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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
 Posted - 12/15/2007 : 9:19:59 PM
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Feds unveil digital-TV subsidy details
All American households desiring converter boxes to let analog TVs play digital broadcasts may apply for up to two $40 coupons.
By Anne Broache
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
update WASHINGTON--Americans who want a converter box permitting older televisions to receive digital broadcasts will be eligible for federal subsidies, according to new rules announced Monday that clear up some confusion about how the program will work.
As part of the lead-up to a scheduled February 2009 shutdown of over-the-air broadcasts in the United States, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) held a press conference here Monday to unveil its long-awaited final rules for a congressionally mandated subsidy program.
Under the rules, all U.S. households will be able to apply for up to two $40 coupons to defray the cost of a basic digital-to-analog converter box during the program's initial phase, in which up to 22.5 million coupons are expected to be available. Beginning January 1, 2008, households will be able to make such requests through a toll-free phone number, a Web site, fax or postal mail. March 31, 2009 is the last day to make the requests. Boxes are expected to cost between $50 and $70 apiece.
If that initial $890 million worth of coupons run out, NTIA has the power to ask Congress to hand over an additional $450 million, creating up to 11,250,000 more vouchers. Those coupons would be reserved, however, for households that self-certify that they rely solely on over-the-air broadcasts, as opposed to cable or satellite.
Opening the subsidy program to all consumers is a good start, but Congress should have delegated about twice as much funding if it hopes to cover all households with incompatible TV sets, said Jeannine Kenney, a senior policy analyst for the advocacy group Consumers Union.
"Instead, they put the burden of the transition on consumers--ironically, a burden that falls most heavily on those who have demonstrated the least interest in digital television," Kenney said in an e-mail interview. Because the switch is government-mandated, as opposed to market-driven, her group has taken the position that consumers should not be forced to bear the costs required to keep their TVs functioning.
The coupons have no income limit, meaning that millionaires would be as eligible for taxpayer-provided discounts as someone living below the poverty line. In addition, NTIA has acknowledged that there's nothing stopping someone from reselling the converter boxes they have purchased with the coupons on auction sites such as eBay at a profit, although officials said they didn't believe there would be a market for that practice. It's also unclear how NTIA will police the potential abuse of individuals ordering multiple coupons at multiple addresses.
NTIA Administrator John Kneuer emphasized that the voucher program is only one way for consumers to ensure a seamless shift when the nation shifts to all-digital broadcasts on February 19, 2009. For one thing, consumers who already subscribe to cable or satellite services are not expected to have any changes to make.
According to a recent National Association of Broadcasters survey, an estimated 19 million households do not subscribe to those services. That means they must either acquire a digital-to-analog converter box, a digital-ready television, or another device, such as a VCR or DVD player, that contains a digital tuner, or their analog televisions will effectively go dark.
In releasing its rules Monday, NTIA dictated that households may redeem the coupons only for boxes designed to do little more than convert digital signals to analog ones.
For example, consumers could not use the coupons toward devices that contain digital video-recording capabilities or DVD players. NTIA deemed a certain range of features acceptable, including an electronic program guide, equipment necessary for processing software upgrades, antenna inputs and video outputs.
Also as part of its rulemaking, NTIA dictated that the boxes must meet certain energy efficiency and interference standards and outlined procedures for retailers that wish to apply to accept the coupons.
Kneuer said the agency chose not to adopt specific consumer education requirements so that it can remain flexible. An alliance of consumer electronics, broadcast and cable industry and public interest groups has already announced plans for what they hope will be a high-profile awareness campaign.
NTIA plans to track how many coupons have been issued and redeemed through a real-time database that will be contracted to a private company within the next few months. The coupons will be gift card-like in nature, and retailers will be expected to modify their systems as necessary to accept them. The coupons will be set to expire within 90 days of when households receive them, freeing up money to release additional vouchers.
In response to questions from reporters, Kneuer said he expected the coupon distribution to begin on time and the transition to occur as planned. Some Democratic leaders in Congress had criticized NTIA in recent weeks for what they perceived as foot-dragging on putting out more details on the subsidy program.
Kneuer suggested the consequences of freeing up the analog TV spectrum are too important to delay the deadline again. Public safety responders are in need of the spectrum for their communications. A number of high-tech companies are clamoring to bid on the leftover spectrum, whose inherent scientific properties could make for easier, cheaper broadband deployment.
"This really has the opportunity to be an absolute game changer in the broadband marketplace," Kneuer said.
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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 12/18/2007 : 10:14:16 PM
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THE VERDICT: HANG UP
Don't Fall for Jury Duty Scam
Jury Duty
The phone rings, you pick it up, and the caller identifies himself as an officer of the court. He says you failed to report for jury duty and that a warrant is out for your arrest. You say you never received a notice. To clear it up, the caller says he'll need some information for "verification purposes"-your birth date, social security number, maybe even a credit card number.
