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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) could go all the way with a proposed fine against ESPN.

The proposal calls for a penalty of $146,976 against ESPN for violating the Emergency Alert System (EAS) rules when the network aired ads to promote the 2023-2024 NBA season. The FCC said the tones were used “in the absence of an actual emergency.”

The offending ads contained the unauthorized EAS tune and were aired six times from October 20 to 24, 2023. Several complaints were filed on October 20 about the TV spots. The cable network admitted in response to a letter of inquiry that it used the EAS attention signals in the ads.

ESPN will have an opportunity to respond to the proposed fine. The Commission will examine all the evidence and legal arguments surrounding the alleged illegal tone use before making a final decision on the matter.

This is the third time the network misused an emergency tone on air. The FCC issued a $1.12 million fine as part of a forfeiture order in 2015 when ESPN used EAS tones a total of 13 times across three of its cable networks. ESPN violated EAS tone usage rules a second time during an airing of one of its 30 for 30 documentaries Roll Tide/War Eagle, leading to a $20,000 fine in 2021.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/espn-faces-146k-fine-for-using-emergency-alert-tones-in-nba-ads-200054993.html?src=rss 

Bloober Team unveiled what it’s been working on at today’s Xbox Partner Showcase event. The studio showed off a cinematic trailer for Cronos: The New Dawn, which is a brand-new IP.

The developer describes the game as “a twisted time travel story set in an unforgiving post-apocalyptic future.” It’s a third-person survival horror title that looks to have plenty of action. This is a far cry from the type of psychological horror games the studio cut its teeth on, like the Layers of Fear series. We spoke to Bloober Team last year and were told it was moving away from psychological horror and, well, here’s the proof.

The trailer primarily consists of a lengthy scene in which a character who looks sort of like Isaac from Dead Space and a bit like a Big Daddy from Bioshock plays chess with a lady before wandering an apocalyptic hellscape. There is actual gameplay here, but only toward the end of the trailer.

Bloober Team says players will need to successfully navigate that “deadly wasteland” and fight off “monstrous abominations.” It also says the game mixes the “eerie atmosphere of horror with the boundless potential of science fiction.” The trailer certainly confirms that sentiment.

Despite being announced at an Xbox event, Cronos: The New Dawn isn’t exclusive to Microsoft consoles. It’ll be available on PC, PS5 and, of course, Xbox Series X|S systems sometime in 2025. The studio just released its remake of the iconic horror game Silent Hill 2.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/bloober-teams-next-horror-game-is-cronos-the-new-dawn-184925036.html?src=rss 

On Thursday, the FCC approved new regulations requiring all phone makers to make their handsets compatible with hearing aids. With the number of Americans 65 and older expected to balloon by nearly 50 percent by 2050, the rules will ensure those with hearing loss don’t have to worry about which phones will work with their hearing aids.

“Under the new rules, after a transition period, Americans with hearing loss will no longer be limited in their choice of technologies, features, and prices available in the mobile handset marketplace,” the FCC wrote in a press release.

On the flip side, the FCC also passed a requirement for hearing aid makers that effectively bans proprietary Bluetooth coupling standards in the assistive devices. So, phones must be compatible with hearing aids — and vice versa. The rule even applies to the recently approved over-the-counter hearing aids, which now include AirPods Pro 2.

Other changes include requiring all new mobile handsets sold in the US to let users raise the volume without introducing distortion. In addition, the FCC now mandates that cell phones’ point-of-sale labels clarify hearing aid compatibility and whether the handsets meet Bluetooth or telecoil coupling requirements.

The FCC worked with a consortium of cell carriers, phone makers and researchers to draft and adopt the rules. “Establishing a 100% hearing aid compatibility requirement for all mobile handsets was made possible by the collaborative efforts of members of the Hearing Aid Compatibility Task Force — an independent organization of wireless service providers, handset manufacturers, research institutions and advocates for those with hearing loss,” the Commission wrote. “Members of the Task Force worked together over a period of years to reach a consensus on how the Commission could achieve its objective of requiring 100% of all mobile handsets to be hearing aid compatible.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/the-fcc-will-soon-require-all-hearing-aids-and-phones-to-work-together-190003074.html?src=rss 

The Federal Communications Commission has passed rules that will require all wireless calls to the 988 Lifeline to be georouted. Geographic routing ensures that attempts to reach the National Suicide Prevention Hotline for intervention services will be sent to the location where the call is placed rather than to the location of the caller’s area code and exchange.

Once the rules take effect, national providers will have 30 days to implement georouting for these calls. Smaller, non-national providers have a timeline of 24 months to comply. The agency also issued a proposal that the same georouting policy be applied to texts sent to 988.

The FCC has taken several steps to expand the reach of the 988 Lifeline over the past few years. After voting to make the three-digit number the shortcut for reaching the National Suicide Prevention Hotline in 2020, the agency expanded the service to include text support in 2021. T-Mobile was one of the first telecoms to activate 988 for customers to access mental health services.

