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CNET News
Maggie Reardon is a senior reporter for CNET News. She covers telecommunications.
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Maggie Reardon
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FROM Maggie Reardon
To the Point
Is net neutrality about to come to an end? The Federal Communications Commission calls it " restoring Internet freedom ," but whose "freedom" is the FCC talking about? AT&T, Verizon and other broadband providers are regulated like utilities -- required to give access to all content at equal speed. That's "net neutrality." The FCC would eliminate the "neutrality" and allow broadband companies to charge some websites more than others, creating fast lanes for those who could afford them and slow lanes for others. So, what's at stake for start-ups that depend on equal access to innovate and to grow — and for consumers?
Design and Architecture
Stormy connections Brandon Jernigan talks on a cell phone while riding his bike through flood waters. Photo by Marvin Nauman/FEMA This morning at Apple's new corporate campus, CEO Tim Cook and colleagues announced a reinvention of their retail stores, transforming them into town squares, as well as the new iPhone X, and a big change to the iWatch: the addition of cellular. But what's the point of a fancy phone if you can't make a phone call? His announcement comes on a day when much of the state of Florida and the Caribbean are without power. Nancy Klingener with NPR member station WLRN wrote that in Key West, "It's like we've been transported to the pre-digital pre-cellphone era. In fact, it's the pre-telephone era for most of us." As our lives become increasingly dependent on digital devices, what happens when the juice stops flowing? And how are cell phone companies making sure the lines of communication stay open even when the cell phone towers take a hit?
To the Point
WHO Says Cell Phones May Cause Cancer Recent studies have shown that the biggest danger from cell phones is more automobile accidents. But the International Agency for Research on Cancer said today there could be a health issue . The Agency is an arm of the World Health Organization , which might now issue new guidelines on cell phone use. Maggie Reardon is a senior writer with CNET News .
To the Point
Cell Phones as a Key Tool in Search and Rescue Missions James Kim and his family, who were lost near Grants Pass, Oregon, were the subject of massive news coverage and massive sympathy this week. Leaving the family in their car, he died making a "superhuman" effort to get help. His body was finally found through use of a cell phone. Searchers determined that Kim had struggled for miles in extraordinarily difficult terrain--even swimming in icy water. The awful irony is that, had he continued down the road, he would easily have reached a lodge and probably safety.
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To the Point
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.
To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.
To the Point
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
To the Point
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.