Congress, states weigh action after repeal of net neutrality
Compiled from news services
BOSTON— Support is growing in the U.S. Senate for a measure that would undo the Federal Communications Commission’s repeal of net neutrality rules, but votes are still lacking in the House, according to Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., a leading congressional critic of the new federal policy.
Mr. Markey testified on videotape at a hearing Tuesday at the Massachusetts Statehouse by a legislative committee examining the potential consequences of the December order by the FCC that repealed the Obama-era net neutrality rules.
The rules barred internet providers like Comcast, AT&T and Verizon from slowing or blocking customer access to apps and sites or from favoring their own sites and apps.
FCC members have argued the repeal was needed to ensure the government maintains a “light touch” in its oversight of the industry, and large broadband providers have pledged the internet experience won’t change. Critics contend it will harm consumers and businesses that rely on broadband access.
Ala. sues drug firm
MONTGOMERY,Ala. — Alabama filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the manufacturer of OxyContin and other opioids, becoming the latest state seeking to hold drug companies accountable for an addiction epidemic.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall filed the suit in Montgomery federal court against Purdue Pharma LP and its branches. The lawsuit claims the manufacturer engaged in deceptive marketing practices that misled patients and doctors about the benefits of the drugs and the risks of addiction to the painkillers.
Funding threatened
WASHINGTON— Republican lawmakers are threatening to cut off U.S. funding for the World Health Organization’s cancer research program over its finding that the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup is probably carcinogenic to humans.
House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith of Texas said Tuesday that the 2015 conclusion by the International Agency for Research on Cancer was fundamentally flawed and relied on cherry-picked science.
An Environmental Protection Agency review concluded in December that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup and other products, is not likely to cause cancer at typical levels of exposure.
Dog rides one-eyed pony
BOLIVAR,Mo. — A dog riding a one-eyed pony is a spectacle that needs video proof, and a Missouri woman made sure to get it.
The Springfield NewsLeader reports that Callie Schenker pulled into her driveway Thursday to see her neighbor’s corgi sitting on her horse, Cricket. She recorded a video of the pony trotting as the dog sits atop and posted it to Facebook. The video had received 5.3 million views as of Tuesday morning.
Ms. Schenker said the corgi’s owners are Mennonites who avoid going online, so they likely don’t know their dog is gaining internet fame.