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FAA officials said a preliminary review traced the outage to a damaged database file, but added there was no evidence of a cyberattack and the investigation was continuing. FAA officials said they were working to "further pinpoint the causes" so the problem can be avoided in the future. One issue airlines are facing is trying to get planes in and out of crowded gates, which is causing further delays. He described confusion as airline employees and many passengers were initially unaware of the FAA's moves and flight delays. The U.S. Travel Association, which represents the travel industry including airlines, called the FAA system failure "catastrophic."

☆ U.S. Senate Commerce chair plans hearings after Southwest Airlines meltdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 4 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell on Wednesday said the panel intended to hold hearings after Southwest Airlines' (LUV.N) recent meltdown that led to nearly 16,000 flight cancellations in the week ending Dec. 29. The FAA's operations must be reauthorized by Sept. 30 and the measure has traditionally been used to advance aviation reforms. The Southwest flight cancellations have been cited by some lawmakers as evidence that Congress needs to strengthen protections for air travelers. Buttigieg has repeatedly vowed to hold Southwest "accountable" if it fails to fulfill commitments to customers for "controllable delays and cancellations." That one would require airlines to provide non-expiring vouchers when passengers are unable to fly for certain pandemic-related reasons.

☆ Privacy and crypto will likely lead tech policy under split Congress as hope for passing ambitious antitrust reforms dwindles
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

After what started as a hopeful year for tech policy, the 117th Congress is about to close out its term with many key efforts tabled. That's the case with privacy legislation, where a bill proposed this year gained bipartisan support, passing out of a House committee with a near-unanimous vote. The pair blamed the bills' failure to advance on intense lobbying efforts by the tech industry against them. One prominent bipartisan bill in the Senate would put the CFTC in charge. "But the importance of tech policy issues will still be strong."

☆ Frustrated Southwest pilot and union rep says the airline's flight meltdown was caused by outdated scheduling software
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Southwest Airlines has canceled nearly 2,600 flights so far on Tuesday after canceling over 2,900 on Monday. For example, he explained one flight had two pilots and three flight attendants assigned to a flight but needed one more flight attendant for the plane to legally fly. There were several deadheading flight attendants onboard, meaning they were being flown to another city for an assignment but were "ready, willing, and able to work" that flight as well. "Even though we had a crew available, [scheduling] had no idea those flight attendants were in the back of the airplane." The latter's systems failed to keep up because flight attendants use a system largely reliant on phone lines, Montgomery told KHOU.

☆ U.S. lawmakers back key Boeing 737 MAX certification deadline waiver
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Congressional leaders attached thewaiver to a bill to fund U.S. government operations and to require new safety enhancements for existing MAX aircraft proposed by U.S. Cantwell's language requires retrofitting existing MAX planes with a synthetic enhanced angle-of-attack (AOA) system and the ability to shut off stall warning and overspeed alerts. It gives airline operators three years from the time the 737 MAX 10 is certified to retrofit existing MAX planes and says Boeing must bear those costs. Faulty data from a single sensor erroneously activated a software function called MCAS and played critical roles in both fatal 737 MAX crashes, investigations found. Boeing declined to comment on Monday, but Boeing Commercial Airplanes Chief Executive Stan Deal said last week the planemaker supported Cantwell's safety retrofit proposal.

☆ U.S. lawmakers include Boeing 737 MAX extension in spending bill
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Boeing Co (BA.N) early on Tuesday won backing from Congress for an extension of a looming deadline imposing a new safety standard for modern cockpit alerts for two new versions of the U.S. plane maker's best-selling 737 MAX aircraft. The company has been heavily lobbying for months to convince lawmakers to waive the Dec. 27 deadline that affects its MAX 7 and MAX 10 airplanes which was imposed by Congress in 2020 after two fatal 737 MAX crashes killed 346 people in Indonesia and Ethiopia. Congressional leaders attached the extension to a bill to fund U.S. government operations and to require new safety enhancements for existing MAX aircraft proposed by U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, according to the text made public early on Tuesday. Reporting by David Shepardson, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. lawmakers back key Boeing 737 MAX deadline waiver
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The company had been heavily lobbying for months to convince lawmakers to waive the Dec. 27 deadline that affects its MAX 7 and MAX 10 airplanes which was imposed by Congress in 2020 after two fatal 737 MAX crashes killed 346 people in Indonesia and Ethiopia. Congressional leaders attached thewaiver to a bill to fund U.S. government operations and to require new safety enhancements for existing MAX aircraft proposed by U.S. Cantwell's bill requires retrofitting existing MAX planes with a synthetic enhanced angle-of-attack system and the ability to shut off stall warning and overspeed alerts. It gives airline operators three years from the time the 737 MAX 10 is certified to retrofit existing MAX planes and says Boeing must bear those costs. Boeing declined to comment on Monday, but Boeing Commercial Airplanes Chief Executive Stan Deal said last week the planemaker supported Cantwell's safety retrofit proposal.

