Mozilla $25 Smartphones

Look out iPhone! --

Mozilla Promises $25 Smartphone 'Flood' | News & Opinion | PCMag.com: "....Mozilla also announced plans to start a "flood" of $25 smartphones. "We are committed to an open platform [that] works across a variety of devices," Mitchell Baker, chair of the Mozilla Foundation, told the crowd of 200 media here at Mobile World Congress today. "It is called the Web." Alcatel OneTouch, Huawei, LG, and ZTE are all building handsets using Firefox OS. Panasonic has even announced it will use Firefox OS to power a Web-connected HDTV...."

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4G Data, USA is Second-slowest, Australia Is Fastest

The United States is falling further and further behind--thanks to an inept FCC, corrupt state legislatures, and no leadership from the White House --

4G Data: The USA is Second-slowest While Australia Is Fastest: "OpenSignal has released a report today looking at the state of LTE coverage and speeds around the world, revealing that, contrary to what you might expect, not all LTE networks perform comparably." (read more at the links above)

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Municipal Internet bans by State Legislatures

A lot of cities and towns have been strangled by state legislatures from improving internet speeds for consumers -- but not Kansas --

“It’s dead”: Kansas municipal Internet ban was “stabbed, shot, and hanged” | Ars Technica: "Montgomery and other opponents of the bill are still sending letters to legislators every day. Between the negative press for the proposed broadband ban and a separate bill to legalize discrimination against gay people, Montgomery thinks Kansas legislators are in no mood to pursue anything controversial for now. "We are on top of it. We are not going to let it come back up," he said. "I think we did really kill the entire issue for at least a year."

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One-Ring Phone Scam, Cellphones, cramming

The practice of third parties placing unauthorized charges on wireless accounts is called "cramming." 

Do not answer, do not call back --

One-Ring Phone Scam on the Rise - BBB News Center: "One-Ring Phone Scam."
Consumers around the country report an increasing number of what is known as the "One-Ring Phone Scam." Perpetrators of this scam program their computers to blast out thousands of calls to random cell phone numbers, ring once, and then disconnect. This scam relies on consumers calling back missed calls, which then connect them to a paid international adult entertainment service, 'chat' line, or other premium service located outside the country. Victims who return the call are billed a $19.95 international call fee, along with per minute charges for the unwanted "premium service," which can be $9 per minute or more. In some cases, the scammers may only put through a small charge of several dollars, so it won't arouse suspicion. . . . (read more at link above)

Better Business Bureau recommends if you don't recognize an out-of-state telephone number on your caller ID, ignore it and if you do answer, do not call back. Also you should check your cell phone bills carefully and inform your carrier if you spot any unauthorized charges. The earlier you document the fraud, the better your chances of having some or all of the charges removed

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Big cable outlawing municipal broadband in Kansas

Who wants competition? Big cable tries outlawing municipal broadband in Kansas | Ars Technica: "Legislation introduced in the Kansas state legislature by a lobby for cable companies would make it almost impossible for cities and towns to offer broadband services to residents and would perhaps even outlaw public-private partnerships like the one that brought Google Fiber to Kansas City."

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