Communications media internet

FCC Releases Proposed Privacy Protections for Broadband CustomersOn April 1, the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) seeking comment on a proposal to apply “the traditional privacy requirements of the Communications Act to the most significant communications technology of today: broadband Internet access service.” Specifically, in the NPRM, the FCC proposes a regulatory framework for the data security and privacy practices of Internet Service Providers (ISPs), stating that broadband consumers “must be able to protect their privacy” and that “ISPs are the most important and extensive conduits of consumer information.” … [Read more...] about House Communications Subcommittee to Examine Seven Communications Bills

In line with these concerns, a Southern California hospital was the target of a recent denial of service attack executed against the hospital’s computer system, which was held hostage for 10 days resulting in the hospital paying the hackers $17,000 in bitcoin to provide an encryption key. This attack, if taken further, could potentially have led to critical patient care services being compromised. Examples include patient medical records possibly being altered or devices such as infusion pumps, which deliver chemotherapy medication, becoming vulnerable to dosage manipulations. According to a security consultant, there were a number of such attacks last year against health care facilities, and many more go unreported. … [Read more...] about The Internet of Things: The Cyber Vulnerability Landscape Emerges

SiliconBeat (the “tech blog” of the San Jose Mercury News), theLos Angeles Times, USA Today, and other publications are all reporting that while apparently not a direct party to the negotiations between Loop and the union, Facebook has now “approved” the collective bargaining agreement, which it had to do before the contract could go into effect. In fact, Loop and Local 853 announced in their joint press release, “The contract, which workers overwhelmingly voted to ratify, went to Facebook for its agreement as Loop’s paying client before implementation.” Such economic realities are the type of consideration that the NLRB’s General Counsel has been urging the Board to look at in deciding whether a joint-employer relationship exists. … [Read more...] about High Tech and New Media: Organized Labor’s New Frontier

While VICE’s management’ statement this past Friday concerning the Guild’s campaign and demand for recognition left some room for doubt as to whether VICE would recognize the union without an election,  they announced today that they would grant recognition without a vote. … [Read more...] about Vice Editorial Staff to be Represented by Writers Guild – Unions Continue New Media Push

Earlier this month, in the waning moments of the Obama Administration, the U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (the “Access Board”) took the long-anticipated step of requiring websites of federal government agencies to comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (“WCAG”) 2.0 Levels A and AA.  (The Access Board was established in 1973 to develop and maintain standards for accessible design in the built environment, transit vehicles and systems, telecommunications equipment and electronic and information technology.) … [Read more...] about U.S. Access Board Releases Information and Communication Technology Standards and Guidelines