We live in a time where rapid technological advancements are shaping the very fibre of society, from the way we learn to the ways in which we communicate. With each advance comes the race to attain – to have “the best.” Since the acceptance and implementation of the Transfer of Control Agreement (“TOCA”), Innovative Communications Corporation (“ICC”), through its parent company Caribbean Assets Holdings, LLC (“CAH”), has too entered the HFC network race to keep up with the Joneses…the only problem is the Joneses don’t live here! In a letter dated 26, September 2014, the Public Services Commission (“PSC”) stated that the Virgin Islands Telephone Corporation (“VITELCO”) legacy network is in “poor condition,” and because of its “dilapidated” state is “incapable of providing the types of services consumers will want in the future.” On the other hand, ICC claims that the new Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (“HFC”) network will “benefit the residents and businesses of the US Virgin Islands by making available to them enhanced and reliable services,” based on its “well proven” and “extensive use throughout the country” (emphasis mine). In the business plan ICC presented to the PSC, the organisation clearly states that unlike the legacy network, “a stable, reliable WAPA power distribution system is an essential element” for ICC’s HFC network to yield “consistently high service levels.” This factor may be of no concern “throughout the country” where the electricity supply is consistent, but here in the VI where WAPA’s service is consistently inconsistent, this detail becomes a reason for concern. Factor in that for six months out of the year the territory is vulnerable to the threat of tropical weather systems, and this concern becomes a legitimate problem. One of the main stipulations of the TOCA, as per the request of the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”), was that CAH take into account the fact that the territory is located in a hurricane-prone zone, thereby making it imperative that any technology introduced to the territory be able to bypass the need for an electricity supply. The HFC network does not meet this criterion. In a speech to the Rotary Club on 9 October 2014, CAH Chief Executive Officer, Shawn O’Donnell, stated that “so people can call during an emergency, phone and Internet jacks have long-lasting batteries” (the ICC telephone directory and TOCA-related business plan documents state that only phone service is preserved by the backup battery). As a matter of fact, the ICC telephone directory states that in the event of power failure, the backup battery within the EVO modem will “keep the telephone service working up to four hours (talk time),” however this is seldom the case. After polling ICC EVO customers throughout the territory, it became evident that my experience with the modem was not an isolated one. Rather than the proposed four hours of talk time, as soon as a power outage occurs, telephone service is simultaneously out of service; and as for O’Donnell’s claims that “Innovative can monitor battery strength and notify you to let you know to change it,” no one polled in my inquiry reported receiving a call from ICC notifying them that and/or explaining why their modem was not working. To add insult to injury, inquires made to ICC concerning the dysfunctional nature of their product have been met with excuses (one ICC service rep claimed the ill-functioning backup battery is a result of not having every ICC phone customer on the HFC network as yet), and deflection of responsibility to WAPA. Granted, WAPA is the sole electricity utility provider in the territory, prior to introducing the HFC network, WAPA had long established its service delivery as consistently inconsistent. I think it is safe to say that every WAPA electricity utility consumer, including those on the PSC, is aware of the constant electricity outages (weather-provoked or not). So the real question here is why, all things considered, was the HFC network allowed to enter the territory basically unchecked by the PSC, when 30 V.I.C. § 45a (3), which outlines the designation of eligible telecommunications carriers, clearly states that a potential carrier must demonstrate “its ability to remain functional in emergency situations,” including “a demonstration that it has a reasonable amount of back-up power to ensure functionality without an external power source…?” With the legacy network, consumers were able to utilise their phone service subscription regardless of the status of the electricity supply at their respective residence. This capability is especially important should the need to call for help arise in the midst/or in the aftermath of a natural disaster; however with the HFC network this capability is lost. When one considers that there have been several tropical systems in VI history that rendered large sections of the territory without electricity for upwards of six months at a time, the preposterous suggestion that four hours of talk time is sufficient to counteract the HFC network’s reliance on electricity is beyond insulting. Hurricanes aside, it is also no secret that due to the high cost of electricity there are many elderly members of our community living without electricity. Not only does no electricity mean no means by which to charge a cellular phone, now it means that there is no way for a community member in this dire predicament to retain their ICC landline telephone subscription. With the level of criminal activity occurring in the community on a regular basis, would you want your loved ones or yourself to be in a position where you need to call for help, but cannot because CAH and PSC were more concerned with keeping up with the Joneses than with the welfare of the consumers they serve and, in the case of the PSC, were put in place to protect? Throughout the world the American way has long been touted as the way, but just as building codes are based on regional conditions, technol...

As an American, I am offended by the war on the poor being waged by this municipality. Only by threatening its lifeblood (tourism)will they halt and reverse this barbarous policy.

