Category: Business

Schmidt urges phone carriers to offer call-blocking technology to consumers

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt today urged the five major phone companies to offer call-blocking technology to their customers.

In a letter to the chief executives of AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile and Century Link, Schmidt, along with 44 other state attorneys general, stated a new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rule clarification allows telecommunications service providers to offer customers the ability to block unwanted calls, and verifies that federal law does not prohibit offering the services.

In the letter, the attorneys general stated, “Every year, our offices are flooded with consumer complaints pleading for a solution to stop intrusive robocalls. Your companies are now poised to offer your customers the help they need. We urge you to act without delay.”

Schmidt said phone carriers had previously claimed they could not offer such services. At a July 2013 Congressional committee hearing, representatives from the U.S. Telecom Association and CTIA testified that legal barriers prevent carriers from implementing advanced call-blocking technology to reduce the number of unwanted telemarketing calls.

“The FCC in its rule has made it clear that phone companies can assist us in our ongoing efforts to reduce unwanted and unsolicited calls to consumers,” Schmidt said. ”I’m hopeful the phone companies will work quickly to implement this technology to give consumers the power to decide which calls they want to accept.”

A copy of the attorneys general letter is available at http://1.usa.gov/1HPfdrb .

Kansas consumers can learn more about the Do Not Call list or file a complaint by visiting the attorney general’s consumer protection website at www.InYourCornerKansas.org.

Registration open for KCKCC’s 2015 Innovation Summit

by Kelly Rogge

Inventors, entrepreneurs or anyone who has a creative idea may be interested in Kansas City Kansas Community College’s 2015 Innovation Summit.

The 4th annual Innovation Summit is from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 2 at KCKCC’s Thomas R. Burke Technical Education Center, 6565 State Ave. The cost for attendees to register for the event is $10. Lunch is provided.

This year, Alicia Hooks, director of entrepreneurship at KCKCC, said organizers are trying something new and exciting. Not only will the event hold creative, new and innovative pitches, but the event will also concurrently hold the MECA Summit Challenge (Most Entrepreneurial City in America). The MECA Challenge is for high school and college age participants who compete in small groups to create the best solutions for real problems small businesses experience. Judges will evaluate the solutions and give awards based on their creativity, feasibility, ease of implication and more.

At the Pitch Competition, entrepreneurs will pitch their ideas in front of judges including venture capitalists, investors, other entrepreneurs, business leaders and the community. Participants will compete in one of two divisions – Concept/Idea and Revenue Generating. Additionally, this year, the competition will have a national platform. Friends, family and investors from around the nation can view a video of the pitch and cast their votes online. This provides a wider viewing audience for the product or service participants are presenting at the competition.

“Some people tend to have a slight twist in their gut when they see a new product or idea hit the market that they already thought of,” Hooks said. “This is a platform to not only showcase their ideas, but to provide support.”

Those attending the event and listening to the pitches will each receive the same amount of Innovation Summit currency to give to their favorite ideas. Attendees will have 90 minutes to tour the room and visit with each pitch person/entrepreneur in order to learn any additional information to make their Innovation Summit Currency investment. At the end of the event, organizers will count the Innovation Summit currency for each entrepreneur, which will play a part in determining who moves onto the final round to pitch in front of the judges. Participants are competing for a chance to win a share of $10,000.

Hooks said this event will help to connect and engage innovators and entrepreneurs in the Kansas City community. More than 300 attended the Innovation Summit last year.

“Anyone with an idea or even those that have already started their business can receive business coaching and consulting, at no cost to them, prior to the competition,” she said. “In addition, those who attend will be able to hear and see the creativity and innovation that exists right here. With the MECA competition that is going on simultaneously, those that do not have a desire to start a business, can see how innovation and entrepreneurial thinking is valuable as well. That competition displays unique problem solving skills that are important in any career or leadership role, all while enjoying lunch.”

For more information on the 2015 Innovation Summit, contact Alicia Hooks at 913-288-7570 or by email at [email protected].

Kelly Rogge is the public information supervisor at KCKCC.

Sweet treats offered at Legends store today

As part of a new Verizon store opening at The Legends, those who donate a used phone will receive a free ice cream cone.

The donated phones will go to help domestic violence victims through Verizon’s HopeLine program. The event is from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. today, July 11.

The ice cream giveaway is part of the store’s grand opening events. Every hour from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. today, July 11, the shop will give away either a 4G LTE smartphone or a Verizon Wireless gift card. There will be two winners per hour.

During the grand opening of this store, Verizon gave $2,500 to Friends of Yates and $2,500 to El Centro, through its HopeLine Program. The funds will help local organizations that assist domestic violence victims.

On Sunday, July 12, those who try the new interactive store stations at the Verizon store can receive a sweet treat from the Coffee Cake KC parked outside the store from noon to 2 p.m.

The Legends Outlets Verizon Wireless Smart Store opened on Thursday, June 25. The new Verizon Wireless retail store is designed to make shopping for wireless devices and services more convenient and personalized, according to a spokesman. The redesigned stores are called Smart Stores and feature products in mobile lifestyle zones.

The store is at 10621 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kan., in The Legends. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays.