November 22nd, 2013
01:17 AM ET
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Speaking out against cell service on planes

Commercial air travel is already filled with annoyances like shrinking personal space, overpriced meals and frequent delays. For many people, there's one bright spot to flying: A forced break from making, receiving and hearing phone calls.

That could change with the Federal Communication Commissions new proposal to drop the ban on cellular connections and allow phone calls once a plane reaches 10,000 feet.

The FCC first pitched the idea in 2004, before the rise of the smartphone. The reaction from passengers and flight attendant unions at the time was loud and negative: phone calls on planes would be disruptive, annoying and a potential safety issue. The FCC decided against the proposal.

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Filed under: U.S.
November 22nd, 2013
01:15 AM ET
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Key part of HeathCare.gov was shelved

When the troubled federal health care website came online, the key "Anonymous Shopper" function was nowhere to be found - even though it passed a key test almost two weeks before HealthCare.gov launched.

That successful test, noted in documents obtained by CNN and confirmed by a source close to the project, contradicts testimony from an Obama administration official overseeing HealthCare.gov, who told lawmakers earlier this month the function was scrapped because it "failed miserably" before the October 1 launch.

Like much of the HealthCare.gov rollout, the subject has become political fodder for Republicans, who claim the decision to nix the anonymous shopper was made by administration officials worried it would produce rate estimates so high they would deter potential enrollees.

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Filed under: Barack Obama • Politics • U.S.