In the latest salvo in the war against wireless, media activist group Free Press last week proclaimed that “carriers are using…inflated early termination fees to lock millions into long-term contacts — and customers want out.” It then urged for the FCC to intervene to stop the practice. This would be a mistake. There are plenty of reasons why termination fees make sense for consumers. More importantly, consumers who don’t like them have plenty of choices. In fact, only days after the folks at Free Press released their statement, Internet giant …
There’s new evidence that General Motors and Chrysler, both owned partly by taxpayers, are still facing interference in the way they are run. The latest example comes not from the Obama Administration, but from Congress. At issue are the closures of over 2,000 dealerships announced by the two firms last summer. Despite much grumbling, the decisions appeared to be a non-political one, potentially saving as much as $2.5 billion annually according to the Washington Post. But politics did come in, in the form of congressional pressure to keep the dealerships …
As if the Administration’s stimulus program didn’t have enough problems, the Government Accountability Office has now issued a report raising concerns on the handling of $7.2 billion in broadband communications grants warning the programs “present risks of waste, fraud and abuse“. The agencies – the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service were charged with awarding grants to help build out broadband Internet infrastructure, such as bringing wireless broadband connectivity to 41 Minneapolis public housing high-rises. But the complete mapping data on where investment is …
