FTC Consumer Alert: AT&T Unlimited Data Customers Getting Refunds

AT&T Unlimited Data Customers Getting Refunds by Alvaro Puig, Consumer Education Specialist, FTC You might have heard that AT&T agreed to return $60 million to customers for allegedly reducing the data speed on their unlimited data plans without telling them.  In its 2014 complaint, the FTC said that AT&T's practice of data throttling – slowing down the data speed for unlimited customers who used large amounts of data – was unfair and deceptive.  It was unfair because AT&T promised unlimited data, but didn't give customers the data they paid for. And it was deceptive because AT&T didn't tell customers it was reducing their data speed, says the FTC. Read more  https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2019/11/att-unlimited-data-customers-getting-refunds?utm_source=govdelivery This is a free service provided by the Federal Trade Commission

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Additional details on settlement

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2019/11/att-pay-60-million-resolve-ftc-allegations-it-misled-consumers

FTC Summer Film Series: Unwanted calls to your mobile phone

Summer Film Series: Unwanted calls to your mobile phone by Megan Gordon, Intern, Division of Consumer & Business Education, FTC Ring, ring! The film series is back, this time with help to stop unwanted calls to your mobile phone. Unwanted calls are annoying. They interrupt your day, and many are meant to scam you. But what can you do about these calls? Today's video gives you some ways to stop unwanted calls on your mobile phone, so take a look. Read more https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2019/08/summer-film-series-unwanted-calls-your-mobile-phone?utm_campaign=unwanted-calls&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery  This is a free service provided by the Federal Trade Commission.

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https://youtu.be/NzYdsDb-_cY

FTC - Consumer Alerts: Are You Getting Unwanted Calls?

Are you getting unwanted calls? It could be scammers calling. Scammers can use the internet to make calls from all over the world. They don't care if you're on the National Do Not Call Registry. That's why your best defense against unwanted calls is call blocking. Learn how to block unwanted calls at ftc.gov/calls. Tired of robocalls? So are we. Find out what the FTC is doing to go after robocallers.

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This is a free service provided by the Federal Trade Commission.

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“No one wants it but the town doesn’t seem to care about that"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Plans for a new cell tower are causing a stir in Franklin. 

Homeowners near the proposed site of the 116-foot tower, on Edwards Street, say the project will hurt property values and pose a safety risk. They’re also accusing a town official of unethical behavior. 

“It’s going to be an eyesore. My house value is going to go down,” said Christine Maguire. “And even the thought of it possibly being a health hazard is bothersome to me.” 

Vertex Tower Assets, LLC, needed special permission from the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals to build in Maguire’s neighborhood, which is not zoned for the 116-foot tower. At a public hearing in early May, and over the protests of a few residents, according to meeting minutes, the board granted that approval."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/entertainment/20190614/cell-tower-angers-franklin-neighborhood

Where is the cell tower to be located?




With the Police Station so close, why couldn't the Town get the additional revenue?

"a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System and the Wireless Emergency Arts on Wednesday, Oct. 3" at 2:18 PM

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"The Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, and the Federal Communications Commission, FCC, will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System and the Wireless Emergency Arts on Wednesday, Oct. 3. 

The Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) portion of the test will be sent to virtually all consumer cellular phones in the U.S. beginning at 2:18 p.m. The Emergency Alert System (EAS) test will follow on all television and radio stations at 2:20 p.m. This is the first time the federal government has tested the WEA. 

The WEA test message will appear on mobile phones and will read, “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” Phones will display this national test using the header “Presidential Alert.” These nationwide alerts, established pursuant to the WARN Act of 2006, are meant for use in a national emergency and are the only type of alert that can be sent simultaneously nationwide by FEMA. Each phone should receive the message only once."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20181002/emergency-alert-system-to-be-tested-wednesday-afternoon

a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System and the
Wireless Emergency Arts on Wednesday, Oct. 3" at 2:18 PM

The FEMA fact sheet for the test Oct 3, 2:18 PM
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mY91JscTTqFIt2fSYickfot_qGFgql9Y/view?usp=sharing

"a groundbreaking victory for Americans’ privacy rights"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"The Supreme Court ruled Friday that police generally need a search warrant if they want to track criminal suspects’ movements by collecting information about where they’ve used their cellphones, bolstering privacy interests in the digital age. 

