Transportation

The Trump administration has quietly dropped an Obama-era proposal requiring all new vehicles to have communication technology that allows them to wirelessly “talk” to each another. The rule, unveiled last December, calls for all new light-duty cars and trucks to eventually be equipped with vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) technology, a safety system that enables cars to send wireless signals to each other, anticipate each other’s moves and thus avoid crashes. Officials have said the technology could prevent tens of thousands of crashes each year.

[Commentary] By launching 11,943 satellites SpaceX will do to telecoms what WhatsApp/Facebook Messenger did to SMS and in doing so capture a $1tn+ business — and there’s fringe benefits for Tesla.

What SpaceX are actually seeking is to replace every broadband and communications provider on the planet, by cutting out the middle man of land-based networks that stand between you and the internet. In doing so they will be essentially competing with every communications provider in the world — a business valued at over a trillion dollars. Forget about poor communities in Africa for a second: this is a pitch to replace physical fibre/cable connections in modern industrialised economies But a few questions arise from this including the big one: mobile phones. Will the plan be to have mobile phones work directly with satellites overhead? Is that even possible? Or will there be a hybrid approach — provide broadband to physically static locations and work from there?

[Gavin Sheridan is the Founder and CEO of Vizlegal.]

You'll soon be able to text on any Delta flight for free. Delta flights worldwide will have free texting through a Gogo app, starting Oct 1. Free messaging will be available on Gogo-enabled Delta flights for planes with two or more cabins. Travelers will be able to access the feature through Delta's Wi-Fi portal page, airborne.gogoinflight.com. Delta has 1,300 planes worldwide and all but 130 of them have Wi-Fi, according to a Delta spokeswoman.

Uber has been stripped of its London licence in a surprise move that has triggered an outcry from drivers at the ride-hailing company and Conservative politicians. The firm’s application for a new licence in London was rejected on the basis that the company is not a “fit and proper” private car hire operator. Uber said it planned to challenge the ruling by London’s transport authority in the courts immediately. This means Uber cars will not disappear from the streets immediately and will continue to operate for its 3.5 million users in the capital until the firm has exhausted the appeals process – which could take months. The current licence expires on 30 September but Uber has 21 days to appeal and can continue to operate until that process expires.

Passengers at all US airports will soon face new measures for screening electronic devices bigger than a cellphone. Security officers will ask travelers in regular lanes to take all larger devices out of their bag and put them in a bin by themselves, similar to the screening of most travelers' laptops. Officials say it gives X-ray screeners a clearer picture of the devices. The change won't apply to pre-check lanes. The Transportation Security Administration said the new procedure will go nationwide in the coming weeks and months. TSA has been testing it at 10 airports for more than a year. The Department of Homeland Security has been changing rules for electronics on international flights because of the threat that terrorists could hide bombs inside laptop or tablet computers.