uFCC, TracFone Reach Settlement: Provider Will Now Unlock Customers Phones’ Like They Said They Wouldr

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  (Consumerist)

  Unlocking your phone is legal, and the wireless industry agreed months ago to a set of conditions that went into effect earlier this year that allow consumers to do just that. Those companies all promised the FCC that they had a plan. And when you tell a federal agency that you have a plan, you probably actually should, and ought to follow it, too. One company didn’t, and that has landed them in some hot water with the commission.

  TracFone sells prepaid wireless phones. They service millions of consumers but, specifically, also provide phones to millions of consumers enrolled in the FCC’s Lifeline subsidy program.

  Lifeline: What is it, and how does it work?

  In 2014, the President signed into law a piece of legislation that made it legal for you to unlock your own phone. In February of this year, the entire wireless industry — voluntarily, but in cooperation with the FCC — adopted a set of standards that would allow all consumers to have their phones unlocked. However, TracFone apparently missed that memo, and was not entirely cooperating.

  As the official Consent Decree (PDF) explains, TracFone certified last year that it would comply with the unlocking rules for its Lifeline customers in the 2015 program year. But when the rules went into effect on February 11, the day everyone else started unlocking phones, TracFone still did not have a process in place for letting their customers unlock their devices, and that’s a no-no.

  The FCC opened an investigation, which came to a close with the settlement TracFone and the commission reached this week. Consumers will indeed be able to unlock their TracFone phones, but old equipment can’t necessarily be switched on a dime. So the new plan goes something like this:

  • By September 1, TracFone will have a clear unlocking policy, that they will put on their website and send in a text message to all their eligible users.
  • Eligible users with old phones can trade them in for cash refunds equal to the phone’s trade-in value.
  • By May 1 of next year, non-Lifeline TracFone customers can trade in their old phones toward credit for unlocking ones, and Lifeline customers can straight up trade in their phones for unlocking ones.

  TracFone also has to pay a $400,000 per month “offset” into the Universal Service Fund (which funds Lifeline) until all of their Lifeline customers have unlockable phones, which will probably motivate them to hit or beat their deadlines.

  “Unlocking of cell phones has been widely embraced by the wireless industry and by consumers across the country,” Travis LeBlanc, head of the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau, said in a statement. “Today’s agreement ensures that millions of eligible TracFone customers will be able to use their phones on any compatible network they choose.”

  The FCC estimates that at least 8 million TracFone customers will benefit from the settlement, to the approximate value of $80 million.

  
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by Kate Cox via Consumerist

uBehold: There Are Magical Places In This Country Known As “Pizza Farms”r

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  (Coyoty)

  Of all the dreams I’ve dreamed in all the nights of sleep I’ve had, never have I believed that a pizza farm could be a real thing. While this popular new form of agritourism might not feature fertile fields fairly bursting with hot, cheesy pies right off the vine, pizza farms have proven to be a popular way for those in the farming business to sell directly to customers looking for that “farm to table” situation.

  These trendy “pizza farms” are popping up all over the country, have proved especially popular in states like Minnesota and Wisconsin (where apparently all the food geniuses live), reports the Associated Press, bringing in crowds by inviting them over for pizza straight from wood-fired ovens, topped with ingredients grown right there on the farm.

  Customers set up picnics, bringing chairs and tables and packing soda, beer and wine to go with their pies, so they’re happy. Many farms also require that diners bring their own napkins, plates and utensils and clean up for themselves.

  And small farms are happy too — especially those that set up commercial kitchens to comply with regulations on serving food, as they can can often use those kitchens to supplement their income by making other products to sell, like jams and baked goods.

  “It’s fun to get people back out to the country,” one Minnesota pizza farmer told the AP.

  Agritourism is a good way for small farmers to diversify, much like farm wineries, giving growers another way to make money from the land. And bring pizza to the people, which is basically the best thing you can do for someone in need of good pizza.

  “Direct sales to consumers, that’s the best way to capture the most value for the dollar,” Greg Schweser, an expert on sustainable local food systems with the University of Minnesota Extension told the AP. “There’s no middleman. There’s no wholesalers. That’s how small farmers are making it.”

  Thank you, pizza farmers, for making at least one girl’s most fervent dreams come true.

  Pizza farms offer reverse twist in farm-to-table movement [Associated Press]

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uCould You Soon Be Making Purchases By Scanning Your Face? That’s The Plan At MasterCardr

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  (frankieleon)

  Who has time to memorize the special code or password when you could just scan your face to approve an online purchase? While using facial recognition as confirmation you’re, well, you, might seem a little far-fetched, it could be a reality this fall according to MasterCard.

