I've Been Mugged

How To Help After Yesterday's Boston Marathon Bombing

I live and work in Boston, Massachusetts. So the horrible event on Monday has hit close to home. I live in the same area of the city as the 8-year-old victim and his family. For me, it feels like 9-11 and the Challenger disaster all rolled up together.

A few people have written to me asking how they can help and if I know of a victim's relief fun. So, I have compiled below a list of the options I have found. I am sure that more options will become available during the coming days:

• Technology Underwriting Greater Good (TUGG) online victim relief fund. At 12:45 pm this afternoon, donations had already reached $35,000 of its $50,000 goal
• A fund has been set up to assist the Richard family, whose 8-year-old-son was killed and who had other family members injured. You can make a donation at Meetinghouse Bank (2250 Dorchester Ave, Dorchester) or at the Vargas & Vargas Insurance agency (1133 Washington Street, Dorchester). Checks and cash accepted. Make checks or money orders payable to: The Richard Family Fund.
• There are several Richard Family Fund. The Boston Business Journal reported a fund by Salem Five Bank.
• The One Fund Boston 2013
• Celese and Sydney Recovery fund
• The NFL New England Patriots Charitable Foundation (in the donation form message field, specify "Boston Marathon')
• Greg Hill Foundation
• Dine out on April 17 to donate to help Boston Marathon bombing victims
• Dustin Mann's InvestorForce online victim relief fund
• April 21 - 27 is National Volunteer Week. To learn more and find a project to volunteer for, visit the Massachusetts Service Alliance website
• According to news reports, the Red Cross currently has plenty of blood supplies. So, no need to give blood now. Visit www.redcrossblood.org to learn more and to schedule a future appointment to give blood.
• Donors to the Salvation Army can specify a location (e.g., city, state, and Zip Code) to direct their donations to.
• The State Of Massachusetts blog maintains a list of resources and contact information
• If you are looking for somebody that was in or near the explosions, there are several resources: the Red Cross Safe And Well listings, and the Google People Finder.
• Anyone with information about the incident can call the Boston Crime Tips hotline (1-800-494-TIPS), or the FBI (1-800-CALL-FBI and select prompt #3). Families of victims can call the Boston Mayor's hotline (617-635-4500).

Of course, do your homework and research a charity or fund before giving. The Better Business Bureau provides safety and giving tips to protect yourself from scammers. The Red Cross offers tips to recover emotionally after a tragedy. BTW, I donated at the above TUGG link, and I feel better.

Know of a victim's recovery or relief fund? Share it below, please.

Google To Terminate Google Reader On July 1, 2013. How To Find A Replacement

On Wednesday of this week, Google announced that it will terminate Google Reader, a Cloud-based RSS feed reader application, on July 1, 2013. Google Reader stated in 2005.

For many consumers including readers of this blog, RSS feed readers are an efficient way to consume news content. Readers of this blog have several options. All blog posts are announced in an RSS feed. Plus, every post in this blog includes an RSS feed with comments by readers. This makes it easy to monitor replies to a comment you submitted.

If you are looking for RSS feed reader software alternatives, there are several. Some resources to help you find a replacement:

• Check Out These Google Reader Alternatives (Mashable)
• Four Alternatives To Google Reader (USA Today)
• Google Reader Is Shutting Down. Here Are The Best Alternatives (LifeHacker)
• 8 Google Reader Alternatives That Will Ease Your RSS Pain (Gizmodo UK)
• Many web browsers, including Firefox, have RSS feed reader features and add-on's
• Digg Will Build An RSS Reader

What replacement RSS feed reader did you choose?

21 Fung Wah Buses Removed From Service After Failed Inspections

WBZ-TV, the CBS network affiliate in Boston, reported yesterday evening about the results of an investigation by both the station and the State of Massachusetts. After several bus inspections by state officials, 21 of 28 Fung Wah buses have been removed from service.

Reportedly, bus inspectors found:

"... multiple oil leaks from different parts of the engine, and nuts and bolts that weren’t secure. There were also faulty lights, a door with a broken latch and the lack of proper registration on the charter bus hired by Fung Wah... Three of those buses had cracked frames. Inspectors found they had been re-welded and the work wasn’t done properly..."

