BOSTON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL SETTLES DATA BREACH ALLEGATIONS

BOSTON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL SETTLES DATA BREACH ALLEGATIONS 

Hospital to Take Steps to Prevent Future Data Security Violations

BOSTON – Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) has agreed to pay $40,000 and take steps to prevent future security violations following allegations related to a data breach that affected patient information, Attorney General Martha Coakley announced today. 

The consent judgment, entered today in Suffolk Superior Court, alleges that BCH failed to protect the personal information and protected health information of more than 2,000 patients. 

“Healthcare providers must ensure that the privacy and security of sensitive patient information is protected,” AG Coakley said. “Today’s settlement will put in place and enforce important technological and physical security measures at Boston Children’s Hospital to help prevent a breach like this from happening again.” 

According to the complaint against BCH, an unencrypted, BCH-issued laptop was stolen from a BCH physician while he was presenting at a May 2012 conference in Buenos Aires.  Before the laptop was stolen, the physician received an email from a colleague containing the protected health information of 2,159 patients including names, dates of birth, diagnoses, procedures, and dates of surgery. More than 1,700 patients were under the age of 18. 

The physician took steps that he thought were adequate to remove the protected health information from the laptop. However, the information from the email remained on the laptop and despite BCH’s written policies, encryption software was not installed prior to the incident.

Under the terms of the consent judgment, BCH will pay $40,000, including a $30,000 civil penalty and a payment of $10,000 to a fund administered by the AG’s Office for educational programs concerning the protection of personal information and protected health information.

BCH will also take steps to ensure future compliance with state and federal data security laws and regulations, including properly tracking all portable devices such as laptops, encrypting and physically securing those portable devices, and training its workforce on the proper handling of personal information and protected health information. The hospital will also continue a review and audit of security measures and take corrective measures recommended in the review.

The lawsuit was filed under the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act and the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act.

The AG’s Office is focused on ensuring that health care entities abide by the state and federal data privacy requirements to protect personal information and protected health information. Recent efforts include a 2012 settlement with South Shore Hospital for $750,000, a 2013 settlement with medical billing company Goldthwait Associates and its client pathology groups, and a $150,000 settlement with Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island in July 2014. 

Most recently, on Nov. 20, 2014, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center agreed to pay $100,000 in a settlement with the AG’s Office after it allegedly failed to protect the personal and protected health information of nearly 4,000 patients and employees.

The BCH matter is being handled by Assistant Attorney General Shannon Choy-Seymour of AG Coakley’s Health Care Division.

BRA/EDIC Board modifies tentative designation for parcel in Roxbury to allow MassDOT to construct new transportation building

BRA/EDIC Board modifies tentative designation for parcel in Roxbury to allow MassDOT to construct new transportation building

Also approves $79.5 million in projects that will add 178 residential units

BOSTON – Last night, the Board of Directors for the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) and Economic Development Industrial Corporation (EDIC) approved four development projects with a combined value of $79.5 million. Three of the projects will create 178 units of housing in Jamaica Plain, Dorchester, and Hyde Park. The Board also approved a 97-room expansion of the Bayside DoubleTree Hotel in Dorchester.

Of particular note at the meeting was the Board’s action to revise the tentative designation for Parcel P-3 in Roxbury so that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) can develop nearly one million square feet of space for a new state transportation building, the National Center for Afro-American Artists museum, and retail, entertainment, and educational uses. Since 2007, the parcel has been tentatively designated to Elma Lewis Partners, which later merged with FeldCo Development Corporation to form P-3 Partners, to develop the mixed-use Tremont Crossing project.

MassDOT is expected to construct approximately 800,000 square feet of office space and 21,000 square feet of space for the museum. The state agency will lease an additional 126,000 square feet of floor space to P-3 Partners for the retail and other uses. With several major development projects taking shape in that area of Roxbury, the BRA hopes that MassDOT will be a catalyst for jumpstarting construction at the site.