The justices’ 5-4 decision marks a big change in how police may obtain cellphone tower records, an important tool in criminal investigations. 

Chief Justice John Roberts, joined by the court’s four liberals, said cellphone location information “is detailed, encyclopedic and effortlessly compiled.” Roberts wrote that “an individual maintains a legitimate expectation of privacy in the record of his physical movements” as they are captured by cellphone towers. 

Roberts said the court’s decision is limited to cellphone tracking information and does not affect other business records, including those held by banks."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/zz/news/20180622/supreme-court-justices-adopt-digital-age-privacy-rules-to-track-cellphones

You can read the full Supreme Court decision here
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/17pdf/16-402_h315.pdf

https://www.supremecourt.gov/

Franklin Public Schools: Schools are in session but .... Operations of Systems in Our School Buildings

Friday, March 9, 2018  9:00 AM Update

Dear Franklin Families, Faculty, and Staff,

It has been a busy morning so far and we are writing this message to convey accurate information regarding our systems operations in the early morning hours.

While power was restored broadly to our schools, we have been experiencing some problems with our systems. We have assessed across all buildings and feel we are able to operate normally with a few "workarounds".

Key Fobs

Key fobs are not working for our entry doors but door keys do work.  The buildings remain locked, however people in the building are able to get out.  Secretaries are able to buzz in visitors and check them per security protocols.

Internet

We experienced brief Internet outages early in the morning at some schools but all schools currently have Internet connections.

Heat

The heat was on in most buildings but a computer failure took the heat offline at Keller/Sullivan. The system was reset and heat came back online at 8:10 AM.  The heat at Horace Mann/Oak/ECDC is on but one boiler is not functioning properly. The contractors are currently working on it.

Phones

Our phone lines are experiencing problems across all schools.  Incoming calls are being directed to a "Town Offices" line here at the municipal building.  This line is being monitored and we are relaying the messages to the schools. If you need to reach the school, an alternative is to email the school secretary.

We are having difficulty making outgoing phone calls at ECDC/Oak St./HMMS and Keller/Sullivan.  Our workaround for emergency purposes is to use cell phone calls and/or text messaging. We will also have additional police and administrative presence at these locations for assistance.

Our communications vendor is currently working to repair the phone system.

We will continue to keep you apprised about conditions throughout the day.

Regards,

Franklin Public Schools

Franklin Public Schools: Schools are in session but .... Operations of Systems in Our School Buildings

MA Consumer Affairs has a 4 Part Series on "A Consumer Guide to Landline Telephone Service"

The MA Consumer Affairs blog has a four part series on "How Do You Connect? A Consumer Guide to Landline Telephone Service"

From Part 1

"When buying landline telephone service for your home, you should be aware of several issues, including technological changes impacting the communications network, and ask questions to make sure you are getting the type of telephone service that best meets your needs. 

Telephone calls are generally categorized as:

• Local: Calls made within your immediate area as determined by the exchanges (area codes) in the calling plan and the service provider you choose. It is possible that calls in your own municipality may not be considered local. Be sure to ask or request a list of the exchanges that are part of your local calling plan;
• Regional: Calls made outside the “local” calling area; and
• Long Distance: Calls generally made out-of-state.

Always contact your service provider of choice to inquire about their service offerings and available calling plans. You can choose one provider for all your calling needs, or you can select different providers for different types of calls. 

Federal Law allows you to keep your current phone number when you change providers as long as you remain within the local exchange. When switching providers be sure to tell your provider you want to keep your existing phone number."

