Al Franken's Blog, page 33
March 2, 2015
Star Tribune: Consumer advocates, debt collectors lock horns over robocalls to cellphones
Consumer advocates and debt collectors are in a dogfight over a proposal before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to allow robocalls to cellphones.
The proposal would allow businesses, including debt collectors, to make robocalls to cellphones if they “intended” to call the person in question.
The post Star Tribune: Consumer advocates, debt collectors lock horns over robocalls to cellphones appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
Wilton Bulletin: Sen. Blumenthal – Technology can make the train crossings safer
More than 270 people are killed at railroad crossings each year, including six on Metro-North trains this year. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal says there is technology to prevent more deaths.
Earlier this year a Harlem line train crashed into an SUV in Valhalla, N.Y., killing five on the train and the SUV’s driver. In 2012, a Danbury branch line train collided with a car in West Redding, killing the car’s driver and a passenger. There were also two other derailments in the past few years.
Mr. Blumenthal (D-Conn.) is proposing a bill for more funding to make improvements to rail safety, he told editors of Hersam Acorn Newspapers at a meeting at the company’s editorial offices in Shelton last Thursday, Feb. 19.
Rail grade crossing accidents account for more than 2,000 crashes and collisions every year in the United States, he said, including more than 1,000 injuries and an average of 273 deaths. Connecticut’s main New Haven line does not have any rail grade crossings — where cars travel over the tracks — but its spur lines of New Canaan, Danbury and Waterbury do have rail grade crossings.
February 26, 2015
GoLocalPDX – Senator Ron Wyden: Protecting Children from Abuse and Neglect – An Oregon Perspective
Protecting our children from all of life’s ills, and especially from abuse and neglect, is perhaps our single most important responsibility as adults. There should be no controversy in that statement, no partisanship or disagreement.
And yet, the sad truth remains that too many children in Oregon and across the country are dying from abuse and neglect despite hard work to prevent those tragedies and efforts to understand why they happen.
That reality will be in the forefront in Portland this week when a federal Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities meets to hear ideas from local, state and federal officials for better protecting our kids.
The Commission was created after Congress passed the Protect Our Kids Act of 2012 to bring new perspective, insight and tools for preventing abuse and neglect. That work will form the basis for a report to be submitted to the President and Congress detailing specific recommendations for strategies to better protecting children from abuse and neglect.
February 25, 2015
Mashable: Al Franken: Net neutrality vote will be a win for free speech
This is an exciting time for people who use the Internet (and those who don’t won’t read this). On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, is expected to vote to adopt new rules to protect net neutrality. By adopting these rules, the FCC will take a crucial step to ensure the Internet remains the platform for free expression, innovation and economic growth that it has always been.
The post Mashable: Al Franken: Net neutrality vote will be a win for free speech appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
February 24, 2015
WCCO: Franken Supportive Of Net Neutrality Proposal
Some state lawmakers want to level the playing field when it comes to accessing information online.
Sen. Al Franken wants people to support net neutrality, which prevents Internet service providers from allowing companies to buy faster website service or block competitors.
The post WCCO: Franken Supportive Of Net Neutrality Proposal appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
February 17, 2015
Colu.mn: Sen. Franken introduces Student Non-Discrimination Act
On Tuesday, Sen. Al Franken introduced the Student Non-Discrimination Act, a bill that would adress [sic] bullying and discrimination in public schools.
“Kids need to feel safe in their schools in order to learn,” Sen. Franken said in a statement. “Right now, our civil rights laws explicitly protect children from bullying due to race, sex, disability, and national origin. But they don’t stop discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Our legislation fixes this injustice and extends essential protections to LGBT youth in Minnesota and across the country. No student should have to dread going to school because they fear being bullied.”
The post Colu.mn: Sen. Franken introduces Student Non-Discrimination Act appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
February 12, 2015
Star Tribune: Sen. Al Franken pushes television manufacturers to explain “smart TV” privacy policies
WASHINGTON — Democratic Sen. Al Franken on Wednesday pressed Samsung and LG to explain how the companies’ “smart televisions” voice recognition technology works in light of media reports that the television has the capacity to capture personal conversations.
The Daily Beast reported earlier this week that Samsung smart televisions have a “listening mode” and can record personal conversations. Most worrisome to Franken is the company’s privacy policy allows the company to share those conversations with third parties.
The post Star Tribune: Sen. Al Franken pushes television manufacturers to explain “smart TV” privacy policies appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
Star Tribune: Minnesota Orchestra to make historic tour to Cuba in May
The Minnesota Orchestra will be the first U.S. orchestra to perform in Cuba, following President Obama’s announced desire to normalize relations with the Caribbean island nation.
