NPR discusses what's at stake in the latest court battle over net neutrality, in which the D.C. Circuit heard argument Friday. Last Feburary, the FCC redefined its role in regulating the internet; this lawsuit is the telecom companies' challenge to the FCC's action. For our discussion of the last D.C. Circuit decision on net neutrality, go here.
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An excellent story about the intersection of race and financial insecurity, and the ripple effects of widespread debt collection focused in a single community. Click here for the story (or the entire hour episode from last week, on various subjects, is great listening if you have the time).
The decision in Quesada v. Herb Thyme Farms is here. Here's a brief excerpt from the beginning of the opinion that sets the scene and summarizes the holding: To buyers and sellers alike "labels matter." (Kwikset Corp. v. Superior Court (2011) 51 Cal.4th 310, 328.) They serve as markers for a host of tangible and […]
That's the name of this article by veteran LA Times columnist Michael Hiltzik. Here's how it starts: With the traditional attack points on the Affordable Care Act having faded away–most enrollees were already insured (wrong), millions of people lost their coverage and couldn't replace it (wrong), etc.–Obamacare's critics have been looking for new ones. An […]
By Paul Krugman: here.
Earlier this fall, we flagged the federal criminal trial of Massey Energy's former CEO Don Blankenship as an important test of corporate accountability. Blankenship was accused of skimping on mine worker safety and thereby contributing to the 29 deaths that occurred in the 2010 explosion of the Upper Big Branch mine. Yesterday, a jury found […]
…in this week's Post, is the story of a drugmaker choosing profits over accessibility in pricing a Hepatitis C drug. "Gilead Sciences executives were acutely aware in 2013 that their plan to charge an exorbitantly high price for a powerful new hepatitis C drug would spark public outrage, but they pursued the profit-driven strategy anyway," […]
A report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released yesterday details how the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act (CARD Act) has helped reduce the cost of “gotcha” credit card fees by more than $16 billion. "Since the reform law, total costs to consumers have fallen with the elimination of certain back-end pricing practices […]
A county electoral board member in Prince William County, Virginia (25 miles south of D.C.) was concerned that allowing electronic signatures to be used in requesting absentee ballots could lead to fraud. To test that theory, the Post reports, the official, "recruited four friends — while the county’s registrar was away — to inspect 151 absentee […]
In 2004, an ISP called Calyx Internet Access in New York received a National Security Letter (NSL), a broad government tool for demanding information without judicial approval. In addition to demanding information, the NSL imposed a broad and indefinite gag order on Calyx and its president, Nick Merrill. They remained "John Doe" litigants through years of […]