News release: “The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took steps to protect Americans from difficult-to-detect fraudulent charges on their landline phone bills. The new rules combat cramming, the illegal placement of unauthorized charges on a consumers monthly phone bill. The Commission also asked for comment on additional ways consumers can protect themselves against this troubling activity.… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: April 2012
Testimony – Federal Support for State and Local Governments Through the Tax Code
Federal Support for State and Local Governments Through the Tax Code – Frank Sammartino – Assistant Director for Tax Analysis Before the Committee on Finance United State Senate, April 25, 2012 “The federal government provides financial support to state and local governments in a variety of ways. The largest amount comes to state and local… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – Economic Development, FEMA, Federal Protective Service, Financial Literacy, Nuclear Security Enterprise, Private Health Insurance
Economic Development – Community Development Financial Institutions and New Markets Tax Credit Programs in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Areas – GAO-12-547R, Apr 26, 2012 Federal Emergency Management Agency – Workforce Planning and Training Could Be Enhanced by Incorporating Strategic Management Principles, GAO-12-487, Apr 26, 2012 Federal Protective Service, Better Data on Facility Jurisdictions Needed to Enhance… Continue Reading
New Internet Security Report Highlights Vulernability of HTTPS Websites
Computer World: “Ninety percent of the Internet’s top 200,000 HTTPS-enabled websites are vulnerable to known types of SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) attack, according to a report released Thursday by the Trustworthy Internet Movement (TIM), a nonprofit organization dedicated to solving Internet security, privacy and reliability problems. The report is based on data from a new… Continue Reading
Pew Presentation – News in a networked world
“At the International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Italy, Lee Rainie will discuss the Projects latest findings about how people use the internet, smartphones, and social media tools to get news, share news, and create news. He will describe how the very definition of news is expanding in the age of me media. He will discuss… Continue Reading
Study – The Evolution of Treasury Cash Management during the Financial Crisis
“A new study from the New York Fed, The Evolution of Treasury Cash Management during the Financial Crisis, reveals how the U.S. Treasury altered its cash management practices during the 2008-09 financial crisis to facilitate the Federal Reserves expansion of credit to banks, primary dealers, and foreign central banks. Author Paul Santoro argues that this… Continue Reading
CRS – Requiring Individuals to Obtain Health Insurance: A Constitutional Analysis
Requiring Individuals to Obtain Health Insurance: A Constitutional Analysis, April 6, 2012 “As part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), P.L. 111-148, as amended, Congress enacted a minimum coverage provision, which compels certain individuals to have a minimum level of health insurance (i.e., an individual mandate). Individuals who fail to do so… Continue Reading
UK Study – ICO report finds many people becoming a 'soft touch' for online fraudsters
News release: “The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) is urging consumers to take better care of their data, following an investigation into the trade in used hard drives. The ICO has published new guidance to help individuals securely delete personal information from their old devices. An investigation by the ICO found that one in ten second-hand… Continue Reading
Pew – The Future of Money in a Mobile Age
The Future of Money in a Mobile Age by Aaron Smith, Janna Anderson, Lee Rainie – Apr 17, 2012 “Within the next decade, smart-device swiping will have gained mainstream acceptance as a method of payment and could largely replace cash and credit cards for most online and in-store purchases by smartphone and tablet owners, according… Continue Reading
Pew Presentation: Public libraries in the digital age
Public libraries in the digital age by Mary Madden, Kathryn Zickuhr, Apr 25, 2012 at Chief Officers of State Library Agencies: “They presented findings on the rise of e-reading, including reading-device ownership and the general reading habits/preferences of Americans. Their presentation included libraries research fact sheets: Fact sheet: The Rise of E-Reading Fact sheet on… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports: Agency Operations, Aviation Safety, Medicaid, Missile Defense, PTO, USPS
Agency Operations – Agencies Must Continue to Comply with Fiscal Laws Despite the Possibility of Sequestration, GAO-12-675T, Apr 25, 2012 Aviation Safety – FAA Is Taking Steps to Improve Data, but Challenges for Managing Safety Risks Remain, GAO-12-660T, Apr 25, 2012 Medicaid – Federal Oversight of Payments and Program Integrity Needs Improvement, GAO-12-674T, Apr 25,… Continue Reading
BIS – Preliminary international banking statistics at end-December 2012
Preliminary international banking statistics at end-December 2011 April 2012 “Data at end-December 2011 are preliminary and subject to change. Data are available via the BIS WebStats interactive query tool, in PDF format and CSV files on the BIS website (locational and consolidated banking statistics), and in a single PDF file (detailed annex tables, 114 pages).… Continue Reading