This is when you should hang up the phone. It's a scam.
Jury scams have been around for years, but have seen a resurgence in recent months. Communities in more than a dozen states have issued public warnings about cold calls from people claiming to be court officials seeking personal information. As a rule, court officers never ask for confidential information over the phone; they generally correspond with prospective jurors via mail.
The scam's bold simplicity may be what makes it so effective. Facing the unexpected threat of arrest, victims are caught off guard and may be quick to part with some information to defuse the situation.
"They get you scared first," says a special agent in the Minneapolis field office who has heard the complaints. "They get people saying, 'Oh my gosh! I'm not a criminal. What's going on?'" That's when the scammer dangles a solution-a fine, payable by credit card, that will clear up the problem.
With enough information, scammers can assume your identity and empty your bank accounts.
"It seems like a very simple scam," the agent adds. The trick is putting people on the defensive, then reeling them back in with the promise of a clean slate. "It's kind of ingenious. It's social engineering."
In recent months, communities in Florida, New York, Minnesota, Illinois, Colorado, Oregon, California, Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona, and New Hampshire reported scams or posted warnings or press releases on their local websites. In August, the federal court system issued a warning on the scam and urged people to call their local District Court office if they receive suspicious calls. In September, the FBI issued a press release about jury scams and suggested victims also contact their local FBI field office.
In March, USA.gov, the federal government’s information website, posted details about jury scams in their Frequently Asked Questions area. The site reported scores of queries on the subject from website visitors and callers seeking information.
The jury scam is a simple variation of the identity-theft ploys that have proliferated in recent years as personal information and good credit have become thieves' preferred prey, particularly on the Internet. Scammers might tap your information to make a purchase on your credit card, but could just as easily sell your information to the highest bidder on the Internet's black market.
Protecting yourself is the key: Never give out personal information when you receive an unsolicited phone call. |
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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 03/22/2008 : 8:00:23 PM
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NEW FORM OF
KIDNAPPING
Please take a minute to
read this. This is very scary and could happen to any of us.. Seems like every
nice thing people do for one another can be perverted.
A new twist
on kidnapping from a very smart survivor:
About a month ago there
was a woman standing by the mall entrance passing out flyers to all the women
going in. The woman had written the flyer herself to tell about an experience
she had, so that she might warn other women.
The previous day,
this woman had finished shopping, went out to her car and discovered that she
had a flat.
She got the
jack out of the trunk and began to change the flat. A nice man dressed in a
business suit and carrying a briefcase walked up to her and said, 'I noticed
you're changing a flat tire. Would you like me
to take care of it
for you?'
The woman was grateful for his offer and accepted his
help. They chatted amiably while the man changed the flat, and then put the
flat tire and the jack in the trunk, shut it and dusted his hands off.
The woman thanked him profusely, and as she was about to get in
her car, the man told her that he left his car around on the other side of the
mall, and asked if she would mind giving him a lift to his car.
She was a little surprised and she asked him why his car w as on
other side.
He explained
that he had seen an ol d friend in the mall that he hadn't seen for some time
and they had a bite to eat, visited for a while, and he got turned around in
the mall and left through the wrong exit, and now he was running late.
The woman hated to tell him 'no' because he had just rescued her from
having to change her flat tire all by herself, but she! felt un
easy. (Trust that gut
feeling!)
Then she
remembered seeing the man put his briefcase in her trunk before shutting it
and before he asked her for a ride to his car.
She told him that she'd
be happy to drive him around to his car, But she just remembered one last
thing she needed to buy. (Smart woman!!)
She said she would only be
a few minutes; he could sit down in her car and wait for h er; she would be as
quick as she could be
She hurried into
the mall, and told a security guard what had happened, the guard came out to
her car with her, but the
man had left. They opened the trunk, took out
his locked briefcase and took it down to the police
station.
The police
opened it (ostensibly to look for ID so they could return it to the man). What
they found was rope, duct tape, and knives. When the police checked her 'flat'
tire, there was nothin g wrong with it; the air had simply been let o ut. It
was obvious what the man's intention was, and obvious that he had carefully
thought it out in advance. The woman was blessed to have escaped harm.
(Amen, thank you,
God!)
How much worse it would
have been if she had children with her and had them wait in the car while the
man fixed the tire, or if she had a baby strapped into a car seat? Or if she'd
gone against her judgment and given him a lift?
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EverettsPride
Advanced Member
1140 Posts |
Posted - 03/23/2008 : 11:22:02 PM
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That story can be found on UrbanMyths.com it is not a true story.
Sally |
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EverettsPride
Advanced Member
1140 Posts |
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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 03/23/2008 : 11:46:13 PM
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| Thanks, Sally. |
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FYI