  The credit card company announced plans this week to start testing a new program that asks customers to snap a photo of themselves to approve purchases, CNN reports.

  The pilot program, which begins with about 500 customers this fall, will use fingerprints or facial scans to confirm one’s identity and securely complete purchases.

  To use the new security feature – when it’s available – MasterCard members must download the company’s app.

  When completing a transaction, a pop-up will ask customers for authorization, either a fingerprint of a photo. If using the facial recognition option, people simply look into the phone’s camera and blink.

  According to MasterCard, blinking was the best way to prevent a thief from simply holding up a photo of someone else to use a stolen credit card.

  Instead of keeping a photo in its archives, the company says the system will map out one’s face and convert the points to create a code that stays on the device. The company says it won’t be able to reconstruct customers’ faces and that information collected by the app will remain secure.

  To create the program, MasterCard partnered with smartphone makers including Apple, BlackBerry, Google, Microsoft and Samsung, CNN reports.

  The company hasn’t finalized deals with banks just yet, so it’s unclear just who will get to test out the program when it’s up and running.

  MasterCard says the initiative is the company’s latest attempt to cut down on fraud, while alleviating the need to remember complicated passwords.

  Currently, the company offers customers extra security through a program called “SecureCode,” which aims to stop hackers from using ill-gotten credit cards online.

  That program, which has been used about three billion times in the last year, requires a shopper to enter a specific password when shopping online.

  The company says they are also working on other secure methods to approve transactions including voice recognition.

  MasterCard will approve purchases by scanning your face [CNN]

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uBP Agrees To Pay $18.7 Billion (Over 18 Years) For 2010 Gulf Disasterr

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  (pdxmac)

  More than five years after an explosion at the Deepwater Horizon oil well in the Gulf of Mexico left eleven people dead and released untold amounts of oil into the water, BP has agreed to make $18.7 billion in payments — spread out over nearly two decades — to settle all federal and state claims related to the disaster.

  The biggest chunk of the proposed payment schedule is $7.1 billion that will go to the federal government and the five states along the Gulf Coast — Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas — for natural resource damages (NRD). These payouts, spread out over 15 years, will start one year after the settlement is approved and will ding BP’s coffers for around $490 million a year.

  There will also be another $232 million set aside to cover any additional NRD claims that may arise between now and the end of the payment schedule.

  Another $5.5 billion is slated to be paid to the feds for BP’s alleged violations of the Clean Water Act. Like the NRD damages, the payouts would start a year from now and be meted out over the course of 15 years.

  Finally, BP will pay a total of $4.9 billion to settle other claims with the Gulf Coast states. The first payment of $1 billion will be paid after the deal is approved. Then in year three of the schedule, BP will fork over $260 million a year to the states through year 18.

  U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch says the $18.7 billion settlement, which still needs to be approved by the court, represents the highest dollar value ever for a settlement with a single corporate entity.

  If approved, “it would help repair the damage done to the Gulf economy, fisheries, wetlands and wildlife; and it would bring lasting benefits to the Gulf region for generations to come,” explains Lynch in a statement.

  According to the Wall Street Journal, today’s settlement announcement means BP’s total bill for the 2010 tragedy is nearly $54 billion.

  
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by Chris Morran via Consumerist

uSprint Partnering With UK Tech Retailer To Open Up To 500 New Stores In The U.S.r

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  (Misfit Photographer)

  There could be a few more Sprint stores in the neighborhood soon, as the wireless company announced plans to partner with one of the U.K.’s biggest technology retailers to open new locations stateside.

  CNET reports that Sprint entered into a joint venture with Dixons Carphone to open up to 500 stores in the U.S.

  The plan is for Dixons Carphone to open and manage about 20 Sprint-branded stores in Chicago and Miami starting in early August.

  If the first stores prove to be successful, the company will set things in motion to open hundreds of other stores.

  Sprint and Dixons will each hold a 50% stake in the joint venture, which could result in an investment of up to $31 million, if all things work out.

  This, of course, isn’t Sprint’s first foray into partnering with other retailers. The company announced earlier this year that it would team up with RadioShack to re-open stores that will be part phone store, part RadioShack merchandise.

  While Dixons Carphone is currently the largest tech retailer in the U.K., it’s a rather new entrant in the arena. The company was formed from a merger between Carphone Warehouse and retail group Dixons just last year.

  Carphone Warehouse previously attempted to enter the U.S. tech retail market in 2008 through a partnership with Best Buy. The larger U.S.-based retailer eventually purchased the U.S. stores from Carphone, CNET reports.

