repeal | Common News Update

Sep122019 by adminNo Comments

New York City looks to repeal ‘gay conversion therapy’ ban

Health

A city law banning so-called gay conversion therapy would be repealed under legislation introduced Thursday over concerns that a pending federal lawsuit could lead to a decision unfavorable to the LGBTQ community if the case were to make it to the Supreme Court. Council Speaker Corey Johnson introduced the repeal in what he called "a painful decision." The council had passed the ban against the widely discredited practice, which aims to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity, less than two years ago, at the end of 2017, and it took effect last year. The proposed repeal now goes to a committee hearing, scheduled for next week, and then would have a vote in the full council and, if it is passed, would be signed by the mayor. "After intense deliberation, the council conclude...

Aug92018 by adminNo Comments

John Oliver, not bots, a source of FCC’s negative net neutrality repeal comments

Technology

The Federal Communications Commission acknowledged Wednesday that bots were not responsible for the agency's website slowdown after it sought public comment last year on its controversial plan to repeal net neutrality. After people were temporarily unable to contest the proposal, the FCC at the time put out a statement blaming the issue on an "attack" by bots coordinated by "external actors." "Beginning on Sunday night at midnight, our analysis reveals that the FCC was subject to multiple distributed denial-of-service attacks (DDos)," said Chief Information Officer David Bray in the statement. "These actors were not attempting to file comments themselves; rather they made it difficult for legitimate commenters to access and file with the FCC." However, the slowdown was likely due to ...

May262018 by adminNo Comments

Largely Roman Catholic Ireland votes 2-to-1 to repeal abortion ban

World

Voters in deeply Roman Catholic Ireland by a 2-to-1 margin support to repeal a 1983 constitutional ban on abortions, the official vote tally shows. Official results of Friday's referendum showed that among 2.1 million votes cast, 1.4 million were in favor of repealing the Eighth Amendment to Ireland’s Constitution that says a mother and unborn child have an “equal right to life.” About 723,000 voters wanted to retain the ban. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, a medical doctor who campaigned for ending the decades-old ban, hailed the result as a "quiet revolution." "The people have spoken," Varadkar said. "The people have said that we want a modern Constitution for a modern country, that we trust women and we respect them to make the right decision and the right choic...

Dec162017 by adminNo Comments

FCC votes to repeal net neutrality rules

Technology

The Federal Communications Commission voted Thursday to reverse so-called net neutrality rules that govern how internet service providers treat content and data. The five commissioners of the FCC voted along party lines — three Republicans to two Democrats — to roll back the rules, imposed in 2015 under President Barack Obama. The public debate over the rules has been heated at times, and Thursday's decision came after a brief delay when, on the "advice of security," FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced they needed to take a recess and the hearing room was evacuated. Reversal supporters claimed the rules unnecessarily regulate the industry and impede the free market. "It is not the job of the government to pick the winners and losers of the internet ... We should have a level playing field,...

Dec142017 by adminNo Comments

US regulator votes to repeal net neutrality laws

Technology

The US communications regulator has controversially voted to abolish net neutrality rules that guarantee equal access to the internet.The decision had been widely expected despite a campaign led by tech giants to keep regulations in place.Members of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), led by its Republican chairman Ajit Pai, voted along party lines to repeal rules put in place by the Obama administration in 2015.The vote was supported by the White House and protests were held outside FCC headquarters during its meeting, which was abruptly halted just before the vote "on the advice of security".:: Net neutrality: What a US vote means for the UKImage:Mr Pai voted along party lines to repeal rules put in place by the Obama administrationSome 22 million people had submitted comments a...