The bus company had hired charter buses to replace its buses that had been removed from service. The Boston Globe reported:

"The frame cracks, located in the drive axle, rear axle, engine cradle, and other locations, posed serious safety issues, said Ann Berwick, chairwoman of the utilities department."

State inspectors are so concerned, they have asked the Federal government to suspend Fung Wah's operating license until repairs have been made. The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) oversees transportation and public safety.

Fung Wah operates low-cost passenger bus service between Boston and New York City. Some ticket prices are as low as $15 each way. A check of the company's website did not find any mentions of the failed bus inspections.

[Update, 3:15 pm EST: the U.S. Department of Transportation has ordered Fung Wah to cease passenger operations until safety concerns are addressed.]

2 Teens Drug Parents' Milkshakes To Get More Internet Time

This is weird news.

According to the Sacramento Bee, two teenage girls were arrested on Wednesday after allegedly drugging one of the girl's parents, so the teens could use the Internet after a 10 pm curfew. The teens allegedly spiked milkshakes they'd bought for the parents with a prescription sleep aid. After waking up, the suspicious parents had the milkshakes tested and then notified local law enforcement.

It is unclear what the two teens were doing online.

The story has been picked up by many newspapers and news sources including the major television news networks.

Giving Thanks Where Thanks Are Due: The Privacy Crusader

Readers of this blog know that I've written about several high-profile data breaches and the class-action lawsuits associated with them. As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches here in the United States, it is time to give thanks where thanks are due.

I would like to give a warm, heartfelt thanks to the Privacy Crusader, attorney Joseph Malley, for all of his hard work protecting consumers -- both adults and children. You may not know of all of the cases he has been involved in, and the results:

Class Action	Year	Results
1. Stealth tracking of Safari browser users class-action / Villegas et al v. Google and Google Inc. Cookie Placement Consumer Privacy Litigation	2012	Several class-action combined. Selected as co-lead counsel
2. Mobile app collects address book data without notice nor consent / Hernandez et al v. Path	2012	Federal judge rules class action can proceed on several counts
3. Zombie E-tags / Couch et. al. v Space Pencil (DBA KISSmetrics) and Hulu	2011-12	KISSmetrics to pay about $500,000 to settle
4. Mobile apps tracking children / Hines et al. v OpenFeint	2011	Lorem ipsum
5. Hillman et al. v Ringleader et al	2010-11	Ringleader may have ceased operations
6. Zombie cookies tracking / Valdez et al. v Quantcast et al.	2010	Quantcast pays $2.4 million to settle
7. Simon et al. v. Adzilla et al.	2009-10	Adzilla quietly settles
8. Deep packet inspection / Valentine et al. v NebuAd et. al.	2008-09	NebuAd closes after lawsuit and lost clients
9. Facebook Beacon Program / Lane et al. v Facebook et al.	2009-10	Facebook settles for $9.5 million

When the U.S. Congress fails to provide timely, appropriate legislation to protect consumers, it is a perfectly natural result for consumers to band together legally to protect themselves and their sensitive personal information; regardless of companies that insert clauses in their service agreements that limit consumers' rights by preventing class-action suits.

If you are a consumer who has suffered from a company data breach or privacy abuse, you now know who to call.

Happy Thanksgiving!

First, I would like to thank all of my readers. We have many new readers of the blog directly, via twitter, and via Facebook. Second, I would like to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving holiday. Have a safe, enjoyable long holiday weekend.

National Protect Your Identity Week 2012

Not sure what you can do to protect your sensitive personal information? October 20 - 27, 2012 is "National Protect Your Identity Week" (NPYIW).

The ProtectYourIDNow site contains a wealth of information for consumers, plus local events by state. I visited the website to see what's available this year. There are some interesting statistics about how consumers don't protect themselves nor their sensitive personal information:

"68 percent of people with public social media profiles shared their birthday information (with 45 percent sharing month, date and year); 63 percent shared their high school name; 18 percent shared their phone number; and 12 percent shared their pet's name-all are prime examples of personal information a company would use to verify your identity."

While it may feel nice to receive birthday congratulations from your "friends" on social networking websites, the fact is that your birth date is a sensitive and critical piece of personal information that data brokers (and identity thieves) use to distinguish between multiple people with the same name. Experts warn consumers to stop doing these seven things on Facebook and other social networking websites. Some other interesting statistics:

"Seven percent of Smartphone owners were victims of identity fraud... 32 percent of Smartphone owners do not update to a new operating system when it becomes available; 62 percent do not use a password on their home screen... 32 percent save login information on their mobile device... Young adults, aged 18-24, took the longest to detect identity theft - 132 days on average... the average cost ($1,156) was roughly five times more than the amount lost by other age groups... Children may be 51 times more likely than adults to have their identity stolen..."

The NPYIW website includes tips to protect yourself, informative videos, advice about what to do if you are a victim of identity theft and fraud, and an online quiz to test your knowledge about identity theft and fraud. Sponsors of NPYIW include the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, the National Sheriffs Association, the National Association of Triads, the Consumer Federation of America, the Council Of Better Business Bureaus, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Identity Theft Resource Center, the National Crime Prevention Council, the Credit Union National Association, and many others.

Did you attend a NPYIW event? If so, share your experience below.

Ashesi University, Ethics, Africa, And I've Been Mugged Blog

I was very pleased to learn that while Ashesi University began teaching to its students in 2010 the ethics curriculum "Giving Voice To Values" (GVV) developed by Mary Gentile, the university also uses the I've Been Mugged interview with Gentile. Ashesi University, located in Ghana, is a private, secular liberal arts institution that offers bachelor degree programs in Computer Science, Management Information Systems and Business Administration. All students perform community service before graduation.

In July 2012, the university and the MasterCard Foundation jointly hosted the first-ever robotics competition in Ghana to encourage high school students to study computer science, engineering, and other technical fields. The Ashesi University Foundation, located in Seattle, Washington (USA) helps donors around the world support the school.

The school was founded in 2002 by Patrick Awuah, a graduate of Swarthmore College. Watch this June 2007 speech by Awuah at the Ted (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) Global Conference held in Arusha, Tanzania. The New York Times reported in January 2011:

"Africa has reached an inflection point with the march of democracy across the continent,” said Mr. Awuah, speaking at the World Innovation Summit for Education in Doha in November... We can bring change in one generation. How we train our leaders will make all the difference. According to Mr. Awuah, the goal of Ashesi, whose name means “beginning” in Akan, the local language of Ghana, is to train a new ethically responsible educated elite to break the cycle of corruption on the continent."

To find all schools (including Ashesi University) that offer the GVV ethics curriculum, browse the list of GVV pilot sites (Adobe PDF) maintained by Babson College, and its curriculum information. Visit the GVV book website to learn more about and the book, available to the public.

If you know of a school that uses the I've Been Mugged blog as part of an ethics or Interent-related curriculum, let me know or share it below.

Survey Finds Most Americans Confused About The Cloud

A recent nationwide survey conducted by Wakefield Research and sponsored by Citrix, found that many Americans are confused about what the "cloud" is and how they use it. Key survey findings:

"When asked what “the cloud” is, a majority responded it’s either an actual cloud (specifically a “fluffy white thing”), the sky or something related to the weather (29 percent). Only 16 percent said they think of a computer network to store, access and share data from Internet-connected devices..."

Many people already use the cloud and don't know it:

"A majority of Americans (54 percent) claim to never use cloud computing. However, 95 percent of this group actually does use the cloud. Specifically, 65 percent bank online, 63 percent shop online, 58 percent use social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter, 45 percent have played online games, 29 percent store photos online, 22 percent store music or videos online, and 19 percent use online file-sharing. All of these services are cloud based."

Survey respondents seem to know the advantages and disadvantages of the cloud. The most recognized benefits are that the cloud lowers costs (35%), spurs small business growth (32%) and boosts customer engagement for businesses (35%). The three leading concerns are cost (34%), security (32%), and privacy (31%).

The survey was conducted during August 2012 and included 1,000 adults nationwide. The info-graphic below includes more survey findings.

Celebrating Five Years Online!

Five years ago today, I started the I've Been Mugged blog. Since then, I've learned a lot about identity theft, fraud, privacy, and data breaches. This blog has been a good tool to organize my thoughts, learnings, and the online resources I've found.

And wow has rreadership grown! During those early days in 2007, about 8,000 people total read this blog during six months. Now, about the same number of users read the blog every nine ten days.

For that growth, some thank-you messages are necessary. First, I'd like to thank all I've Been Mugged readers. I am grateful for our readership and for the comments you have submitted. We have explored together many interesting topics, and I look forward to more exploration.

Second, I'd like to thank the bloggers and the consumer advocates I've met online. Without their suggestions and encouragement, The quality of I've Been Mugged posts wouldn't be as high as it has been. Some bloggers I'd like to thank by name: Lori Magno, Diane Danielson, Michael Krigsman, Drew McLelland, Ryan Barrett, and Ronni Bennett (who leads by example far more than she realizes).

Third, I'd like to thank guest authors Bill Seebeck, and R. Michelle Green. Fourth, I'd like to thank the Privacy Crusaders. If you know who they are, then you know the good they've done.

Fifth, I'd like to thank IBM for losing my sensitive personal data during their February 2007 data breach. That incident caused me to start blogging, and more importantly to start thinking about the privacy of my personal information. The more I learned about data breaches and the way companies assist (or don't) their data-breach victims, the more I realized that I had to do something. Rather than be angry, blogging seemed like a healthy and appropriate response.

If you haven't noticed yet, I named this blog in honor of IBM's data breach = I've Been Mugged.

And, I especially want to thank my wife, Alison. Without her support and flexibility, I couldn't write I've Been Mugged.

What's next? The pace of change both on the Internet and in sectors like banking provide a wealth of topics. We'll continue to write about identity theft topics, data breaches, privacy, banking, and areas where corporate responsibility is lagging. Of course, we'll follow hot topics such as mobile deata security, health care breaches, and behavioral advertising.

We'll continue to report on both emerging and controversial issues that affect consumers. And, we'll sprinkle this blog with plenty of ID-theft humor, since it's never all doom and gloom.

If you are a new visitor, there are several easy ways to explore the blog:

• The near right column includes a tag cloud with subjects
• The far right column lists both popular discussions and my favorite posts
• The near right column also includes a collection of posts to help you use Facebook safely
• If you are curious about a topic, use the search box on the right
• To access product and service reviews, select Reviews in the above horizontal navigation bar
• To browse a collection of ranked lists, see Rankings

Canadian Privacy Commissioner Introduces Graphic Novel To Help Youth Safely Use the Internet With Mobile Devices

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner in Canada has introduced a graphic novel designed to help teens and youth use the Internet safely with mobile devices. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. It is an easy read and it clearly describes some good, basic data security habits.

The graphic novel (Adobe PDF - 4.5 M Bytes) is good for youth (and their parents) everywhere, and not just in Canada. The skills needed to safely use mobile devices and maintain privacy are universal.

In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) offers the "Heads Up: Share With Care" guide (Adobe PDF) for youth at the OnGuard Online website.

Why Cyber Criminals Attack: For The Money

Last week, the Ponemon Institute and Check Point Software Technologies released the results of a joint survey, "The Impact of Cybercrime on Business" (Adobe PDF), conducted to better understand the nature of online attacks which businesses of all sizes face. The survey included executives from companies in several countries. Key survey findings:

• Companies experience an average of 66 cyber attacks per year
• Mobile devices (e.g., smart phones and tablets) present an increased breach risk
• Cyber crime is expensive, costing companies on average
• Criminals attack for the money

Almost all survey participants said:

"... the primary goal for cybercriminals is financial fraud and/or access to the company’s financial records. In the U.S. and UK, financial gain is followed by theft of customer data. Approximately five percent of security attacks are motivated by political or ideological agendas."

So, identity thieves and cyber criminals attack employers to steal money: the employer's and/or yours. And, the criminals will attempt to use your mobile devices to gain access to employer's networks:

"... Hong Kong and Brazil report on average the highest percentage of mobile devices infected an act of cyber crime... the lowest average of infected mobile devices and machines connected to the network at 11 percent in the U.S. and nine percent in Germany."

The Ponemon/Check Point survey included more than 2,600 experienced business leaders and IT security practitioners from commpanies located in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Hong Kong and Brazil.A similar study by Symantec found that 50% of cyber attacks focused on businesses with fewer than 2,500 employees, and targeted mobile device and social networking users.

The Ponemon Institute helps both public sector and privbate sectors by performing independent research on privacy, data security, and information protection. Check Point Software Technologies provides organizations with a veriety of solutions to secure online networks and data.

The 3 Horsemen Of the Apocalypse

Learn more about the impacts of "Big Money."