In addition to the development projects that are slated to move forward, the Board also approved the hiring of McKinsey & Company to conduct an independent evaluation of the BRA’s Planning Division. The firm was awarded a $420,000 contract for consultant services to complete an end-to-end review of the division’s activities, processes, and procedures, as recommended by KPMG’s audit of the BRA earlier this year. Charged with a wide scope of work, McKinsey will analyze the performance, transparency, and efficiency of the BRA’s planning functions beginning in January, with the goal of completing the review and issuing recommendations by the spring.

Below is a summary of the development projects approved at last night’s meeting.

The Community Builders, Inc. and development partner will construct 124 units of housing, ground floor retail, and new green space in Jamaica Plain

Total Project Cost: $40,000,000

Total SF: 193,310

Construction Jobs: 121

Developer JP Parcel U, LLC and The Community Builders, Inc are partnering on a three phase project to bring 124 residential units, over 1,600 square feet of ground floor retail, approximately 1,000 square feet of community space, and three new pocket parks to Parcel U in Jamaica Plain. Phase A and B consist of 48 condominium units spread across 24 energy efficient townhouses. Phase C, which will be developed and managed by The Community Builders, will consist of a mid-rise multifamily mixed-use residential building with 76 rental units. At total build out, the project will result in approximately 193,310 square feet of development, including parking and utilities.

Construction of Phase A is expected to begin in the spring of 2015 and be completed by the summer of 2016. Phase B is currently scheduled to begin in spring 2016, with completion anticipated in summer 2017. Phase C will not begin construction until spring 2017 in order to allow the development team to secure public funding for the affordable housing component. The project will ultimately include 38 affordable rental units and six affordable homeownership units.

The project will revitalize a former MBTA site. Conservation Services Group is the LEED sustainability consultant.

Bayside DoubleTree Hotel in Dorchester set to expand with 97 additional rooms

Total Project Cost: $28,000,000

Total SF: 68,500

Construction Jobs: 85

Located a quarter mile away from the MBTA’s JFK/UMass Station, the Bayside DoubleTree Hotel received approval to construct a 68,500 square foot addition with 97 new rooms. The six-story, L-shaped add-on will be built on the northeast side of the hotel on a surface parking lot. When the project is complete, the hotel will have a total of 294 rooms. The addition includes new conference and meeting space, a 4,000 square foot dividable ballroom, a restaurant and a bar, and meeting rooms.

The corner of Mount Vernon Street and the Mount Vernon Street extension will be landscaped to add new green space, an eight-foot wide paved pathway, and plantings to soften the 16,000 square foot area. The expansion will also provide 50 new bicycle parking spaces.

By creating new commercial and public space, the project will contribute to the continued revitalization of Columbia Point. The developer, Corcoran Jennison Companies, expects to begin the renovations in 2015 and finish them by March 2017.

New housing and a restaurant in store for Neponset Avenue in Dorchester

Total Project Cost: $5,500,000

Total SF: 31,565

Construction Jobs: 17

A new development with 22 units of housing and a 250-seat restaurant approved at last night’s meeting is poised to transform a block in Dorchester that fronts Minot Street and busy Neponset Avenue. The project, with a 26,065 square foot residential component and 5,500 square feet of restaurant space, will revitalize and expand upon an existing structure at 367Neponset Avenue. The development team cited a goal of activating that corner of the neighborhood, which doesn’t currently have many amenities to serve residents in the evening hours, by creating a local dining option.

After hearing feedback from community members, the overall height of the project was reduced from four floors above the parking garage to three, and the residential façade was recessed so that the building fits in more naturally with the aesthetics of the surrounding area.

The project, which includes three affordable housing units to meet the city’s Inclusionary Development Policy requirements, was designed by Sousa Design Architects. A timeline for construction has not yet been set.

Commercial building on River Street in Hyde Park to be rehabbed for condominium units

Total Project Cost: $6,000,000

Total SF: 40,686

Construction Jobs: 18

A two story commercial building at 1580 River Street in Hyde Park will be completely rehabilitated in order to create 32 condominium units, including four affordable units, along with on-site and off-street parking. To accommodate the new housing, a third story addition will be built above the existing structure. The project will contain an even split of one- and two-bedroom units.