  Before that foray, the pre-merger British company unsuccessfully attempted a U.S. market entry in 1987 by buying retailer Silo, but ended up selling the stores for a loss just six years later.

  UK’s biggest tech retailer joins forces with Sprint to open 500 stores in US [CNET]

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uHawaii Becomes First State To Ban Plastic Bags At Grocery Storesr

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  (Taber Andrew Bain)
  

  While some cities in the U.S. have passed laws that ban plastic bags at grocery stores, Hawaii now stands alone as the first and only state to enforce a law that prohibits supermarkets from handing out the non-biodegradable carriers at the checkout.

  The City and County of Honolulu’s bag ban went into effect on July 1, and covers Hawaii’s most populated island, Oahu, reports the Huffington Post. Oahu is the last populated island in the state to put the kibosh on the distribution of plastic bags.

  California likely would’ve been the first to ban bags at the statewide level after recently passing a law that outlawed plastic plastic bags, but that measure is on hold for the moment, until a referendum in November that will decide its fate.

  On the municipal level, cities like Portland, OR, Chicago and Brownsville, TX have been successful in banning plastic bags in the past.

  No matter where you live, bringing a reusable bag along with you to the grocery store is a good idea: It keeps non-recyclable plastic out of landfills, which is good for the Earth. And what’s good for the Earth is good for you.

  Hawaii Just Became The First State To Ban Plastic Bags At Grocery Checkouts [Huffington Post]

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uReport: TSA Paid Out $3M In The Last 5 Years For Lost, Stolen And Damaged Baggager

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  (afagen)

  If you’ve ever wondered had your checked luggage stolen, damaged, lost or otherwise mishandled while flying, you probably know you’re not alone. But what you might not know is how often the Transportation Security Administration actually admits wrongdoing and compensated unhappy travelers in those cases. Enlightenment is here: A new report says the TSA has forked over about $3 million in the last five years for such claims.

  Whether their luggage grew legs and walked off on its own or was otherwise misplaced, or had pieces missing by the time they got it back, USAToday (warning: link has video that auto-plays) reports that TSA first investigated to determine whether its security screeners were responsible.

  The agency then approved or settled with passengers in around 15,000 cases, which amounts to almost one out of three claims filed between 2010 and 2014. Some travelers walked away with a couple dollars for missing food (yes, people steal food out of bags, apparently) or medicine, while others received thousands of dollars for jewelry, electronics or other pricy items passengers said were damaged or vanished while in TSA care.

  John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York had the most paid claims at 857, with Los Angeles International following close behind with 791. Those numbers are higher than others due to the millions of passengers who are screened by the TSA there.

  Passengers who filed claims and got paid the most went through Dulles International in Washington and Orlando International in that time period.

  Smaller airports weren’t necessarily any better at not mucking things up: TSA approved 120 passengers’ claims in five years just at Reno/Tahoe International, which ranked around the same level at larger airports like Chicago Midway.

  TSA says approved claims are only a small part of a bigger picture, with 2.5 million pieces of baggage getting screened by its agents daily. The agency has a zero-tolerance to theft, it says, and has tightened hiring requirements for screeners to curb claims. As anyone who reads this site knows, there have been many cases of thieving TSA agents, but USAToday’s investigation found that claims filed and paid are down about 35% from 2010 to 2014.

  “TSA aggressively investigates all allegations of misconduct and, when infractions are discovered, moves swiftly to hold the offenders accountable,” said Bruce Anderson, a TSA spokesman. “TSA holds its security officers to the highest professional and ethical standards and has a zero-tolerance policy for theft in the workplace.”

  Still, critics say $3 million is a lot of money to settle claims, claims that shouldn’t be happening in the first place.

  “Congress has been having problems getting straight answers about abuses at the TSA,” U.S. Rep. John Mica told USAToday. “Orlando, my major home airport in Florida… has startling statistics. It warrants further review, even a subpoena for the information if that’s what it takes.”

  If you notice damage or find something missing, and think it happened while in TSA hands, the best thing to do is file a claim form online. Be prepared to provide proof of the damage, the cost of that damage or theft, and TSA’s negligence.

  You can also file claims with airlines or airports as well, if you can’t figure out exactly who might’ve caused the damage or caused your baggage to disappear into the ether.

  USAToday has more information on how TSA is trying to step up its game, as well as a handy interactive lookup tool for travelers to check how many claims the agency paid out at their airports.

  Lost, stolen, broken: TSA pays millions for bag claims, USA TODAY investigation finds [USAToday]

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist