by: TALI ARBEL, AP Technology Writer
Posted:
May 19, 2021 / 05:55 PM EST
(AP) Indiana is among six states joining the Federal Trade Commission in suing Frontier Communications for not delivering the internet speeds it promised customers and charging them for better, more expensive service than they actually got.
In Indiana, Frontier provides internet in these communities: Brazil, Chesterton, Connersville, Elkhart, Fort Wayne, Garrett, Goshen, Hobart, La Porte, Lafayette, Logansport, Madison, Noblesville, Terre Haute and Valparaiso.
In its complaint, filed Wednesday in federal court in California, the FTC said thousands of Frontier customers have complained that the company was not delivering promised speeds. Customers said they couldn’t use the internet service for the online activities they should have been able to.
Vermont unemployment rate falls to 2.9 percent
The Vermont seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate fell again and at 2.9 percent in March is back under 3 percent for the first time since just before the pandemic hit in early 2020. The rate reflects a decrease of one-tenth of one percentage point from the prior month’s revised estimate of 3.0 percent. Vermont now is tied for the lowest rate in the nation with three Western states. There are still over 28,000 filing unemployment claims in Vermont. While this about a third the number of filers from the peak of the pandemic, it is still historically high. Ongoing claims typically would be under 6,000. The pandemic numbers also include new programs like the PUA, which in recent weeks has accounted for almost 9,000 claims.
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The Federal Trade Commission and six states are suing Frontier Communications for not delivering the internet speeds it promised customers and charging them for better, more expensive service than they actually got.
In its complaint, filed Wednesday in federal court in California, the FTC said thousands of Frontier customers have complained that the company was not delivering promised speeds. Customers said they couldn’t use the internet service for the online activities they should have been able to.
The complaint concerns what’s called DSL internet, an older type of network that’s sent over copper telephone wires. Phone and cable companies today build networks which can handle much faster speeds. The FTC says Frontier provides DSL service to 1.3 million customers in 25 states, mostly in rural areas. It has about 3 million internet customers overall.
Photo: triloks/Getty Images
MITRE this month proposed a comprehensive draft national strategy for digital health focusing on scaling healthcare services and addressing disparities in access.
Its strategic goals, aimed at revolutionizing the health and wellbeing of the public, are intended to level the playing field around access, technology and care for all people, as MITRE Chief Medical and Technology Officer Dr. Jay Schnitzer said in a press release. Digital health technologies such as telehealth certainly weren’t invented during COVID-19, but their potential to deliver care was most certainly tested and proven, said Schnitzer. At the same time, he added, The pandemic also laid bare the health inequities faced by many populations and amplified the risks of further exacerbating the digital divide.
Reintroduced Senate Bill May Boost Rural Broadband Investing
The goal is to provide state and local governments options in financing broadband projects, including the issuance of tax-exempt bonds, public-private partnerships, federal tax credits and bond payment assistance.
May 19, 2021 • (TNS) Local and regional broadband projects may get a boost from Washington based on a bipartisan effort led by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R- W.Va.
Capito and Sen. Maggie Hassan, D- N.H., on Tuesday reintroduced the Rural Broadband Financing Flexibility Act, which would help states, cities,and towns spur investment in rural broadband projects.
The goal is to provide state and local governments options relating to financing broadband projects, including the issuance of tax-exempt bonds, public-private partnerships, federal tax credits and federal bond payment assistance.