The developer Anthony Ruscito expects construction to being in the spring of 2015. The project was designed by Roche-Christopher Architects.

About the Boston Redevelopment Authority

As the City of Boston’s urban planning and economic development agency, the BRA works in partnership with the community to plan Boston's future while respecting its past. The agency’s passionate and knowledgeable staff guides physical, social, and economic change in Boston’s neighborhoods and its downtown to shape a more prosperous, sustainable, and beautiful city for all. The BRA also prepares residents for new opportunities through employment training, human services and job creation. Learn more at www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org, and follow us on Twitter @BostonRedevelop.

PATRICK ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES NEW FUNDING TO CREATE OVER 235 UNITS OF SUPPORTIVE HOUSING

PATRICK ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES NEW FUNDING TO CREATE OVER 235 UNITS OF SUPPORTIVE HOUSING 
New Supportive Housing Units Bring Total Number Over 3,000, Tripling Governor Patrick’s Initial 1,000-Unit Goal

BOSTON– Friday, December 19, 2014 –Department of Housing and Community Development Undersecretary Aaron Gornstein today announced more than $15 million in funding to create over 235 new units of supportive housing for veterans, homeless and very low income households across the Commonwealth. With these new units, the Patrick Administration has funded a total of 3,065 supportive housing units, tripling the amount of Governor Deval Patrick’s goal a year early. 

“Governor Patrick has made permanent supportive housing a high priority because it is a key part of the solution to reducing homelessness over the long-term.  By providing a range of support services--which may include workforce development, education, child care, or mental health services-- our local non-profit partners can help to ensure a successful and sustainable tenancy.”

In December 2012, Governor Patrick announced a goal of creating 1,000 new units of supportive housing across the Commonwealth by December 2015. To reach this goal, 18 state agencies signed a memorandum of understanding partnering to improve existing processes, make recommendations for new, collaborative efforts and develop a long-range action plan to meet the need for supportive housing among the Commonwealth’s residents. The creation of the Commonwealth’s Interagency Supportive Housing Steering Committee and Working Group, co-chaired by the Secretaries of Housing and Economic Development and Health and Human Services, has played a critical role in helping Massachusetts reach this goal, and recently released a report celebrating this achievement.  

Supportive housing helps individuals and families that are homeless or facing homelessness, institutionalized or at-risk of institutionalization, people with disabilities and the elderly. Additionally, the agencies continue to assess the extent of public cost-savings generated as a result of providing permanent supportive housing and will recommend strategic reinvestments.

In addition to a providing housing for families, supportive housing, which is operated in conjunction with a network of non-profit agencies across the Commonwealth, can include services such as childcare, access to job training, mental-health care and other opportunities that give participants a hand up towards stability and success.

Alongside these new supportive housing units, the Patrick Administration also awarded 149 project-based vouchers from the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP). The vouchers are available to owners of existing, affordable rental properties, who provide services or partner with an agency that has experience with successfully stabilizing homeless or very low-income households.

The MRVP vouchers allow homeless families to move into existing housing developments with long-term affordability restrictions. The non-profit agencies that own the properties provide participating families with comprehensive supportive service programs to help ensure that they do not fall back into the cycle of homelessness and emergency shelter, while helping them move toward stability and self-sufficiency. Funds for supportive services in the amount of $2,500 per unit will be used to provide a wide array of services, including job search and training, financial literacy and planning, self-sufficiency training and coaching, counseling, parenting, early education and childcare, mental health and addiction treatment, adult education, and GED and skills training.

“The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has recognized the importance of creating quality supportive housing for communities in need and has been pro-active in creating an active pipeline for these projects,” said Roger Herzog, executive director of the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC). “The awards that have been granted today will make sure that both much-needed housing and services are available to homeless families and individuals, persons with disabilities, veterans, seniors, and youth, among others.”