CEO and president Kevin Smith told musicians shortly before a Thursday morning concert that the ensemble would play two concerts at the Cubadisco Festival in May. One of the concerts will feature the Beethoven Choral Fantasy with the Cuban National Choir and Cuban pianist Frank Fernandez.
The post Star Tribune: Minnesota Orchestra to make historic tour to Cuba in May appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
February 11, 2015
USA Today: ‘Net neutrality’ is no government takeover: Our view
The Internet has produced some of history’s most innovative, agile and disruptive companies. Goliaths such as Apple, Google, Amazon, Netflix and Facebook — as well as myriad start-ups — have overhauled the economy and changed the way people lead their lives and conduct their business.
But the Internet has long been in danger of being co-opted by its least competitive and innovative part: its service providers.
To varying degrees these ISPs, such as Verizon and Comcast, have looked at the spectacular success of Silicon Valley and decided that they should get a cut of the action. So it’s great news that the Federal Communications Commission, after years of delay, is set to stop this from happening.
In a column published last week in Wired, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, a former lobbyist for the cable and wireless industries, said he would propose rigorous “net neutrality” rules that would restrain his former clients. A vote is set for later this month, and Wheeler’s plan appears to have sufficient support to pass.
Net neutrality bars service providers from creating “fast lanes” for content companies that pay, or “slow lanes” for those that won’t. This would prevent an ISP from forcing itself into partnerships with its richer high-tech brethren. It would also keep high-tech companies from using their clout to beat back emerging competitors. The most immediate effect would likely be an end to a deal that Netflix signed with Comcast for faster service.
For consumers, net neutrality would ensure that the Internet isn’t transformed from an open platform into a marketplace where people are steered to content that costs money. It might also mean lower costs, as anything content providers pay to ISPs is likely to be passed on to consumers.
February 9, 2015
Blog Post: The Land of 10,000 Lakes is a pretty great place to live
The good folks at Politico have finally caught onto something Minnesotans have know for a long time — that the Land of 10,000 Lakes is a pretty great place to live.
Politico’s data-driven analysis in their “State of the States” report from last month was based on stuff like per capita income and high school graduation rates. Inexplicably, they didn’t include even a single data point about hotdish, the State Fair, or pond hockey. So I wanted to share a few of the things that I think make Minnesota #1:
Hotdish: Writing a list of reasons why MN is the #1 state that doesn’t include hotdish is like writing a list of the good things about France that doesn’t include cheese. For those of you who are unfamiliar, “hotdish” is a hearty Minnesota staple that’s similar to a casserole and often includes tater tots and cream of mushroom soup in the most delicious flavor combination known to mankind. Every year, I host the Minnesota congressional delegation for our annual hotdish competition in Washington — and let me tell you, it’s quite a delicious day.
State Fair: The Great Minnesota Get-Together can be tough to describe to someone who’s never attended. There are games, rides, animals, music and, of course, amazing food. Think of it as a 4H show wrapped in a Twinkee, put on a stick, deep-fried, and covered with powdered sugar. Now, imagine eating that continuously for the next twelve hours (washed down with all-you-can-drink milk, of course). As you eat, drink, and wander the fairgrounds, pop into the dairy building and watch as 90-pound blocks of butter are transformed into sculptures. After that, test your stomach by climbing into a burlap sack and riding it down the Giant Slide. If you’re still hungry, you can literally eat a bucketful of chocolate-chip cookies — they sell them in smaller quantities, but why bother?
Minnesota’s natural beauty: Here in Minnesota, you can watch the Mississippi River transform from a gentle stream at Lake Itasca to a two-mile-wide behemoth at Lake Pepin. With the Boundary Waters, Voyageurs National Park, and two national forests in our borders, Minnesota’s scenery can go toe-to-toe with any state in the country.
Progressivism: We’re known as the land of Hubert Humphrey, Walter Mondale, and Paul Wellstone, but the influence of progressivism can be found all across the state. Maybe it’s the winters, maybe it’s something in the water, but Minnesotans take care of each other, and to me, that’s the heart of progressivism.
Thinking ahead: Lots of good ideas get their start in Minnesota. We’ve made sure that insurance companies spend your premiums on providing better health care (I was proud to fight to include the Medical Loss Ratio in the health reform law). Through the use of renewable energy, the University of Minnesota, Morris is striving to become one of the first colleges in the nation to become carbon neutral. I won’t even go into all the great inventions and products from Minnesota (ok, maybe just a few: rollerblades, the pacemaker, scotch tape, the bundt pan, the handled grocery bag, Cortisone, the ring laser gyroscope). We’re a pretty smart state.
This isn’t a comprehensive list, by any means. If you have another reason why Minnesota earned its #1, please head over to our Facebook page and add it in.
The post Blog Post: The Land of 10,000 Lakes is a pretty great place to live appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
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