FCC Looks to End Cable Box Rentals
Washington — Federal regulators Thursday put the metal boxes most Americans rent to receive cable or satellite programming at the center of a high-stakes fight over the future of TV and video. The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 along party lines to begin crafting rules intended to spur competition in the set-top-box market by developing technology standards so third-party devices and apps could decode pay-TV signals. Such...
Schedule Rules Prove Difficult to Implement
San Francisco — San Francisco, the country’s premier laboratory for new Internet services, is also used to innovating in municipal regulation. But in its latest experiment, it’s starting to find that legislating good corporate behavior isn’t as easy as pressing a button on your smartphone. In July, the city started implementing a first-in-the-nation law aimed at curtailing the trend toward “just-in-time” scheduling, where managers...
U.S. House Votes to Repeal Country-of-Origin Labeling Law for Meats
Washington — The U.S. House of Representatives voted last week to repeal country of origin labeling laws meant to allow consumers to know where animals in beef, poultry and pork products were born, raised and slaughtered. The rules led to protests to the World Trade Organization from Canada and Mexico, which feared discrimination. The meat packing industry also opposed the rules, saying they imposed expensive, unnecessary...
Net Neutrality Rules Quietly Go Into Effect
Washington — With a simple declaration on its website, the Federal Communications Commission launched a new era of Internet oversight by touting that its tough regulations for online traffic were now in place. The so-called net neutrality rules, designed to ensure the free flow of Internet data, took effect Friday after federal judges declined for now to stop them. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said that, starting Friday, “there will be a...
Startups Want in on Drone Industry
Miami — Step inside Animusoft’s offices, and you’ll see drones everywhere — large ones, little ones, drones that inspect, drones that pick fruit, and a few just for fun. Some are half-built; 3-D printers are working 24/7 to create new parts. You might think this is a drone manufacturer, but you’d be wrong. Animusoft is a Miami-area startup creating an operating system for drone and robot makers. Think Android for robotics — a software...