Earlier this month, Governor Patrick announced the launch of a Massachusetts Pay for Success (PFS) initiative that will leverage philanthropic and private capital investments to reduce chronic individual homelessness, creating a new model of sustainable state support for chronically homeless individuals. The initiative will provide 500 units of stable supportive housing for up to 800 chronically homeless individuals over 6 years, improving the well-being of individuals while saving taxpayer dollars by reducing the utilization of costly emergency resources like shelter and Medicaid payments. 

In addition, DHCD has been committed to providing supportive housing for the Commonwealth’s veterans. The Department has awarded funds to produce 370 new units of affordable housing for low income veterans since the release 2013, exceeding the Patrick Administration’s three-year goal of 250 units.

The Patrick Administration continues to focus its efforts and resources on homelessness prevention and permanent housing to reduce the number of families living in hotels and at the same time to maintain one of the strongest safety nets in the country.

The following projects were announced today:

Harborlight House, Beverly

Harborlight House in Beverly is a supportive housing project serving frail low-income seniors who need various services in order to live with some degree of independence.  The sponsor is an experienced non-profit, Harborlight Community Partners. When rehabilitation is finished, the project will house 30 seniors in a prime Beverly location.

Residences Betances, Boston

Residences Betances is located in the South End of Boston.  Sponsored by the non-profit Inquilinos Boricuas En Accion (IBA), the project will house extremely low-income individuals with developmental challenges and diagnosed mental illness. The residents of the completed property will receive numerous services tailored to their individual needs. The completed property will feature four studios and seven single rooms.

Howard House, Brockton

Howard House in Brockton is a historic rehabilitation project that will offer 14 units of permanent supportive housing for homeless veterans on the site of the Brockton VA Medical Center. The sponsor is a joint venture including Peabody Properties, Windover Development and Father Bill’s Mainspring. The project will receive extensive support from the federal Veterans Administration, as well as from the state. The homeless veterans who become Howard House residents will be offered numerous services tailored to fit their needs.

O’Connor Sisson, Dartmouth

O’Connor Sisson in Dartmouth is a rehabilitation project intended to serve homeless veterans in need of support services. The sponsor is the Dartmouth Housing Authority. The completed project will offer nine efficiency units for extremely low income veterans, who will receive extensive services such as employment counseling, financial planning and therapeutic counseling.  In addition to state subsidies, the project will receive Community Preservation Act funds from the Town of Dartmouth.

4 Leighton Street, Fitchburg

4 Leighton Street in Fitchburg is a project that will provide 15 units of supportive housing for extremely low-income individuals, including individuals making the transition from homelessness. The experienced sponsor is the non-profit Twin Cities CDC. The completed project will offer extensive services to the new residents, including services to help residents maintain sobriety.

Harvard Elms, Harvard

Harvard Elms in Harvard is a new construction project intended to serve low and extremely low-income families, some of whom will participate in DHCD’s supportive housing initiative and will receive support services. The sponsor is the experienced non‑profit CHOICE, based in Chelmsford. The project has been permitted locally through Chapter 40B. When completed, Harvard Elms will offer nine affordable units, including supportive housing units for families making the transition from homelessness.

20 Willis Street, New Bedford

20 Willis Street in New Bedford is a project intended to serve homeless veterans. The sponsor is the non-profit Southern Massachusetts Veterans Housing Program. When completed, Willis Street will offer 40 units of single-room supportive housing for homeless veterans, as well as community space, a kitchen and dining room, and service space. Extensive services will be available to the veterans who become Willis Street residents.

St. Mary’s, Boston

St. Mary’s Center for Women and Children is developing a 12-unit transitional housing program for pregnant and parenting young adults. Priority will be given to homeless families who face numerous obstacles to independent living. A full –time support service coordinator will help  identify the services most needed by each young family. 