☆ Exclusive: U.S. lawmakers set to back Boeing 737 MAX certification extension
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Congressional leaders have agreed to attach the extension to a bill to fund U.S. government operations and to require new safety enhancements for existing MAX aircraft proposed by U.S. Cantwell proposed requiring retrofitting existing MAX airplanes with an "enhanced angle of attack (AOA) and a means to shut off stall warnings and overspeed alerts, for all MAX aircraft," Reuters reported on Nov. 30. Faulty data from a single sensor that erroneously triggered a software function called MCAS to repeatedly activate played critical roles in the fatal 737 MAX crashes. Boeing declined to comment, but Boeing Commercial Airplanes Chief Executive Stan Deal said last week the planemaker supported Cantwell's safety retrofit proposal. Boeing said in October it expects the 737 MAX 7 to be certified this year or in 2023 and last week Boeing's Deal said he thinks the MAX 10 could receive certification in late 2023 or early 2024.

☆ Exclusive: U.S. Congress set to include Boeing 737 MAX alerting extension in spending bill
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers are set to add to a government spending bill an extension of a looming deadline imposing a new safety standard for modern cockpit alerts for two new versions of Boeing's (BA.N) best-selling 737 MAX aircraft, sources told Reuters. The U.S. planemaker has been lobbying for months to convince lawmakers to waive the Dec. 27 deadline that affects its MAX 7 and MAX 10 airplanes that was imposed by Congress in 2020 after two fatal 737 MAX crashes killed 346 people in Indonesia and Ethiopia. Lawmakers are also expected to require new safety enhancements for existing MAX aircraft proposed by Senate Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell. Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Mark PorterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. lawmakers decline to add Boeing 737 MAX exemption in defense bill
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers late on Tuesday declined to add an extension to an annual defense bill of a looming deadline that would impose a new safety standard for modern cockpit alerts for two new versions of Boeing's (BA.N) best-selling 737 MAX aircraft. The U.S. planemaker has been lobbying for months to convince lawmakers to waive the deadline that affects its MAX 7 and MAX 10 airplanes and was imposed by Congress in 2020 after two fatal 737 MAX crashes killed 346 people in Indonesia and Ethiopia. That would be a significant setback for Boeing, which did not immediately comment but has argued previously it is better to have a common alerting system for all versions of the 737 MAX. The requirements for modern cockpit alerts were adopted by Congress as part of certification reform passed after two fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 that led to the plane's 20-month grounding. Nadia Milleron, whose daughter Samya Rose Stumo died in the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash, praised lawmakers for not including the extension in the defense.

☆ U.S. senator presses FAA for details on Boeing 737 MAX alerting system
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - A senior U.S. lawmaker wants details from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about the safety of the cockpit alerting system for the Boeing 737 MAX -- an issue at the heart of a dispute over two new variants of the best selling airplane. Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell on Tuesday circulated a draft proposal that would extend the 737 MAX 7 and MAX 10 certification deadline and require retrofitting existing planes with safety enhancements, Reuters reported. After Dec. 27, all planes must have modern cockpit alerting systems to be certified by the FAA, which could put the two new MAX planes future in jeopardy. Cantwell's letter asked "to the extent FAA has identified safety deficiencies with 737 MAX’s flight crew alerting system, please describe FAA’s plans to immediately address these safety concerns." Boeing declined to comment but has said it is safer to have one common cockpit alerting system for all versions of the 737.

☆ Wall St set to open flat as focus turns to Powell speech
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) has gained nearly 18% in the last two months, while the Nasdaq index (.IXIC) has added about 4%. Traders expect the Fed to increase rates by 50 basis points in December, with the rates peaking in June 2023. The data is expected to show 200,000 job additions in November, compared with 261,000 jobs in the prior month. So I don't really make much out of that, I'd like to see what Powell has to say," Saluzzi added. Biogen Inc (BIIB.O) jumped 4.3% after its experimental Alzheimer's drug slowed cognitive decline in a closely watched trial.