If you are struggling and need someone to listen, please, call 988. The full number is 1-800-273-8255 (1-800-273-TALK), or you can reach the Lifeline by webchat.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/fcc-now-requires-georouting-for-wireless-calls-to-988-the-national-suicide-prevention-hotline-192030468.html?src=rss 

A 25-year-old Alabama man has been arrested by the FBI for his alleged role in the takeover of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s X account earlier this year. The hack resulted in a rogue tweet that falsely claimed bitcoin ETFs had been approved by the regulator, which temporarily juiced bitcoin prices.

Now, the FBI has identified Eric Council Jr. as one of the people allegedly behind the exploit. Council was charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated identity theft and access device fraud, according to the Justice Department. While the SEC had previously confirmed that its X account was compromised via a SIM swap attack, the indictment offers new details about how it was allegedly carried out.

According to the indictment, Council worked with co-conspirators who he coordinated with over SMS and encrypted messaging apps. These unnamed individuals allegedly sent him the personal information of someone, identified only as “C.L,” who had access to the SEC X account. Council then printed a fake ID using the information and used it to buy a new SIM in their name, as well as a new iPhone, according to the DoJ. He then coordinated with the other individuals so they could access the SEC’s X account, change its settings and send the rogue tweet, the indictment says. 

The tweet from @SECGov, which came one day ahead of the SEC’s actual approval of 11 spot bitcoin ETFS, caused bitcoin prices to temporarily spike by more than $1,000. It also raised questions about why the high profile account wasn’t secured with multi-factor authentication at the time of the attack. “Today’s arrest demonstrates our commitment to holding bad actors accountable for undermining the integrity of the financial markets,” SEC Inspector General Jeffrey said in a statement.

The indictment further notes that Council allegedly performed some seemingly incriminating searches on his personal computer. Among his searchers were: “SECGOV hack,” “telegram sim swap,” “how can I know for sure if I am being investigated by the FBI,” “What are the signs that you are under investigation by law enforcement or the FBI even if you have not been contacted by them,” “what are some signs that the FBl is after you,” “Verizon store list,” “federal identity theft statute,” and “how long does it take to delete telegram account,” the indictment says.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/the-fbi-arrested-an-alabama-man-for-allegedly-helping-hack-the-secs-x-account-193508179.html?src=rss 

After a long and winding road, Remedy Entertainment has unveiled its multiplayer follow-up to Control. FBC: Firebreak is for teams of three, and the trios will face down waves of enemies with an intriguing arsenal of weapons. For instance, the trailer shows a gatling gun of gloopy poison and a gun with a launching piston attached to the front for aerial attacks.

Since FBC: Firebreak is set in the same world as Control (and Alan Wake II), there will be more for players to explore about this surreal place. The trailer showed off gunfights in the Federal Bureau of Control and the Oldest House, familiar settings to those who have played Control and its DLC. But with the different approach to gameplay, FBC: Firebreak isn’t intended to be a direct sequel to the psychological hit game. “I guess you could say that it’s a spin-off, but in the most positive sense of the word,” Game Director Mike Kayatta said. “It’s not designed to be some kind of lesser, bite-sized Control. FBC: Firebreak is its own, fully formed thing.”

A co-op project from the studio was first teased all the way back in 2021. Firebreak has clearly gone through some refinements from the original concept Remedy announced with 505 Games. At the time, it was also working on a free-to-play co-op shooter with the conglomerate Tencent, but the codenamed Project Vanguard was scrapped in 2023. The duo attempted to reenvision the game as a premium title, but that also fell by the wayside.

FBC: Firebreak is currently scheduled for release in 2025 and it will be on Game Pass at launch. It is expected to launch on Xbox Series X|S, PC and PlayStation 5. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/remedys-new-game-is-fbc-firebreak-a-co-op-shooter-in-the-control-universe-180702570.html?src=rss 

Phasmophobia was one of the chief reasons a lot of gamers lost so much sleep during the pandemic. Now it’s finally headed to consoles after four years of frightening the hell out of us.

Kinetic Games’ ghost hunting game is heading to PlayStation 5, PS VR2 and Xbox Series X/S on October 29. Players on consoles and PCs through Steam can explore haunted places together in online sessions and discover the highest octave their voices can hit. Kinetic announced the game’s console release last year but unforeseen delays forced the studio to push back the date.

Since the game is launching on consoles just before Halloween, Kinetic Games is also holding a special in-game event. Teams will receive a special Halloween goal in which all teams playing on all platforms will work together to “permanently unlock the Blood Moon weather.” The achievement comes with a special badge and trophy and more reasons to scream your head off in future matches.

Phasmophobia is an addictive and horrifying four-player exploration game that came to life on PCs in 2020. As part of a team of ghost hunters, you’re dispatched to a haunted location to investigate and determine what type of horrifying soul is dispatching the living to the realm of the dead. Each team member uses various pieces of ghost hunting equipment and ethereal artifacts to determine the type of spirit doing the haunting and other required criteria about the entity, capture evidence of its presence and sometimes even make contact with the entity.

These ghosts and otherworldly creatures don’t just make doors slam shut and yell “Boo!” before scurrying off into the shadows. There are 20 different types of entities like banshees, demons wraiths and revenants that can call out your name in the darkness, drive down your sanity and even kill your ghost hunter if you’re not careful.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/aaaaaah-phsamophobia-haunts-consoles-this-month-182546124.html?src=rss