Gifford Street, Falmouth

The Falmouth Housing Corporation will add support services for three homeless families to the Gifford Street project with funding from the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP). Supportive services will be provided by the Falmouth Housing Authority’s existing housing stabilization program. Specific services will include transition counseling, job placement assistance and direct case management. 

Columbia Park, Haverhill

Emmaus Inc. will create 16 units of permanent, supportive housing for homeless families currently residing in emergency shelters/motels. Fourteen units will be located at Columbia Park Apartments in Haverhill, a 32-unit complex that Emmaus has owned since 1992. Two units will be sited in a two family house, also in Haverhill. Services will be provided through an expansion of Emmaus’ existing supportive housing program. 

Redfield, Pittsfield  

The Berkshire Fund in Western Massachusetts will use the Housing Preservation and Stabilization Trust Fund to provide MRVP subsidy and support services for four units of existing housing within a 23-unit supportive housing program serving high risk pregnant and parenting young adults. Families served by the program will receive specialized support services designed to help them become responsible tenants, self-sufficient and committed members of the community.  

Harbor and Lafayette Homes, Salem

Sponsored by the North Shore Community Development Corporation, Harbor and Lafayette Homes will preserve two existing single room occupancy properties in Salem’s historic Point Neighborhood as 26 service-enriched, affordable apartments for low-income individuals, and one apartment for a resident manager. The 16 service-enhanced MRVP subsidies will serve extremely-low-income youth aging out of the foster care system. These tenants will receive a comprehensive package of supportive services from North Shore CDC.  

Bixby Road, Spencer

This project will incorporate 11 supportive housing units within a 42-unit townhouse style family development in Spencer. The supportive housing units will be designed and structured for formerly homeless occupants who face particular life challenges, such as a chronic physical illness or disability, and who need support services. The services will be provided through a tenant supportive services program operated by the project sponsor, South Middlesex Opportunity Council. 

Kenwyn and Quadrangle, Springfield 

HAP Housing in Springfield will use eight Housing Preservation and Stabilization Trust Fund service-enhanced MRVP subsidies to assist homeless families as they transition from shelters, such as  HAP’s Residential Resource Center, a temporary housing facility that provides shelter for 36 families. The MRVP subsidies will allow families to move into permanent rental housing at either Kenwyn or Quadrangle Court, and the support service dollars will permit the continuation of service delivery to the families in their new location. Services will include parenting classes, domestic violence counseling and financial education seminars. 

E. Henry Twiggs Estates, Phase I, Springfield 

Better Homes, Inc. is working on a plan to support the comprehensive redevelopment of 75 scattered site units in the Bay and Upper Hill neighborhoods of Springfield. As an integral part of the first phase of the project, Better Homes will convert 13 affordable rental units into permanent supportive housing for low income families. Services will be provided through an expansion of Better Home’s existing supportive housing partnership with HAP Housing, also of Springfield. 

Bunker Hill Community College Student Places First in National Math Competition

Bunker Hill Community College Student Places First in National Math Competition

BOSTON, December 19, 2014—BHCC honors student Minwoo Yoo placed first in the nation in Round I of the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges Student Math League competition. Competing on the precalculus test against students from 187 community colleges, Yoo earned a perfect score. “I’m confident he’ll win Round II,” said Yoo’s mentor Elhoussine Ghardi, Assistant Professor, Mathematics Department. Round II is scheduled for February 13 to March 7, 2015.

The competition is given annually in two rounds—one each during the fall and spring semesters. The test questions, which are on the precalculus level, are nonstandard, difficult questions which are not typically posed in such classes, according to Student Math League Coordinator Susan Strickland. The highest scoring eligible participant for both rounds combined is awarded a $3,000 scholarship. “Minwoo's score is impressive,” said Strickland. “He was the only one to get a perfect score of 40 points.”

Yoo chose to participate because, as he said, “Students who [have] succeeded in transferring to MIT or Caltech from a community college participated in the competition and made it to the individual top 10 list.” He plans to transfer to a four-year school Fall 2015 and major in computer science. Yoo’s top choices are Brown, Cornell, Harvard and MIT.

