Nationwide emergency, wireless alert system tests Wednesday

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission, will conduct a nationwide test of the Wireless Emergency Alerts and Emergency Alert Systems Wednesday, Oct. 3. The WEA portion of the test will begin at 2:18 p.m., and the EAS portion follows at 2:20 p.m. The WEA test message will be sent to cell phones that are connected to wireless providers participating in WEA. This is the fourth EAS nationwide test and the first national WEA test.

The Latest: Governor rejects supervised drug injection plan

California Gov. Jerry Brown has rejected legislation that would have allowed San Francisco to open what could be the nation's first supervised drug injection sites under a pilot program. San Francisco could still choose to open such a site but it would be in violation of federal and state law.

Senate panel opens hearing on crafting U.S. privacy law

The Trump administration is hoping Congress can come up with a new set of national rules governing how companies can use consumers' data that finds a balance between "privacy and prosperity." But it will be tricky to reconcile the concerns of privacy advocates who want people to have more control over the usage of their personal data - where they've been, what they view, who their friends are -and the powerful companies that mine it for profit.

During Preparedness Month, Chicago Oemc Reminds the Public About the…

As part of Chicago's National Preparedness Month activities, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications is reminding the residents about a critical test intended to ensure public safety officials have the methods and systems in place to deliver urgent alerts and warnings to the public in times of an emergency or disaster. On the afternoon of Thursday, September 20, 2018, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission , will conduct a nationwide test of Wireless Emergency Alert and Emergency Alert System .

Optimum parent prices fiber-to-the-home at $80

Registration will allow you to post comments on newstimes.com and create a newstimes.com Subscriber Portal account for you to manage subscriptions and email preferences. Altice USA CEO Dexter Goei, left, in May 2018 alongside U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal , in Stamford, Conn.

A look at votes in Congress last week

SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINE: The House has passed the National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act , sponsored by Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, to require the Federal Communications Commission to study the possibility of creating a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system with an easy to remember phone number. Stewart said the bill was intended to "streamline and to provide easy access to potentially lifesaving resources by designating a new and very simple national three-digit dialing number, very similar to 911, for national suicide prevention and mental health crisis."

For Sinclair, ruling on TV merger limits is too late for Tribune

A U.S. appeals court rejected on technical grounds a challenge to Federal Communications Commission ownership rules that could ease the path for Sinclair Broadcast Group's proposed purchase of Tribune Media - if the deal goes forward. The Washington-based court on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit from opponents without considering its merits, ruling the activist groups that filed it hadn't shown they would be injured by the consolidation at the heart of their case.

Trump criticizes FCC for moving to block Sinclair-Tribune Merger

President Donald Trump came to the defense of Sinclair Broadcast Group's proposed merger with Tribune Media, days after the Federal Communications Commission raised "serious concerns" about the deal and began legal proceedings to challenge it on grounds the companies had misled regulators. In a tweet, Trump said Tuesday it was "so sad and unfair" that the FCC, an independent agency, did not approve the merger, a $3.9 billion transaction that would create a conservative television giant that originally hoped to reach roughly 70 percent of U.S. households.

Trump DOJ appealing judge’s OK of AT&T-Time Warner merger

Stung by a federal judge's dismissal of its objections to AT&T's megamerger with Time Warner, the Trump Justice Department is challenging the decision with a legal appeal. The Justice Department said in a one-sentence document Thursday it is appealing the ruling last month by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, which blessed one of the biggest media deals ever following a landmark antitrust trial.

Net neutrality backers fume as California bill watered down

California legislation that was billed as one of the nation's most aggressive efforts to revive net neutrality was watered down during a tense legislative hearing Wednesday, leading the author to repudiate what he called a "mutilated" bill. Sen. Scott Wiener has been pushing legislation to revive regulations repealed last year by the Federal Communications Commission that prevented internet companies from exercising more control over what people watch and see over the internet.

AT&T wins court approval to buy Time Warner over Trump opposition

AT&T Inc won court approval on Tuesday to buy Time Warner Inc for $85 billion, rebuffing an attempt by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to block the deal and likely setting off a wave of corporate mergers. The deal, which could close next week, is seen as a turning point for a media industry that has been upended by companies like Netflix Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google which produce content and sell it online directly to consumers, without requiring a pricey cable subscription.

The end of net neutrality is here

The controversial repeal of Obama-era net neutrality protections is officially set to take effect on Monday, despite ongoing efforts from members of Congress, state officials, tech companies and advocacy groups to save the rules. The Republican-led Federal Communications Commission voted along party lines in December to repeal the rules, which were intended to prevent internet providers from blocking, speeding up, or slowing down access to specific online services.

End for the A 60m Vodafone chief who had no plan B

Could you save a fortune with new pay-as-you-drive motor insurance? If you use your car only twice a week it could cut A 225 off your annual bill Cruellest and most devious scam yet: Retired shopkeeper Henry, 79, loses A 25,000 after he's tricked into buying Rolex watches to hand to crooks Said no to a smart meter? Prepare for a deluge of junk mail after energy firms are given the green light to pester you Clever trick to boost interest by A 96 a year: Bounce cash from easy-access account into a regular saver and back MARKET REPORT: Bookie William Hill at risk of a foreign takeover after US Supreme Court overturns 26-year ban on sports betting Money Pit Stop: I don't mind risk - and even enjoy a flutter on stakes in race horses - how can I make more from my A 1.24m investments? DAN HYDE: There's no sense in a smart meter rush - as long as they're optional people will keep resisting Why ... (more)

AT&T chief lobbyist out after hiring of Trump attorney Cohen

Stephenson says the company made a "big mistake" in hiring President Donald Trump's attorney Michael Co... The state Department of Justice has again concluded that secretly recorded videos of a Democratic activist reveal no evidence of election fraud. The state Department of Justice has again concluded that secretly recorded videos of a Democratic activist reveal no evidence of election fraud.