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Daily Archives: October 14, 2010

FCC Proposes Rules to Help Mobile Phone Users Avoid "Bill Shock"

News release: “The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed new rules that would require mobile service providers to provide usage alerts and related information that will assist consumers in avoiding unexpected charges on their bills. The proposed rules would empower consumers with simple alerts and easy-to-find tools and information so they can make smart decisions about their mobile plans. The record thus far indicates that mobile “bill shock” — an unexpected increase in the monthly mobile bill — is a growing challenge for the surveyed consumers, and that current tools could be improved. According to an April-May 2010 FCC survey, 30 million Americans — one in six mobile users — have experienced bill shock. More than half those consumers saw an increase of $50 or more, but many were not alerted by their provider before they incurred the charges. The tools in place to eliminate bill shock vary widely between service providers and type of service, and can be difficult to find. Most of the alerts that are offered do not cover all services or are not sent before the overage charges are incurred.”

Big Oil Goes to College An Analysis of 10 Research Collaboration Contracts Between Leading Energy Companies and Major U.S. Universities

Big Oil Goes to College – An Analysis of 10 Research Collaboration Contracts between Leading Energy Companies and Major U.S. Universities, Jennifer Washburn, Center for American Progress, October 2010 “The world’s largest oil companies are showing surprising interest in financing alternative energy research at U.S. universities. Over the past decade, five of the world’s top… Continue Reading

Congressional Oversight Panel Report – Examining Treasury’s Use of Financial Crisis Contracting Authority

“The Congressional Oversight Panel’s October oversight report, Examining Treasury’s Use of Financial Crisis Contracting Authority, found that Treasury’s extensive use of private contractors in Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) programs creates significant concerns about transparency and potential conflicts of interest. Although Treasury has taken considerable steps to ensure the appropriate use of private contractors, further… Continue Reading

Fulbright's 7th Annual Litigation Trends Survey Report

Fulbright’s 7th Annual Litigation Trends Survey Report AmLawDaily: “Fulbright’s 2010 report is based on survey responses from 275 U.S. and 128 U.K. in-house lawyers, the majority of whom were general counsel at companies with revenues north of $100 million in the last fiscal year. Ninety-three percent of U.S. respondents and 97 percent of U.K. respondents… Continue Reading

Treasury Releases Two-Year Retrospective Report on the Troubled Asset Relief Program

News release: “On the heels of the recent expiration of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) on October 3, the U.S. Department of the Treasury today announced the release of a Two-year Retrospective report on TARP. The report provides a comprehensive overview of the steps that Treasury took under TARP to contain a growing financial… Continue Reading

BLS: Producer Price Index – September 2010

News release: “The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods increased 0.4 percent in September, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This advance followed a 0.4- percent rise in August and a 0.2-percent increase in July. At the earlier stages of processing, prices received by manufacturers of intermediate goods moved up 0.5… Continue Reading

EPA: Siting Renewable Energy on Potentially Contaminated Land and Mine Sites

News release: “As part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) RE-Powering America’s Land initiative, the agency has developed a two-year draft management plan to advance the development of renewable energy on potentially contaminated land and mining sites. The draft plan describes activities EPA can take to build upon the progress that the initiative has… Continue Reading

International Petroleum Monthly – September 2010

International Petroleum Monthly – September 2010 — Oct 13, 2010: “The International Petroleum Monthly (IPM) is the Energy Information Administration’s primary report of recent international petroleum (oil) statistics. This report includes world petroleum production statistics through July 2010. The IPM also includes statistics for petroleum demand, stocks, and imports for the Organization for Economic Cooperation… Continue Reading

New FOIA Documents Reveal DHS Social Media Monitoring During Obama Inauguration

EFF: “As noted in our first post, EFF recently received new documents via our FOIA lawsuit on social network surveillance, filed with the help of UC Berkeley’s Samuelson Clinic, that reveal two ways the government has been tracking people online: Citizenship and Immigration’s surveillance of social networks to investigate citizenship petitions and the DHS’s use… Continue Reading