Roxbury Innovation Center Operator Selected

Roxbury Innovation Center Operator Selected

Venture Café Foundation and SkyLab to manage and program the business incubator and common areas

BOSTON — Today Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced the City of Boston has selected The Venture Café Foundation to operate the Roxbury Innovation Center in the new Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building in Dudley Square. The approximately 3,000-square-foot Center will be located in the new headquarters of the Boston Public Schools (BPS), and aims to encourage collaboration, bold thinking, and new business development. In addition, Mayor Walsh announced that SkyLab has been selected to provide community-connected programming services in the Bolling Building’s common areas, and to collaborate with the City, Boston Public Schools, and Venture Café Foundation to help fulfill the vision of the Roxbury Innovation Center. Through partnership with the Patrick Administration, the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative has committed to provide awardees grant funding totaling up to $150,000 to support the operation of the Center and programming in the building.

“The Bruce C. Bolling Municipal will be a gathering place for Dudley Square’s growing innovation economy,” said Mayor Walsh. “Not only will it launch new businesses from the Roxbury Innovation Center to boost the local Roxbury economy, but it will strengthen the connections of the surrounding neighborhood to innovation and the opportunities it creates.”

“I am excited that the City of Boston has chosen these great organizations to provide unique and innovative services at the Roxbury Innovation Center,” said Governor Deval Patrick. “This new investment will continue to revitalize the Dudley Square neighborhood and provide opportunities for generations to come.”

“We’re looking forward to working with the community to create a space for experimentation and conversation that highlights all of the innovation and entrepreneurship happening locally, and connects to resources that make ideas and businesses grow faster,” said Kevin Wiant, Executive Director of the Venture Café.  

“Our vision is about connecting people, so that every person with an idea can build it, grow it, become a successful entrepreneur,” said Nicole Fichera. “We are excited to collaborate with the Skylab team, the Boston Public Schools, and many others to achieve this vision.” Fichera manages District Hall for the Venture Café, and is a co-principal with Wiant on the Roxbury project.

“We are excited to be given this opportunity to program the innovation space in the Bruce Boiling Municipal building,” said Bridgette Wallace, Co-Principal of the SkyLab. “At the SkyLab, community will interlock with co-visioning, education will be intertwined with fun, innovation with arts, culture with technology, experience with commitment, and history with the present. The SkyLab will be a gateway for community residents, in partnership with advisors and mentors, to explore what it means to become an entrepreneur. They will be able to discover what steps are needed to bring that to fruition, taking a deep dive into what the risks and costs associated with starting a venture are – all to question how we might link urban innovators to the larger innovation community.”

The Venture Café Foundation connects the innovation community by operating spaces (including District Hall in Boston’s Innovation District and the Venture Café event in Cambridge’s Kendall Square), programs and conversations. The organization has extensive experience managing these types of facilities and engaging the greater Boston innovation community with programs. Their proposal envisioned operating the Roxbury Innovation Center with a “platform approach,” making the space a flexible and supportive space for many different groups across every industry.

SkyLab is represented by Roxbury community members and members of local tech and entrepreneurial networks. The company envisions using the Bolling Building’s common spaces as locations to provide educational sessions in addition to hackathons, pitch contests, technology competitions, and events with BPS administrators, teachers, and parents. The company’s principals have been committed to connecting the local community to the Bolling Building since before construction on the facility began. 

Mayor Walsh announced plans for the Roxbury Innovation Center during his Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce speech in April 2014. In July 2014, a Request for Interest, Ideas and Innovation (RFI) to gauge interest in the innovation community for programming the location was released and 16 Statements of Interest were received in response. information gathered from the RFI informed a Request for Proposals (RFP) that was released in November 2014 to seek out an operator for the Roxbury Innovation Center and a programmer for the building’s public space.