☆ Key U.S. senator backs Boeing push to lift 737 MAX extension deadline - document
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - A key U.S. lawmaker is proposing an extension of a certification deadline for two new versions of Boeing's (BA.N) 737 MAX and requiring retrofitting existing planes, according to a document reviewed by Reuters. Boeing is seeking an extension from Congress of a December deadline imposing a new safety standard for modern cockpit alerts for the 737 MAX 7 and 737 MAX 10 variants after two fatal 737 MAX crashes killed 346 people in Indonesia and Ethiopia and led to the plane's 20-month grounding. Boeing would be required to bear the costs of the mandatory safety enhancements retrofit for MAX planes currently in service, according to the proposal. Faulty data from a single sensor that erroneously triggered a software function called MCAS to repeatedly activate played critical roles in the fatal 737 MAX crashes. Earlier this month, acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen said he does not expect the agency will certify the 737 MAX 7 before the December deadline.

☆ U.S. Senate will not take up FAA nomination before 2023 -lawmaker
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - The U.S Senate does not plan to take up President Joe Biden's nominee to head the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) until next year, a key lawmaker said. Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, who heads the panel that overseas the FAA, told Reuters late on Tuesday she planned to hold a hearing for Denver International Airport Chief Executive Phil Washington to head the FAA after the new Congress convenes in January. Cantwell said she plans to meet next week with Washington, who was nominated in July but not yet had a hearing. The Democratic lawmaker said she believes the White House will stand by Washington and renominate him next year. Washington, a former CEO of the Los Angeles public transport system, previously told Bloomberg News "all the allegations are false."

☆ U.S. lawmakers holding talks on Boeing 737 MAX certification deadline
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers are holding intensive discussions about whether to extend a key certification deadline for two new versions of Boeing's (BA.N) best selling 737 MAX, lawmakers and aides said. The largest U.S. planemaker is seeking an extension from Congress of a December deadline imposing a new safety standard for modern cockpit alerts for the 737 MAX 7 and 737 MAX 10. "We do want to push for safety enhancements and we'll see what happens - some people just want a straight extension," Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell told Reuters late on Tuesday, saying there is no agreement yet. Reporting by David Shepardson Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Futures rise as focus turns to Powell speech
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Fed Chair Powell is speaking, but past comments have done little other than chant 'hike, hike, hike'," said Paul Donovan, chief economist, UBS Global Wealth Management. "Powell has yet to explain the mechanism by which hiking rates is supposed to reduce inflation (which matters to analyzing when rates might peak) ... today's speech should signal a slowing of rate hikes." Hopes that the Fed will now hike rates in smaller increments and recent data pointing to a mild cooling in prices have positioned the benchmark S&P 500 index (.SPX) for its second straight month of gains. Traders see the Fed increasing rates by 50 basis points in December, with the rates peaking in June 2023. Reporting by Shreyashi Sanyal & Devik Jain; Additional reporting by Shubham Batra; Editing by Anil D'SilvaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] Taylor Swift's "Red (Taylor's Version)" receives the Favorite Pop Album award during 2022 American Music Awards, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, U.S., November 20, 2022. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday pressed the Federal Trade Commission to enforce a 2016 law against ticket scalpers using bots after Ticketmaster blamed the software for troubles selling tickets to pop superstar Taylor Swift's upcoming tour. Ticketmaster (LYV.N) canceled planned ticket sales to the general public for Swift's 2023 U.S. concert tour, her first in five years, earlier this month as 3.5 billion ticket requests from fans, bots and scalpers overwhelmed the website. A spokesman for the FTC confirmed that it had received the letter, but had no comment. Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Alexander SmithOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Kids Online Safety Act may harm minors, civil society groups warn lawmakers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Ranking Member Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) speaks during a Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security hearing on Protecting Kids Online: Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube on October 26, 2021 in Washington, DC. Dozens of civil society groups urged lawmakers in a letter on Monday against passing a bill that aims to protect children from online harm, warning the bill itself could actually inflict further danger on kids and teens. The American Civil Liberties Union, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Fight for the Future and Wikimedia Foundation were among the groups that wrote to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Ranking Member Roger Wicker, R-Miss., opposing the Kids Online Safety Act. Sites would have to let their young users know when parental tools are in effect. The KOSA opponents warned that prescriptive parental controls could be harmful to kids in abusive situations.

