May 12, 2021
The Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) and Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum today announced a $1.6 million dollar False Claims Act settlement with a Sprint (now T-Mobile) subsidiary called Assurance Wireless, for overcharging the Oregon Lifeline program. This program, managed by the PUC, provides discounted voice and broadband service to qualifying low-income Oregonians paid for with federal and state subsidies.
In 2019, PUC staff launched an investigation of Sprint’s billing practices and discovered it had been systematically overcharging the Oregon Lifeline program for ineligible usage. PUC’s discovery eventually led to a nationwide investigation where the FCC recovered approximately $368 million for the federal Lifeline subsidy and issued a $200 million penalty. After securing an Oregon refund of $788,061 in December 2020, the PUC assisted Oregon DOJ’s civil enforcement team in securing an additional settlement payment of $859,451 under the Oregon F
Amendment to anti-doxxing bill would block release of some public employee info
Updated May 12, 2021;
Posted May 12, 2021
A committee in the Oregon Senate is considering a proposal that would limit the release of personal information about public employees.Oregonian file photo by Yuxing Zheng
Facebook Share
An anti-doxxing bill that passed the Oregon House with broad support could be amended in the Senate to shield public agencies from having to release certain personal information about their employees.
In its original form, House Bill 3047 would allow people to sue someone who released personal information about them on social media or in another public forum if they could prove the release was done with the intent to harass or cause harm. It passed the House 58-0 in April.
Here s
your daily roundup of all the latest local and national news. (Like our coverage? Please consider making a recurring contribution to the
Mercury to keep it comin !)
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Mayor Ted Wheeler has found time in his busy schedule of fretting about broken windows to release a proposed city budget for the coming year. But before you nod off to sleep, this shit is actually important and YOU can influence where this money goes (not to cops, right?). Our Alex Zielinski has done the heavy lifting of digging deep into the budget and deftly explaining it all to dummies like me. CHECK IT OUT!
by Wm. Steven Humphrey • Apr 30, 2021 at 8:50 am
We need your help. The economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis is threatening our ability to keep producing the quality reporting you ve come to love. If you’re able, please consider making a monthly contribution to the Mercury. Good morning. I m here to report that I am now officially in deep shit. Handout / Getty News
GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! Sending you forget me nots to help me to remember. Baby, please forget me not. I want you to remember. LET S GO TO PRESS.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Starting today, 15 Oregon counties move back to the extreme risk category due to a worrying spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. What does that mean for you? Our Blair Stenvick breaks it all down.
Apr 30, 2021
Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt and Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum announced a partnership between both offices to investigate the death of Robert Douglas Delgado.
Both District Attorney Schmidt and Attorney General Rosenblum recognize the importance of always maintaining actual and perceived prosecutorial legitimacy and fairness.
Attorney General Rosenblum will assign an Assistant Attorney General to work with two Multnomah County Deputy District Attorneys to oversee the criminal investigation being conducted. Additional resources from either the Oregon Department of Justice or the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office may be assigned to this investigation if deemed necessary and appropriate by either the Oregon Attorney General or Multnomah County District Attorney.