The RFP submissions were reviewed by a Selection Committee comprised of: Melissa Dodd, Chief of Staff, Boston Public Schools; James Jennings, Professor of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, Tufts University; Ted Landsmark, Boston Redevelopment Authority, Board of Directors; Eric Nakajima, Assistant Secretary for Innovation Policy, Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development; and Keith Williams, Director, City of Boston, Small and Local Business Enterprise Department. Four proposals were submitted in response to the operator RFP, and four proposals were submitted in response to the programming RFP.   

The Roxbury Innovation Center will be located on the second floor of the Bolling Building, which is slated to open in the first quarter of 2015. The initial lease will be for five years, with an option to renew for an additional five years.

About the Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building

The Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building is slated to open in the first quarter of 2015, and incorporates the Ferdinand Furniture Building, the Curtis Block and the Waterman & Sons building, into a new state-of-the-art facility. The six-story building will house an estimated 500 municipal employees from Boston Public Schools, and will feature office space, as well as open space for student work, school events, and community gatherings. The building will also include 18,000 square feet of street-level retail space, and the approximately 3,000-square-foot Roxbury Innovation Center.

The City of Boston’s $115 million investment in the Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building has spurred private investment across Dudley Square. The building is a collaboration between the City of Boston’s Property and Construction Management Department and the Boston Redevelopment Authority, working closely with the community and historic preservationists. The Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building was designed by Mecanoo architecten and Sasaki Associates. Shawmut Design and Construction served as the CM at-Risk builder, with project management services delivered by PMA Consultants.

T-MOBILE TO PAY $90 MILLION TO SETTLE ALLEGATIONS OF “MOBILE CRAMMING”

T-MOBILE TO PAY $90 MILLION TO SETTLE ALLEGATIONS OF “MOBILE CRAMMING”Massachusetts to Receive $294,000 in Federal-State Settlement for Alleged Unauthorized Cellphone Charges

            BOSTON – T-Mobile has agreed to pay  $90 million pursuant to state and federal settlements over allegations that the company placed charges for third-party services on cellphone bills that had not been authorized by the consumer, a practice known as “mobile cramming,” Attorney General Martha Coakley announced today.

AG Coakley, along with 49 states and the District of Columbia, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reached settlements with T-Mobile valued at $90 million, resolving claims that consumers were “crammed” with additional charges, typically $9.99 per month, for “premium” short messaging services (PSMS), or text message subscription services such as horoscopes, trivia, and sports scores, that the consumers had never heard of or requested. 

“Massachusetts consumers have been victimized for too long by this deceptive mobile cramming practice,” AG Coakley said. “Our office will continue to work with other states to hold companies accountable for these unauthorized charges and ensure that the mobile telephone industry has the right protections in place.”

The attorneys general and federal regulators allege that cramming occurred when T-Mobile placed charges on bills without the consumer’s knowledge or consent. In addition to Verizon, Sprint and AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA, Inc. was among the four major mobile carriers that announced in November 2013 it would cease billing their customers for commercial PSMS charges, and is the first mobile telephone provider to enter into a national settlement to resolve allegations regarding cramming. T-Mobile is the second mobile telephone provider to enter into a nation-wide settlement to resolve allegations regarding cramming. In October, AT&T agreed to pay $105 million over the cramming allegations.

Under the terms of the settlements, T-Mobile is required to provide a $67.5 million fund to repay consumers who were victims of cramming—a portion of which may be paid by forgiving debts consumers may owe T-Mobile. The fund will be administered by the FTC.  T-Mobile also agreed to pay $18 million to the attorneys general and $4.5 million to the FCC. Massachusetts will receive more than $294,000.

Consumers can submit claims under the T-Mobile cramming refund program by visiting www.t-mobilerefund.com. If consumers are unsure about whether they are eligible for a refund, or have questions about the program, they can visit the claims website or contact the claims administrator at(855) 382-6403 for more information.