Continue reading part 1
http://blog.mass.gov/consumer/massconsumer/how-do-you-connect-a-consumer-guide-to-landline-telephone-service-part-1-overview/

Part 2
http://blog.mass.gov/consumer/massconsumer/how-do-you-connect-a-consumer-guide-to-landline-telephone-service-part-2-billing/

Part 3
http://blog.mass.gov/consumer/massconsumer/how-do-you-connect-a-consumer-guide-to-landline-telephone-service-part-3-bundled-services/

Part 4
http://blog.mass.gov/consumer/massconsumer/how-do-you-connect-a-consumer-guide-to-landline-telephone-service-part-4-slamming-and-cramming/

How Do You Connect? A Consumer Guide to Landline Telephone Service: Part 1—Overview (image from MA Consumer Affairs article)

Partial cell phone survey results

My thanks to the 41 folks who replied to the cell phone survey we started here yesterday before switching to the http://sensorly.com/ site. This is what we captured before we switched:



Many thanks for the quick and detailed responses. Sensorly will be a better place to aggregate our answers. I could not have replicated the maps that they provide.

A better cell phone service map

Instead of compiling the data on cell phone coverage in our spreadsheet, another loyal reader points us to sensorly.com/

The various carrier services are mapped out so it helps to see where the coverage is in relationship to where your residence is.

Verizon 4G for 02038, 12/3/12 6:00 PM

This screen shot above depicts the Verizon 4G coverage for 02038.

I'll suspend the spreadsheet we started earlier today and recommend that all who want to participate use this instead. It is so much better!

Go to sensorly.com!

Cell phone service survey

Prompted by a conversation among Franklin residents on Facebook, this survey will attempt to gather some data on the quality of cell phone service here in Franklin, MA. Please fill in the survey and share with your Franklin friends and neighbors. The more responses we get, the better the data will be to tell our story to the cell phone companies.

Updated 12/3/12 6:00 PM

The survey here has been suspended. A loyal reader found a better site to use.
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/12/a-better-cell-phone-service-map.html



Thank you for submitting your info, please share with your Franklin friends and neighbors!

In the News - rail trail, state growth, cell phones

Upper Charles River Trail in Milford reopens with cleanup nearly done

by Brian Benson/Daily News staff

Report: State growth lags behind nation

by Bob Salsberg/Associated Press

Partial ban on driving with cellphones passes committee

by Mounira Al Hmoud/Daily News correspondent

In the News - FHS cell phones

You can read a follow up article on the School Committee meeting of Tuesday August 11th in the Milford Daily News. Even with this new policy on cell phone usage, one problem remains with poor cell phone coverage; apparently only ATT provides decent coverage within the high school building complex. Verizon's team hasn't shown up in the full strength it shows in most advertisements.

Limited cell phone use OK'd in Franklin High handbook

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Angel Roy/Daily News staff

The whole meeting was reported live here

Are you registered on the Do Not Call listing?

If you haven't registered yet, Massachusetts residents can use this online form to register. It takes less than a minute to provide the required information.

You can also check to see if your phone # is already registered.

Remember that this will help reduce unwanted phone calls, no one can guarantee stopping all of them.

Industry: CPDocks - compact cell phone charger

In our continuing series on the companies who do business here in Franklin, we find this press release:

New Plug-in-Shelf Portable Cell Phone Charging Station Eliminates Cell Phone Clutter

The clutter from cell phones and cell phone charger cords is increasing due to the growing number of cell phone users in the home. The CP Docks brand of cell phone charging stations introduces a new portable unit, the Plug-in-Shelf. It joins the EZ Mount home organizer model introduced last year at www.cpdocks.com. The Plug-in-Shelf Cell Phone Charging Station is a convenient new cell phone accessory that simply plugs into any electrical outlet. When you travel, just unplug and go!

Franklin, MA (PRWEB) December 16, 2008 -- CP Docks introduces its latest cell phone charging station, the new, portable Plug-in-Shelf model, a product that eliminates the tangle of cell phone charger cord clutter from counters and tables. When you need to travel, simply unplug the unit and take your charger and charging station with you!

The Plug-in-Shelf cell phone accessory is a clever problem solver that allows cell phones, chargers and cords to be placed on a small convenient station that plugs into any electrical outlet in your home. The unit consists of a shelf for the phone, a cord holder to hide the charging cord and a unique plug adapter to plug in your existing charger. There is no need to store the charger when not in use since it can always stay with the charging station, even when you travel.

