Morning Media Summary

Tech:

Federal Communications Commission passes new data roaming rule:
“Commissioners at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved a new data roaming rule Thursday for wireless broadband carriers designed to drive competition in a market that is currently dominated by AT&T and Verizon Wireless.”

Judge in Oracle-Google cases gets a lesson in Java:
“Lawyers for Oracle and Google gave the judge overseeing their Java patent dispute a tutorial on Wednesday that underscored the complexity of the case between the two companies.”

FCC requires data-roaming agreements:
“The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has voted to require mobile carriers to enter into data-roaming agreements with competitors, despite objections that the agency doesn’t have the authority to enforce the pacts.”

Smartphone cold turkey: Scientists prove youngsters suffer gadget ‘withdrawal’:
“As any parent of a teenager knows, trying to stop them using their computer or mobile phone usually results in a tantrum.”

Georgia woman cuts off web access to whole of Armenia:
“An elderly Georgian woman was scavenging for copper to sell as scrap when she accidentally sliced through an underground cable and cut off internet services to all of neighbouring Armenia, it emerged on Wednesday.”

US to use Facebook, Twitter to issue terror alerts:
“Terror alerts from the government will soon have just two levels of warnings — elevated and imminent — and those will be relayed to the public only under certain circumstances. Color codes are out; Facebook and Twitter will sometimes be in, according to a Homeland Security draft obtained by The Associated Press.”

Global Warming / Environment / Energy:

Blackout hits much of Venezuela, gov’t blames fire:
“A blackout hit a large swath of Venezuela on Thursday, darkening street lights, shutting down the Caracas subway and forcing President Hugo Chavez’s government to resort to temporary rationing measures.”

Insurance / Gambling:

State acts to shut ‘cyber cafes’:
“After shutting down a Chicopee establishment last week, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha M. Coakley has submitted emergency regulations prohibiting illegal gambling at certain so-called “cyber cafes” and “phone card” businesses that are proliferating in the state and still apparently operating in Springfield.”

Health / Safety:

Boston mayor takes on sugary drinks:
“City of Boston Mayor Tom Menino signed an executive order, Thursday, banning the sale, promotion and advertising of sugary drinks on government-owned property. The order requires departments under the city government to take steps to comply with the ban within six months.”

6 Pages of Obamacare Equals 429 Pages of Regulations:
“Giving proof to Main Street’s worries that President Obama’s healthcare reform will lead to thousands of new and costly regulations, the Department of Health and Human Services has taken one small section of the law and written enough new rules to every page of Obama’s campaign book, The Audacity of Hope—plus another 45 pages.”

Economics:

Malls Face Surge in Vacancies:
“Even as the economy picks up steam, many of the nation’s malls and shopping centers are suffering a hangover due to changing consumer habits and the fallout from a massive building boom.”

Legal:

Fifteen Months Waiting for Blank Pages:
““Last year, PJM made a FOIA request regarding who flew to the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Why did it go all the way to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and why was everything redacted?””

Labor:

Prosser reacts to new vote total:
“Justice David Prosser issued a statement Thursday night in the wake of receiving thousands of votes from Waukesha County.”

Transportation/ Land Use:

Leeds council leader calls for high speed rail link to city:
“The government has been urged to make a commitment to bring high speed rail to Leeds by a meeting of Leeds council.”