Governor Dunleavy Creates Task Force on Broadband
Tuesday PM (SitNews) Anchorage, Alaska - Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy last week signed Administrative Order No. 322 to establish the Governor’s Task Force on Broadband (Task Force) to address the growing need for reliable, high speed connectivity for all Alaskans.
“On the heels of a global pandemic, now more than ever do we see the critical role that the internet plays in nearly every part of life and the importance of good connectivity for every Alaskan.” said Governor Dunleavy.
Dunleavy said, “We have a large amount of federal pandemic relief funding coming to Alaska, with potentially more on the way if an infrastructure bill passes Congress, and there is a lot of discussion surrounding broadband. The Task Force on Broadband will convene the stakeholders involved in delivering and using broadband, particularly in rural Alaska, to identify the communities that need to be connected and upgraded
Provided $1.9 million of funding to IMC for the further advancement of the RapidSX technology for commercial deployment; including a $1-million tranche transferred on April 26, 2021Allocated funding for
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On May 3, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) interim final rule goes into effect. The rule requires debt collectors seeking to evict tenants for nonpayment of rent to provide written notice to tenants of their rights under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) order. Any comments on the rule must be submitted by May 7. For more information, click
On April 28, the CFPB issued a bulletin analyzing complaints submitted by consumers in counties nationwide. In 2019 and 2020, the CFPB received more complaints on a per-capita basis from consumers living in predominantly minority counties than from consumers in predominantly white, non-Hispanic counties. Consumers in counties with the highest percentage of minority population submitted complaints at over four times the rate compared to counties with the lowest percentage of minority population. For more information, click
Crew death, contract cancellations mark cruise industry restart
The most recent dash to resume luxury cruise sailings after a year-long shutdown triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic has already claimed the life of a crew member. Last week, Cruise Law News (CLN), an organization which provides legal help to victims of industry malpractice, reported a crew suicide on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL) Odyssey of the Seas on Tuesday evening.
Although details including the name of the worker have not been released, the article, citing anonymously submitted crew reports, claims that the employee was a man from India who jumped overboard. Cruisemapper.com, a cruise industry publication, has also reported the worker’s death as a suicide.
The agency announced new requirements for the cruise industry Wednesday
If a ship can prove it passes the threshold for vaccinated passengers and crew, it will be able to skip simulated voyages and move directly to open water sailing
The CDC also said it was reducing its timeline for responding to applications for simulated voyages from 60 days to five days
Simulated voyages are trial journeys for crew and port personnel to practice new COVID-19 operational procedures with volunteers
The CDC said it was committed to reopening the cruise industry for summer
Last week, Alaska joined Florida s lawsuit demanding cruise ships be allowed to resume sailing immediately