Manufactured from durable plastic with a skid-free pad to hold the phone or PDA, the Plug-in-Shelf plugs into any outlet and keeps your charger and cell phone in one place. No storing and looking for your charger and best of all, no more messy charger cords laying on your kitchen counter! The Plug-in-Shelf is $12.95 and available at www.cpdocks.com. with free first class shipping.

Professional home organizers have discovered the CP Docks cell phone chargers. Geralin Thomas, a professional organizer from North Carolina, recently learned about the units and put them in her own home.

My kitchen counter space had disappeared with the mess of cell phone cords from my husband and my two teenagers. It seemed I was always pushing them out of the way ... the EZ Mount solved my problems -- and the kids can finally find their car keys!

I am a contractor who can get a call in the middle of the night. I keep my EZ Mount next to my bed. The phone acts as a night light while charging and it is handy if I get a late night call. A great product!

"Recently, I discovered the Plug-in-shelf and I'm impressed! It's a gizmo that requires no learning curve, no batteries and best of all, it is inexpensive. This product actually conquers and cures countertop-cord-confusion. Clients love them. Professional Organizers love them. Geeks love them. Families love them. I appreciate the way one intelligently designed little thing can change the entire landscape of a room. If your counter tops are covered with cords from iPods, mobile phones, digital cameras, computer cables, etc. I suggest the Plug-in-Shelf or EZ Mount Cell Phone Charging Stations."--Geralin Thomas, Metropolitan Organizing, www.metropolitanorganizing.com

The benefits of the Plug-in-Shelf charging station include:

• A permanent location for your cell phone and charger.
• Uses your existing cell phone charger.
• No more need to store your charger when not in use.
• No more looking for your charger when you need to charge your phone.
• Your cell phone is always charged and ready to use.
• Keeps your tables and counters clear of messy charging cords.
• Protects your phone from spills and damage.
• It makes the perfect holiday gift.

Many other customers have discovered the benefits of the CP Docks line of cell phone charging stations.

"My kitchen counter space had disappeared with the mess of cell phone cords from my husband and my two teenagers. It seemed I was always pushing them out of the way ... the EZ Mount solved my problems -- and the kids can finally find their car keys!" -- Carol, MN

"The Plug-in-Shelf works great for me. I am getting an extra one for my fiancb-Wendy, MI

"I am a contractor who can get a call in the middle of the night. I keep my EZ Mount next to my bed. The phone acts as a night light while charging and it is handy if I get a late night call. A great product!" -- Dennis, MA

"I love it! It would be a great idea for a gift." -- Nancy, NH

The portable Plug-in-Shelf, along with the EZ Mount Charging Station, which features a built-in key hook, is now available online at www.cpdocks.com. You now have two great solutions to keep your home organized and clear of the tangle of cell phone charging cords.

Sunshine Week

While many public officials are hesitant to share information about what the government is doing, what many Americans don't realize is that the business of public officials is highly accessible, especially when it comes to how taxpayers' dollars are spent.

To raise such awareness, the Daily News is participating in Sunshine Week, an annual project aimed at creating awareness about freedom of information and government secrecy.

A Daily News reporter hand-delivered written public record requests to several Milford and MetroWest town officials last month, asking for each one's three most recent town-issued cell phone bills.

How did Franklin fare?

Franklin Police Chief Stephen Williams also refused to provide complete bills.

Franklin Town Attorney Mark Cerel wrote a letter on Williams' behalf, explaining he would provide general billings, but not an itemized record.

"Public safety and security and personal privacy interests preclude making any of the records available," wrote Cerel. "There is a significant risk that he would inadvertently disclose an exempt telephone number in reviewing a high volume of calls, thereby creating a public safety and/or security risk or a personal privacy violation."

The town later provided general billings of all townwide-issued cell phones, which includes Williams' phone, free of charge. Franklin pays about $3,000 each month for all town employees' cell phones.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here.

This is a nice attempt to participate in "sunshine week". Rather than make an issue on the phone numbers themselves, I'd have preferred an analysis of the kinds of coverage the phones have.

Do they have basic phone service or a higher level of service?

Then you could have a discussion on what level of phone service is appropriate by department for a local community to provide.