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Free Soda Gimmick Falls Flat In N.C.
by Chloe Albanesius
Free offers from telemarketers could unknowingly dupe consumers out of their "do not call" rights, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper said last week. "Some telemarketers may try to trick you into signing away your 'do not call' rights with offers of free soft drinks or other gimmicks," Cooper said in a statement. "Never sign anything without reading the fine print carefully."
The warning was prompted by reports of postcards mailed to residents requesting that they vote for their favorite soft drink in order to receive free merchandise. But most respondents did not notice that the fine print on the card. By filling it out, residents gave the marketers the right to call them; regardless of whether they had registered their phone number with the do-not-call list.
Meanwhile, Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers encouraged the passage of a state bill, HB 3329, that would allow consumers who signed up for the state's do-not-call list to be automatically placed in the national equivalent. Under current law, the Oregon list and the national list are separate entities, requiring residents to sign up for each separately, if they choose.
"Passage of HB 3329 will keep nearly half a million dollars in the pockets of Oregonians each year by eliminating the need to pay an enrollment or annual renewal fee," Hardy said in a statement.
Hardy also pointed to a provision in the bill that would allow the state Justice Department to continue its enforcement of the Oregon law. The FCC said it will preempt the Oregon program should HB 3329 fail to pass.
"Without this measure, our program will perish and my office will not have the resources to enforce the new federal program," Hardy said.
Tell It To The Judge - By Video
Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., on Friday joined state and local officials at the Yellowstone County Detention Center for a demonstration of the state's new courtroom videoconferencing capabilities. The program will allow defendants to meet with their lawyer and the courts without having to travel to the site.
"This provides a great advantage to our justice and law enforcement officials," Burns said in a statement. "With this, the criminals can get their deserved day in court and be fairly represented, without the added risk and cost of travel from one location to another."
The program will be available to all law enforcement and justice officials across Montana.
California Nabs Arizona Man In Fake ID Ring
The office of California Attorney General Bill Lockyer and the state's Motor Vehicles Department on Tuesday announced that they had cracked a fake driver's license ring responsible for distributing counterfeit IDs via the Web to residents of California, 40 other states and the District of Columbia.
"These fake IDs predominantly were used by underage college students who wanted to get into bars and buy alcohol," Lockyer said. "During these times of increased concern about financial privacy, ID theft and terrorism, this ring greatly enhanced the opportunity for criminals to establish fake identifications to commit fraud and acts of terrorism."
Jason Andrew of Arizona was charged with reproducing seals used by the state of California and its motor vehicle division, as well as the magnetic strips encoded in valid licenses. Andrew, 21, is accused of selling complete IDs as well as the laminates for California, Arizona, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon and Texas.
Andrew operated his company, Menux, online and used United Parcel Service to ship his wares.
Washington Opposes Qwest Deregulation
Allowing Qwest to deregulate rates for its business customers would be detrimental to its small and medium-sized business partners, Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire said Wednesday. "Significant numbers of Qwest business customers throughout Washington have few, if any, competitive options," Gregoire said. Deregulation "...may mean higher operating costs for businesses already struggling in a down economy."
Qwest filed the deregulation request with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC), which is responsible for setting Qwest's rates. The telecom company would qualify for deregulation only if it could prove that it does not monopolize service in the area.
The attorney general's office filed its own testimony with WUTC.
"Qwest's claim that all its business customers in every corner of the state have real competitive alternatives is simply not supported by the facts," said Senior Assistant Attorney General Simon Fitch of the attorney general's public counsel office. "The worst thing the WUTC can do in this case is prematurely deregulate a company that still dominates the market and can dictate the prices it charges to customers."
States Allocate First Responder Grants
States this week worked to allocate more funds for first responders. In Virginia, Gov. Mark Warner announced that the six communities had been awarded approximately $1 million through the Homeland Security Department's Assistance to Firefighters grant program. Of the six counties, Harrisonburg received the bulk of the funding, with about $325,000 for fire operations and firefighter safety.
Meanwhile, first-responder grants awarded to Michigan will be used to increase spending on the state's hazardous materials program by $55 million, as part of the appropriations bills for the departments of state police and military and veterans affairs, Gov. Jennifer Granholm announced last week.
Gov. Warner Decries GOP In Wiretap Flap
Democratic Virginia Gov. Mark Warner on Tuesday criticized top Republicans for not acting quickly enough in their investigation of Gary Thomson, the former chairman of Virginia's Republican Party who pleaded guilty to involvement in wiretapping one of the governor's phone calls.
"It is remarkable that this has taken more than 16 months to come to light," Warner said. "Without interfering in this criminal investigation, why were other top Republican officials not trying to get to the bottom of Mr. Thomson's role?"
"I'm sure everyone who plays by the rules in politics is disappointed that this illegal behavior reached into the highest levels of the Republican Party in Virginia," he said.
Virginia Security Institute Taps SAIC Exec
Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) on Tuesday announced that sector Vice President Michael Daniels had been chosen by the Virginia Institute of Defense and Homeland Security to serve as one of its two technology industry representatives. "I look forward to having a hand in the process of advancing our nation's defense and homeland security initiatives and working with our public and private institutions throughout Virginia," Daniels said in a statement. The institute is a university and industry research consortium. Daniels has been with SAIC since 1986 and heads the technology applications sector in McLean, Va.
AMBER Alert Helps Recover Massachusetts Kids
Three missing Massachusetts children were discovered after the state issued its first ever AMBER Alert last week, The Boston Globe reports. The children, ages 5, 7 and 9, were abducted by their mother after she reportedly threatened them with bodily harm. The children later recognized themselves on television after the state issued the alert, and they called their father to let him know they were unharmed. The alert, named after a 9-year-old Arlington, Texas, girl who has abducted and murdered, was broadcast in Massachusetts by local TV and radio stations, as well as on 20 electronic highway signs. The mother, Tracy Mannila, was arrested.
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