The settlement requires T-Mobile to stay out of the commercial PSMS business, the platform to which law enforcement agencies attribute the lion’s share of the mobile cramming problem. Additional terms require T-Mobile to take a number of steps designed to ensure that it only bills consumers for third-party charges that have been authorized, including the following:

• Obtain consumers’ express consent before billing consumers for third-party charges, and ensure that consumers are only charged for services if the consumer has been informed of all material terms and conditions of their payment;
• Give consumers an opportunity to obtain a full refund or credit when they are billed for unauthorized third-party charges;
• Inform its customers when they sign up for services that their mobile phone can be used to pay for third-party charges, and inform consumers of how those third-party charges can be blocked if the consumer doesn’t want to use their phone as a payment method for third-party products; and
• Present third-party charges in a dedicated section of consumers’ mobile phone bills, clearly distinguish them from T-Mobile’s charges, and include in that same section information about the consumers’ ability to block third-party charges.

In June 2013, AG Coakley along with 39 attorneys general sent comments to the FTC  about putting an end to mobile cramming. 

This matter was handled by Assistant Attorney General Mychii Snape and Deputy Chief David Monahan of Attorney General Coakley’s Consumer Protection Division.

查理貝克為救世軍搖鈴 工作團隊名單陸續出爐

麻州候任州長查理貝克（Charlie Baker）雖然要等一月八日才上任，但當選以後的行程之滿，觸及的話題之多，已儼然州長。昨（十八）日救世軍請他到梅西百貨前搖鈴籌款。

            麻州救世軍人員透露，為加強氣氛，鼓勵更多人打開荷包，在節慶假日之前捐款助人，該機構已排定邀請不下五名政客，到梅西百貨前搖鈴。

            十七日是波士頓市長馬丁華殊（Martin Walsh），麻州眾議會議長狄樂歐，十八日是麻州候任州長查理貝克，今（十九）日將是麻州候任財政廳長高伯珂（Deb Goldberg）。救世軍預定下週公佈各政客搖鈴籌款成績，聊做趣聞。

        查理貝克最近一連串公佈人事佈局，最新出現的名單包括指派曾和他在哈佛朝聖者醫療保險公司共事，曾於2002年為朗尼（Mitt Romney）做競選副經理的Dean Serpa出任營運長。

            查理貝克的家族好友，敏蒂亞伯洛夫（Mindy d’Arbeloff）和曾任麻州議員助理，創辦了培訓從政人才的麻州講座（Commonwealth Seminar)，現為大都會區域計畫會副主任的巴瑞拉（Joel Barrera），將是五名社區關係副首長之一。

            查理貝克競選州長時的競選經理，目前擔任交接團隊幕僚長，現年三十四歲，住在水城，紐約雪城（Syracuse）大學畢業的康洛伊（Jim Conroy）將出任查理貝克的資深顧問。

            關於最近頗為熱門的波士頓市爭取2024奧林匹克主辦權一事上，查理貝克早在本月初就曾表示，支持爭取主辦的行動，但對到底要花多少錢來辦這活動，持保留態度。

            波士頓市入選為主辦奧林匹克四個候選城市之一，和洛杉磯，華府，西雅圖競爭，波士頓市長馬丁華殊並於十六日時飛往加州陳情後，查理貝克表示，現在談的是2024年的奧林匹克，實在還是很遠以後的事。一旦麻州波士頓被選為主辦城市後，他和波士頓市長將確保一應相關程序，都有公開，透明的討論。他表示，雖然已聽說波士頓將以更廉宜的方式來承辦2024奧林匹克，會比往年的400到500億元少，他認為波士頓競標2024奧林匹克主辦權過程，應由私人資助。

圖片說明：

            查理貝克昨日輕鬆搞笑，讓救世軍泡泡膠抱住他。（菊子攝）

            來自中國，曾任廚師，住在南波士頓的謝松，路過梅西百貨，見到州長，興奮要求合照。事後透露，他的選票，就是投給查理貝克的。（菊子攝）

            昨日有不少人推著嬰兒車經過，要求查理貝克和小嬰孩合照，他也都來者不拒。（菊子攝）