Slamming And Your Home Energy Bills

Recently, an I've Been Mugged reader wrote asking me about what to do with their home energy bill. The reader was concerned that they had been "slammed" -- their energy supplier had been switched without their approval. When thinking about situations like this, it is important for consumers to understand your rights first.

Each state in the USA has a Public Utility Commission (PUC) or state agency to govern and regulate which companies are licensed to sell energy (e.g., electricity, natural gas). So, to understand your rights a good first step is the PUC website for the state where you live.

I'll use the state where I live as an example. In Massachusetts, some private companies are licensed to sell only electricity, some only gas, and some both. The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) provides the lists of licensed energy sellers in Massachusetts. Obviously, this is a list consumers would use to verify any private company selling energy in the state, especially door-to-door sales people.

The same EEA website describes consumers' various rights about energy services. For example, the "Cooling Off Period" describes the length of time consumers can change their mind after switching to a new energy service provider:

"Your choice of a competitive power supplier will not take effect for at least three business days. Should you change your mind during that three day period, you will not incur any charges."

The site also describes consumers' rights about slamming:

"A competitive power supplier may not switch you to its service without your consent. Your consent must take the form of either: 1) a written letter of authorization signed by you; or 2) your oral statement to an independent third party, such as a separate verification company. If you are switched without your authorization, you may file a complaint with the Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Energy by calling 1-800-392-6066."

Historically, slamming happened a lot with phone services, but lately it can happen with energy services, too. In 2011, the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) fined gas marketer Energy America with a $400,000 penalty for customers it "slammed." While some companies approach consumers at home, others perform phone solicitations.

Before accusing a company of slamming your energy service, I would first check with other members in the home, or a landlord, to see if somebody else signed an order to switch service. Then, I would contact the new energy supplier to get the sales person's name and a copy of that new-service order.

If slamming is still a concern, other steps I might perform in order:

1. Check the website of my existing energy supplier to see what they advise about slamming
2. Check my state's PUC website to understand my rights and what they advise about slamming
3. File a complaint with the PUC in the state where I live
4. File a police report with local law enforcement, since it is fraud to forge another person's signature
5. File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission
6. Consult with an attorney to see what other options there may be for consumers

Having difficulty finding the website for your state's PUC? This list may help.

When Worlds Collide

MBTA Releases Third Proposal: Smaller Fare Increases And Fewer Service Reductions

Earlier this year, the MBTA held 25 community meetings to collect feedback from the public about its two proposals; each including different amounts of fare increases, service reductions, and service eliminations. Yesterday, the MBTA release a third proposal, based upon feedback from the public, which includes smaller fare increases and fewer service changes than the first two proposals.

Highlights of the latest proposal:

• Reduces its single year deficit from $185 million to $159 million
• 23% overall fare increase
• 35% fare increase for ferry riders
• Green Line: elimination of E branch weekend service between Brigham Circle and Heath Street
• Commuter Rail: elimination of weekend service on Needham, Kingston/Plymouth, and Greenbush lines
• No reduction in RIDE service, but a $5.00 premium territory fare
• Creation of a "Watch List" for low-performing routes

While the overall, average fare increase reportedly is 23%, the actual fare increases for certain segments are greater. These increases are still painful for many residents who can least afford the increases. Single-fare increases:

• Seniors: local bus: 87.5%
• Seniors: rapid transit: 66.7%
• Student: local bus: 25.0%
• RIDE within ADA territory: 100.0%
• RID outside ADA territory: $5.00 surcharge per trip

Fare increases for selected passes:

• Senior/TAP: 40.0%
• Student 5-Day: 25.0%

Several documents describing the latest proposal are available at the MBTA.com website. The fare increases and service changes will affect everyone, not just MBTA customers. The MBTA Impact Analysis (Adobe PDF; 3.4 M Bytes) states the following about air quality and quality-of-life impacts:

"A reduction in transit trips and addition of automobile trips generally causes increases in the generation of CO, VOC, NOx, CO2, and particulates... as the numbers of automobile trips and vehicle hours increase, the congestion on area roadways also increases. This additional congestion results in lower travel speeds (which are associated with higher emissions of pollutants) for all vehicles, not just those of former transit users... Scenario 3 results in increases in all pollutant emissions and an overall worsening of air quality. VOC emissions increase by the greatest percentage, followed by CO and CO2. Scenario 3 bears out a general rule that usually applies in air quality analyses of this kind: any loss in transit ridership that results in an increase in auto vehicle-miles and vehicle-hours traveled will lead to some level of increase in pollutants."

