Technology & Information
Change to Pa. wiretap law would allow consumers targeted by telemarketing scams to record calls
People who think they’re being targeted by telemarketing scams would be able to legally record calls under an amendment to the Pennsylvania law that allows police and prosecutors to tap telephones. The addition to the Pennsylvania Wiretap Act would permit potential victims of telephone scams to fight back by recording the calls for use by […]
Gov. Shapiro creates AI governing board to help steer the state’s use of generative artificial intelligence
Gov. Josh Shapiro on Wednesday signed an executive order to create a AI governing board for Pennsylvania that will guide the commonwealth’s use of generative artificial intelligence, including developing training programs for state employees. “We don’t want to let AI happen to us,” Shapiro said. “We want to be part of helping develop AI for […]
Pa. Senate committee advances bill to restrict children’s access to social media
A state Senate committee on Tuesday unanimously voted to advance a bill that would add restrictions to children’s social media use. Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York), one of the prime co-sponsors of SB 22 along with with Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia), said during the Communications and Technology Committee hearing that the goal of the legislation was […]
Gov. Josh Shapiro wants you to text him
Gov. Josh Shapiro wants everyone in Pennsylvania to text him directly. Starting today, the governor’s office will be available on Community, an SMS messaging system that delivers text messages directly to subscribers. Using the number 717-788-8990 on Community, constituents can send and receive text messages from Shapiro’s office. “To best serve the people of Pennsylvania, […]
Opinion: The value of life-saving emergency services is worth the price tag
By Lisa Schaefer We live in a world of monthly subscriptions. Whether it’s your two or three favorite movie streaming services, an online TV package or a gaming product, it’s likely that you receive a number of autopay notifications between $6 to $15 every month. And it’s no secret; those rates are climbing at a […]
Pa.’s 911 call centers need funding renewed before expiring in 2024, officials said Monday
Members of the state Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee heard testimony about the surcharge and what would happen to funding for 911 call centers if that funding source were allowed to expire.
Court reduces restrictions on Biden administration contact with social media platforms
A federal appeals court in Louisiana agreed on Friday evening with Missouri’s attorney general that the Biden administration “ran afoul of the First Amendment” by threatening social media platforms over posts spreading misinformation. But the three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans concluded a lower court’s wide-ranging order barring […]
Seeing ‘Red’ after Taylor Swift debacle, lawmakers weigh concert ticket rules
There’s no question what motivated state Rep. Kelly Moller to push for changes in Minnesota law on concert ticket sales. “Really, it was the Taylor Swift debacle for me,” she said. A self-professed Swiftie, the Democrat found herself among millions of other Americans unable to buy tickets last year to Swift’s Eras Tour. She preregistered […]
Pennsylvania could cash in on ‘skill games,’ but some just want them gone
[*This article was updated at 1:30 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023, to correct Jeff Morris’ name.] Pennsylvania misses out on an estimated $250 million in revenue that could be collected by regulating and taxing so-called skill games that have proliferated across the commonwealth, a state Senate panel heard Wednesday. And without the oversight of the […]
‘The internet is no longer a luxury’: $667M from USDA for rural broadband
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will spend another $667 million on rural broadband loans and grants, the department said Monday, marking the fourth round of Biden administration funding under a program that the 2021 infrastructure law invigorated. Nearly three-quarters of the funding, $493 million, will go toward grants, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on a […]
CCP receives $3.9M grant for new Broadband Internet Pilot Program
Funded by a $2.9 million grant through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the pilot program is designed to bridge the digital gap and create jobs for residents in underserved communities.
Pa. plan to distribute $1.16B in federal broadband funds approved by state officials
State Rep. Carl Walker Metzgar, R-Somerset, who serves on the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority, said the five-year action plan to bring broadband access to nearly 300,000 unserved and underserved areas of the commonwealth, was unanimously approved by the Authority on Thursday.