AT&T rejects $100 million fine, claims it followed the rules

AT&T refuses to pay the FCC the $100 million fine it got slapped with, claiming that it didn’t keep data throttling a secret from its subscribers at all. Ma Bell was given with such a hefty penalty, because the agency determined that it slowed down subscribers’ “unlimited” internet connections after they’ve used a particular amount of data without letting them know. The company is now denying that: in its filing to dismiss the $100 million fine, AT&T wrote that it posted a disclosure about throttling data speeds online and even texted a notification to unlimited data customers.

Further, it stated that the FCC can’t charge it based on the 2010 Open Internet Order’s Transparency Rule provision, because it went above and beyond what was expected of it. According to The Hill, part of the filing read:

Under any lawful mode of analysis, the fact that AT&T complied with the Transparency Rule’s requirements by posting an online disclosure containing the information the Commission required should end this case. AT&T, however, went well beyond the Rule’s requirements and directly notified all users affected by the MBR policy in numerous additional ways.

The FCC also wanted AT&T to give its unlimited data subscribers a way to leave their contracts, but the carrier said the commission has no authority to demand that. In addition to asking for the fine to be lowered to $16,000, AT&T also wants the commission to put a stop to the enforcement of its other, non-monetary penalties.

[Image credit: JeepersMedia/Flickr]

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, AT&T

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Via: VentureBeat

Source: The Hill

Canon’s new $30,000 video camera can see where you can’t

Canon is already competing with the Arri Alexa and Red cameras of the world, but it’s about to take this one step further. Meet the ME20F-SH, a high-end video shooter that features a sleek, subtle and somewhat compact design. Most importantly, Canon’s new camera can deliver an ISO equivalent of more than 4 million, instantly making it a prime option for people who need to capture footage in super-dark settings — like a moonless night sky. The company believes its ME20F-SH is also great for production companies making films, reality television and documentaries. However, there are some limitations here. It only does 1080p, for one, which doesn’t bode well in terms of being future-proof — Canon says that had to be done to “achieve the highest possible low-light sensitivity,” which would otherwise be reduced if it went with a higher resolution and, consequently, smaller photosites.

Speaking of which, the ME20F-SH’s full-frame 35mm CMOS sensor is what makes it special (and quite expensive). The photosites inside the camera are over five times bigger (19 microns square) than those on some of the best interchangeable lens cameras from Canon and other companies, while a mixture of other proprietary tech is what allows this to capture subjects in even the dimmest lighting conditions. As expected, you’ll find support for 3G/HD-SDI and HDMI (output-only), 2.5 and 3.5mm stereo mic jacks, plus an eight-pin RS-422 port — these will let you pair video- and audio-monitoring accessories to the camera.

Interested? You’re going to have to wait until December to buy it, but that should give you enough time to save up for the $30,000 (MSRP) body. Fortunately, the ME20F-SH does have an EF mount and thus won’t require all-new lenses to do its magic.

Filed under: Cameras, Misc, Peripherals

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Hackers can crack the self-aiming rifle to change its target

TrackingPoint’s computer-augmented rifle sights, better known as the ShotView targeting system, have set off a wave of controversy and debate since they first debuted in 2014. That debate is about to get even hotter now that security researchers Runa Sandvik and Michael Auger have shown Wired a way to break into the rifle and shut it down or, even worse, change the target to the hacker’s choosing.

According to a report from Wired, the married hackers have developed a method to break into the rifle via a WiFi connection and take command through a series of software exploits. This allows them near complete control over the aiming and firing functions. They can reportedly adjust the scope’s trajectory calculations, disable the aiming computer entirely and even prevent the gun from firing in the first place. Last we heard, however, the company was dealing with financial troubles and wasn’t taking orders for new weapons so this might not be too much of a problem. The hackers recently gave Wired a demonstration of their attack and plan to present their findings at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas in August.

Filed under: Peripherals, Wireless

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Source: Wired