The fare increases and service changes move the state away from sustainable solutions and towards a greater dependence upon automobiles (and petroleum), with both increased air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions. This is the wrong direction. Commute times will increase and air quality will worsen for everyone. We cannot drive our way out of this problem.

Transportation systems in several American cities face fiscal issues similar to Boston's system. Several consumer groups are planning a national protest about mass transit for April 4, the 44th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King.

Can Collectors And Cloud Computing Co-exist?

[Editor's Note: today's post is by guest author R. Michelle Green, the Principal for her company, Client Solutions. She is a combination geek girl, personal organizer, and career coach. Michelle helps others improve their use of technology in their personal or professional life. Today, she discusses the new trend in cloud computing and storage.]

By R. Michelle Green

I love looking at my books and records. (If that statement dates me, eh, kiss my AARP card.) I’m often a completist. If I really like something or someone, say David McCallum – I gotta check out the music he created as well. I like to display my stuff, share it with like-minded others. A neighbor once asked why I had so many movies, hadn’t I seen them already? My rejoinder: “why do you have so many books, haven’t you read them already?” She smiled broadly in understanding, and never questioned it again. I may not understand why Leno collects cars, but I grok the desire to collect.

With iPods, Kindles and their ilk, you don’t get to “look” at your stuff the same way.

Used to be you got such insight from that first walk into someone’s home. What’s the focal point of the living room? What has the person taken care to organize? A litmus test for me as a young person was a suitor’s library. My first and last date with one person hinged on their statement, “oh I don’t really like to read.”

And what to make of what we choose to display? Some visible books I haven’t read but plan to; others I’ve hidden precisely because I love them so – I won’t share them with just anyone. I chose my thesis advisor in part because his office contained both books I’d read and others I wanted to read. I didn’t even know that would matter, until it did. Were I choosing an advisor now, would I even have access to his digital tastes? And if I did, what would that knowledge tell me? My Kindle today does not represent my tastes well.

I would love the money and time to gloriously display the things I love. I used to have Scrabble tile holders taped to the wall to display album covers. Oh I know, you can still do that: if you purchase a track with artwork, if you configure your preferences correctly, if the artist/distributor provided artwork.... Many e-readers can’t be configured to display book covers (while their tablet apps might... but will they display them well?…).

If your collection is in the Cloud, do you really own it? Can you bequeath it to family? What happens if the Cloud provider goes bankrupt (or even just has an outage)? Don’t get me wrong. I’ll always be a technophile, and a wannabe early adopter. Using the Cloud will mean I can collect a lot more stuff, with vastly improved ability to access it, and with potentially perfect fidelity and backwards (and forwards?) compatibility. The Cloud satisfies my left brain’s pragmatism.

In some future home, a giant digital wall with cover art from my Cloud may replace my book wall. But what’s my analog today for the delight of sharing my library with visitors? My Interests page – oh sorry, interest feeds, on Facebook? Where people I do and don’t know see it at some time when I’m not present, and who may or may not give me feedback? And whose comments (if they comment) I may or may not get to see??

Sorry. My right brain (my heart?) says: doesn’t quite cut it.

High Value Targets

Report Warns Proposed MBTA Cuts Would Hamper Boston Metro Area's Economy, Jobs And Growth

A Better City (ABC), a nonprofit transportation advocacy organization, has released a position paper about the fare increases and services cuts proposed by the MBTA. ABC analyzed both proposals by the MBTA to close a $161 million budget deficit forecast for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2012. In its paper, ABC concluded:

"... the T should seek to close part of its budget gap with a more reasonable fare hike and limited service cuts. The T should then work with MassDOT, Massport, the Patrick administration and the legislature to address the remaining budget shortfall for FY 2013, and to begin work on a long-term, comprehensive finance plan for the Commonwealth’s entire transportation system."

The MBTA had proposed service cuts including the termination of late night and weekend commuter rail service, weekend "E" Green Line service, Mattapan Line, many bus routes, and all ferry service. About these cuts, ABC stated:

"... The T should not cut Commuter Rail service after 10pm and on weekends, nor should it cut weekend service on the E Branch of the Green Line or the Mattapan Trolley. Commuter boat service should be preserved, with a lower public subsidy and operated under the auspices of Massport. Due to the severe impact on riders, bus route service eliminations or reductions should be limited to the ten least efficient routes in the system. Going forward, the T should adopt more stringent and rational service planning criteria across all modes and commit to adjusting service accordingly."

