a million General Motors pickup trucks, which contain seatbelts that may not actually hold the driver in a crash. [More]
British Airways, Lufthansa & Air France Fined For Treatment Of Disabled Passengers
By 4.15.16
Four months after the U.S. Department of Transportation fined United Airlines $2 million for violating rules protecting air travelers with disabilities, the agency is continuing to police the skies when it comes to disabled passengers. This time, levying fines against Lufthansa, British Airways, and Air France. [More]
FCC-Limiting, Net-Neutrality-Scuttling Bill Passes House
By 4.15.16
The House of Representatives passed a bill this morning that seeks to limit the FCC’s net neutrality authority and could limit the commission’s ability to investigate consumer complaints about unreasonable charges from and behavior by their ISPs. [More]
84 Million Airbags Could Be Added To Recall If Takata Can’t Prove Inflators Are Safe
By 4.15.16
More than 28 million Takata airbags have already been recalled after they were found to deploy with such force that pieces of shrapnel shoot at drivers and passengers. Regulators now say that figure could increase by 84 million airbags if the Japanese auto parts maker can’t prove other inflators are safe. [More]
Reminder: Today Is Not Tax Day
April 15, 2016
Before any of you wake up in a panic this morning, realizing it’s April 15 and you haven’t filed your annual tax return, remember that Tax Day is actually April 18 this year. That’s because Emancipation Day (April 16) falls on a Saturday this year. This holiday — recognized in Washington, D.C. — is being observed today, meaning the D.C.-based IRS office is closed for the day. So enjoy the extra few days, but remember that you’ll still have to file (at least an extension) after the weekend is done. [More]