There’s no two ways about it—we lost. Republicans are going to have a clear majority in the Senate next year and Mitch McConnell has already made clear that he’s going to grind President Obama’s judicial and executive nominees to a halt. But here’s the thing: Democrats still have the majority right now and they can confirm a slew of Obama’s nominees in a lame duck session. Confirming the president’s judicial nominees could be Harry Reid and Senate Democrats’ lasting legacy—and it could shape jurisprudence for decades to come. Sign the petition to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: Confirm all of President Obama’s judicial nominees right now, before it’s too late.

I am starting this petition so we can all be in the hunger games. This was one of the best movies ever and i dont want it to end. You can make alot of people happy if they can be in the hunger games, i promise that it wont be a bad thing.

My grandchildren are very important to me and when I am told I can not see them, for no reason other than the control issue, its time to change the law regarding my rights as a grandparent.......

New York City (and its boroughs) has long dominated the political processes in the State of New York. For too long, elections have been dominated by the will of one of the smallest geographic areas in the State of New York. The voice of Upstate residents is largely disregarded, and we (Upstaters) feel disenfranchised by a government that is only too happy to take our tax dollars, giving nothing in return.

Service members and their families have long been targeted by payday and other high-cost, debt-trap lenders, often with financially ruinous results. Now the Department of Defense has come out with a proposal to close the loopholes that have permitted unscrupulous lenders to go right on marketing triple-digit interest loans to the military, ignoring the 36% cap set by the Military Lending Act of 2007. Payday lenders and their allies will do everything in their power to block this effort. That’s why the rest of us must be loud and clear in telling the Department of Defense to stand by its proposal and stop these lenders from preying on the military, once and for all.

We need a new national anthem.

We are trying to get a bus stop moved to protect our kids. Decatur Township refuses to move a bus stop that is located right in front of a sex offender's home. Other townships have moved bus stops for this very reason. Decatur chooses not to!

Mayor Menino was the BEST for the past 20 years.Me being a Minority, He has done a very good job for equal opportunities in the Urban Communities...Mr. Boston Strong

I have been researching lyrics in local rappers music and much more. Gangsta Lyrics have really periodic outbreaks of indignation. The ostentatious displays of “bling” big diamonds, big cars, and big houses. Then they present young women who are portrayed as rappers’ sexual playthings, draping themselves around star performers and shaking their buttocks through hundreds of near-pornographic videos. Not to mention the incessant use of the N-word. Now it's time to stop that and better our generation's future before its too late!

The undersigned Petitioners request the Atherton Town Council: To halt any further development plans or any construction of bleachers at Holbrook Palmer Park for the Menlo Park Atherton Little League (MPALL), until a full environmental impact has been completed and reviewed. The Petition is based on the following facts: 1. The Atherton Council implemented Measure M beyond the plain language in the Measure. A large majority of those voting for Measure M expected the Town’s Planning Commission to carefully weigh the need, the costs to the community and any injury to other uses and users in the Park. The Town Council ignored the Planning Commission’s recommendation that the MPALL proposed plans for the site be downsized. The Council put the Project in the City Manager’s hands and has failed to allow review of the current status of the plans and Agreement as to its use. There has been no transparency to the Town’s actions. 2. The Town’s residents have been deceived. The negotiation and planning for the bleachers have lacked transparency all along and have involved only Little League principals and the pro-bleacher City Manager. When one of the Councilpersons recognized that there was merit in the plans meeting an ”historical character standard”, such a Proviso was included in the action approved. The council then did not allow any residents to be a part of the evaluating group. The two Councilpersons appointed have a conflict of interest as they have been in favor of the Bleachers from the beginning. Interested residents have been told that since those two have not reported back to the Council, the Proviso must have been met. There has been no opportunity for any independent evaluation of the “historical character standard”. 3. Ten months ago plans and draft drawings of the bleachers could be viewed on the Town’s Website. Recently, as information surfaced that the drawings and plans were being modified, one of the Council members initially in favor of the Project stated that going to the Town’s Website to review the plans satisfied any need for transparency. However, there are no drawings and even the original ones have been removed from the website. The initial three-dimensional drawings have been removed. The Little League is insisting on a solid concrete structure; if built, this will handicap its easy removal, when it is realized the project is a detriment to the Park. Burgess Park in Menlo Park has a smaller and removable set of bleachers. Little or no thought has been given to the likelihood that the new facilities, considerably larger than those in Burgess Park in Menlo Park, will crowd out most other uses of Holbrook Palmer Park on weekends and add to traffic and noise in that sector of the Town. Additionally, a significant minority of the players actually live in Atherton. The undersigned restate the initial request that the bleacher/stadium project be reviewed under CEQA guidelines. Name Address Tel. # E-mail _______________ _________________ ___________ _____________________ _______________ _________________ ___________ _____________________