☆ Rail strike potential grows, threatening to worsen supply chain backlogs, inflation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Eli M. Rosenberg | Eli Rosenberg Is An Investigative Tech Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

That’s how much paid sick leave some freight rail workers are demanding from the rail companies before they sign new contracts. Rail workers say years of grievances about workforce cuts, coupled with new scheduling requirements, have pushed them to the brink of exhaustion. But if any of the unions decides to strike, all rail unions will honor the work stoppage. Kennedy said the union had never agreed to higher wages at the expense of a benefit like paid sick leave. “A rail strike, even one of short duration, would be catastrophic,” said John Drake, a vice president at the Chamber of Commerce.

☆ Republican Sen. John Thune faces off against Democrat Brian Bengs in South Dakota's US Senate election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Hanna Kang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sen. John Thune is running against Democrat Brian Bengs to represent South Dakota in the US Senate. Thune, who has more than $17 million in his coffers, will likely cruise to victory in the heavily conservative state. Before being elected to the Senate, Thune served three terms representing South Dakota's at-large congressional district in the US House. South Dakota is a ruby-red state; it only voted Democratic four times, most recently in 1964 when Lyndon B. Johnson handily defeated Barry Goldwater. The money raceAccording to OpenSecrets, Thune has raised $12.5 million, spent $6 million, and has $17.2 million cash on hand, as of October 19.

☆ U.S. alleges Seagate broke export rules to sell Huawei hard drives -source
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Karen Freifeld | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Seagate, a Dublin-based company that also operates in California, said it was cooperating with the Commerce Department and attempting to resolve the matter. The company paused its shipments to Huawei a year ago, the person said. The company hopes to make its case in an upcoming meeting with the Commerce Department, the source said. At issue is a U.S. regulation that governs the way certain foreign-made items destined for Huawei become subject to U.S. export regulations. The hard disk drives are made in China and Thailand and also do not have enough U.S. content to make them subject to U.S. export rules, the person said.

☆ U.S. Senate defense bill does not extend Boeing 737 MAX certification -sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The first Boeing 737 MAX 7 is unveiled in Renton, Washington, U.S. February 5, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Redmond/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Oct 11 (Reuters) - The latest version of the U.S. Senate's defense bill does not contain an amendment to extend a December deadline for Boeing Co (BA.N) to win regulatory approval for the 737 MAX 7 and MAX 10 jetliners, according to sources and documents seen by Reuters. Unless it gains an extension from Congress, Boeing must meet new modern cockpit-alerting requirements that could significantly delay the planes' entry into service. Wicker had sought to attach the measure to the version of the defense bill that was filed on Tuesday. There are other opportunities to make changes to the defense bill and an extension could be attached to other measures Congress will consider before year end.

☆ UK may fine TikTok $29 mln for failing to protect children's privacy
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe TikTok logo is pictured outside the company's U.S. head office in Culver City, California, U.S., September 15, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File PhotoSept 26 (Reuters) - Britain could fine TikTok 27 million pounds ($28.91 million) following an investigation that found the short-form video app may have breached UK's data protection law by failing to safeguard privacy of children using the platform. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has issued TikTok and TikTok Information Technologies UK Ltd with a "notice of intent", the regulator said in a statement. ICO's provisional view suggests that TikTok breached UK data protection law between May 2018 and July 2020. read more($1 = 0.9339 pounds)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Radhika Anilkumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini GanguliOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A Democratic senator mistook the slang word 'finsta' for one of Facebook's products in a hearing with the company
▼ + stars: | 2021-09-30 | by ( Palmer Haasch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Senate Commerce Committee held a Thursday hearing about Facebook, Instagram, and mental health. "Finstas," secret accounts some teens make, are not an official Facebook product. Sen. Blumental asked Davis about "finsta towards the end of the hearing (at the 2:44:50 mark in the publicly available webcast). "Finsta" (fake Instagram) is a slang term used to refer to smaller, side accounts that people — frequently teenagers — make on Instagram. "Finsta" is not a Facebook product, nor a clearly demarcated feature on Instagram — it's simply a secondary account that people create, which has become a cultural trend.

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