According to ABC, everyday the Boston's population doubles as people commute to work. 55% of those work trips, and 45% of all MBTA trips, include commuting to work. The service cuts proposed by the MBTA would make it difficult for employees to get to work, employers to staff positions, patients to visit doctors and hospitals, and customers to visit entertainment venues:

"Across all sectors, ABC member businesses told us they are concerned about the impact that fare hikes and service cuts would have on their employees’ ability to get to work. Some of our members in the hospitality industry noted that the T’s current service hours are not adequate for employees working odd shifts... The viability of T service, then, has a direct impact on the size of this industry’s job shed, and particularly on the job prospects of low-skilled workers... The health care industry operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and the hospitals of the Longwood Medical Area would be particularly impacted by the proposed service cuts to the Green Line E Branch and the Commuter Rail. These cuts would impact the ability not only of doctors, nurses and support staff to get to their jobs, but also of patients to make their appointments... These businesses have also deployed flexible scheduling and staggered shifts to best utilize their real estate and cope with our already-congested transportation network."

The service cuts would force more autos onto already congested roads, resulting in:

"... 55,000 and 92,000 more cars on the road daily... if there were no public transportation in the Boston area, the additional traffic congestion would cost the regional economy $663 million annually. Based on this estimate, if one-tenth of the T’s current ridership elect to abandon the T and drive their commutes... the additional congestion could cost Massachusetts $66 million a year."

Parking around the city, already a problem, would become worse as more people drive and many parking lots are replaced by office buildings:

"ABC members located in the South Boston Waterfront were particularly concerned that changes at the T would increase demand for parking at a time when large lots currently used by commuters to the Waterfront and to the Financial District are slated to be developed over the next decade. South Boston, East Boston and Downtown are all subject to Parking Freezes. The City of Cambridge also enforces a Parking and Transportation Demand Management ordinance. These policies, implemented to curb air pollution, have made both cities heavily reliant on transit to support future economic growth..."

The higher education industry would be similarly affected:

"... increased demand for parking is at odds with their plans to expand. UMass Boston is a commuter school with a 45% transit share. It’s attempting to increase that number to 60% so that it can utilize its surface parking lots for staging construction of new campus buildings. Boston University, which purchases $2.1 million in T passes for faculty, staff and students, and spends $1.6 million operating its shuttle service, is also planning to reduce its parking spaces in order to make room for new construction. T fare hikes and service cuts will make it harder for both these institutions to grow..."

The entertainment and tourism industries would be similarly affected:

"The proposed cuts to evening and weekend Commuter Rail service would have a significant impact on fans’ and patrons’ ability to get into and out of the city for games, concerts and other cultural events."

ABC suggests that the MBTA:

• Limit its fare increase to 25% and pursue smaller, more frequent increases,
• Maintain commuter rail, trolley, and ferry services,
• Cut only the "10 worst" bus lines,
• Better match resources (e.g., buses and trains) to demand

ounded in 1989 as the Artery Business Committee, A Better City is a nonprofit association representing Greater Boston’s business and institutional community on transportation, land development and environmental sustainability. Download the ABC position paper (Adobe PDF, 1.9M Bytes), which is also available here (Adobe PDF, 1.9M Bytes).

National Consumer Protection Week

March 4 - 10, 2012 is national Consumer Protection Week (NCPW). About 30 federal agencies and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), plus consumer groups, state, county, and local government agencies are participating with the goal to:

"... focus attention on the importance of consumer information and provide people with free resources explaining their rights in the marketplace."

During the week, various groups will share information and tips about how to:

• Avoid identity theft, and scams,
• Protect your privacy, and
• Manage your money

NCPW began 14 years ago. The website has materials in both English and Spanish. David Vladeck, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said:

"The information on NCPW.gov can help consumers understand their rights, protect their privacy online and off, manage credit and debt, avoid identity theft, recognize foreclosure rescue scams, and report fraud... Visitors can download and print materials to share with friends and neighbors, or use the toolkit to plan a larger community event."

To learn more, visit NCPW.gov.