Verizon Settles With The FCC
An FCC investigation found that Verizon Wireless was unfairly charging customers, who didn’t have data plans, for accidently accessing the web on their phones. Verizon has agreed to pay $25 million to the federal government and $52 million to the 15 million customers who received the charges. This is the largest settlement a company has ever agreed to pay to end an FCC investigation.
New ‘Friendship Pages’ On Facebook
Facebook has launched ‘Friendship Pages,’ a new feature that highlights the interactions between two friends. A friendship page will display photos that both users are tagged in, wall posts between the two friends, as well as show events that both people are attending. The new feature launched Thursday and is currently only available to select users.
Droid Gives Motorola Big Boost
Sales of the Droid have helped Motorola’s revenue increase 20 percent in its mobile division. Verizon has played a key role in Motorola’s sales by pushing both the Droid X and Droid 2 in an effort to compete with the iPhone at AT&T. Additionally, Motorola has increased its distribution with the launch of three new smartphones at AT&T.
Mother Kills Infant Over “FarmVille”
A Florida mother killed her 3-month-old son because he was crying while she was trying to play “FarmVille” on Facebook. In a statement to authorities 22-year-old Alexandra Tobias said she shook the infant to make him stop crying, and may have hit his head while shaking him. Alexandra Tobias pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, and could face life in prison.
Shelly Palmer Chats with MENG’s Richard Sellers