Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/655176
ByJustinPritchard The Associated Press LOS ANGELES Google wants Congress to create new federal powers that would let the tech giant receive special, expedited permission to bring to mar- ket a self-driving car that has no steering wheel or pedals. The proposal, laid out in a letter to top fed- eral transportation of- ficials, reveals Google's solution to a major reg- ulatory roadblock: U.S. law does not permit the mainstream deployment of cars with the design Google has been advanc- ing, which would not al- low a person to drive. The cars may sound fu- turistic, but Google has dropped increasingly strong hints that its self- driving technology — tested for several years on public roads in California and elsewhere — could be ready for early adopters sooner than the public ex- pects. The tech giant's push to clear roadblocks in fed- eral law reinforces that confidence. The process Google ad- vocates would be available to any company that wants to produce a car which can drive itself without human intervention. Traditional automakers are moving in that direction, but not as aggressively as Google. In a letter sent Friday to U.S. Transportation Sec- retary Anthony Foxx, the head of Google's self-driv- ing car project, Chris Urm- son, sketched out the idea of a federal fast track for the technology which he floated without details at a Senate Commerce Commit- tee hearing Tuesday. Under Google's proposed framework, a company that could show its vehicles passed federal safety stan- dards could receive per- mission from transporta- tion regulators to sell them. The government could set conditions that limit use based on safety concerns, and would be obligated to review the application in a "tight but realistic" time frame. The typical process for making new rules takes years. Granting the new au- thority would bring "enor- mous potential safety ben- efits ... quite promptly with appropriate safety condi- tions and full public input," according to a summary of the proposal obtained by The Associated Press. Google's proposal came in a response to a U.S. De- partment of Transporta- tion invitation for industry input on ways to speed the technology to public roads, provided it is proven to be safe. AUTOMOBILES Googlegivesfederal plan for self-driving car EVANVUCCI—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., points to a Continental Chrysler 300c during a demonstration of self-driving car technology on Capitol Hill on Tuesday in Washington. By Amy Taxin The Associated Press SANTA ANA The U.S. Jus- tice Department sued Thursday to block Tribune Publishing Co. from buy- ing the bankrupt Orange County Register and an- other Southern California newspaper, arguing the $56 million sale would end com- petition for readers and ad- vertisers in the region. The move came just hours after Tribune an- nounced it had won a bid to buy the Register and Press-Enterprise of River- side, both owned by Free- dom Communications. The Tribune already oper- ates the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union-Tri- bune, which it purchased last year. The sale, which still needs a federal bankruptcy court judge's approval, would give Tribune control over the four largest daily newspapers in Southern California, covering a vast stretch from Los Angeles to the Mexican border that is home to 18 million people. The four combined news- rooms would have upward of 1,000 journalists. How- ever, if the deal ultimately goes through, job cuts are a virtual certainty. "Tribune's dominant position in both Orange County and Riverside County would allow it to, among other harmful ef- fects, increase subscrip- tion prices and advertising rates to businesses target- ing readers in those areas," the Justice Department's lawsuit said. The newspaper indus- try has struggled since the advent of the Internet and has been contracting and consolidating for years as readers turned away from printed pages. Establish- ing a network of major dai- lies in Southern California would provide huge lever- age to attract advertisers and allow for efficiencies in news production. Gabriel Kahn, a profes- sor at University of South- ern California's journal- ism school, said the lawsuit would make the purchase more expensive for Tribune but he didn't believe news- papers struggling to re- tain readers and advertis- ers would constitute a mo- nopoly. "A monopoly on newspa- per sales is not that much different than a monop- oly on horse-drawn buggy rides," he said. Freedom Communica- tions filed for bankruptcy protection in November. It followed a series of layoffs and buyouts after an ag- gressive expansion of print journalism that included starting daily papers in Los Angeles and Long Beach, and buying the Press-En- terprise for $27 million. Tribune was competing for Freedom's newspapers against Digital First Media, which owns nine Southern California papers and web- sites, including the Los An- geles Daily News, and an investor group led by Free- dom's current managers. COMPETITION Justice Department files antitrust suit to block Southern California newspaper sale By Juliet Williams The Associated Press SACRAMENTO A new $64 billion business plan for California's planned high- speed rail system lacks im- portant financial details, and calls for ending the first segment in a questionable rural area north of Bakers- field that has few amenities for travelers, California's in- dependent legislative ana- lyst said in a report Thurs- day. "Even with a temporary station or platform, ending the (line) in an unpopulated agricultural area does not appear to be an effective ap- proach," the Legislative An- alyst's Office wrote. "This location would not have the types of facilities and nearby businesses, such as transit connections, rental car facilities, and shops nec- essary to meet the needs of train passengers." The Legislative Analyst's Office urged state lawmak- ers to require more detailed planning on the cost, scope and schedule of each high- speed rail segment, not- ing that the project's every- other-year business plans make numerous changes that make it hard to com- pare costs over time. Still, analysts say the rail authority's new plan to first build north to the San Fran- cisco Bay Area instead of to Southern California makes some sense. With future funding un- certain, officials last month called for building the first 250-mile segment from north of Bakersfield to San Jose. It would begin oper- ating in 2025 — three years later and 50 miles shorter than the original planned route that would have gone to the San Fernando Valley. Backers said the plan lets the state build an operating portion of the line with- out relying on additional money that might never come. Supporters hope con- struction will generate mo- mentum and private invest- ment to pay for the rest of the project south to the Los Angeles area. The legislative analyst also questioned the math on that. "It is unclear whether the system will actually gener- ate an operating surplus. Moreover, the plan esti- mates that the amount of funding that could be gen- erated would fall signifi- cantly short ... and does not identify how this shortfall would be met." CALIFORNIA Analyst: High-speed rail lacks spending details Ifyou'relivingwithA-Fib, this seminar will be music to your ears. Learn about new treatment options, including the Hybrid Maze procedure, a revolutionary treatment for Atrial Fibrillation. Join Us for a Free Seminar Register Today 6:00p.m.Dinner 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Seminar RSVP to 877.596.0644 Spaceislimited. Light dinner and refreshments served. www.adventistheart.org/arrhythmia Arrhythmia center Ifyouexperiencearacingheartorpalpitations,chestdiscomfort, light headedness, shortness of breath and fatigue, or you've been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, we have good news. Here, you'll learn about the latest treatment options for A-Fib, including the revolutionary Hybrid Maze, a new minimally invasive procedure through small incisions on the sides of the chest. Patients benefit from better outcomes, a shorter hospital stay and quicker recovery. Gan Dunnington, MD | Cardiothoracic Surgery Dr. Gan Dunnington is an emerging leader in cardiothoracic surgery. He comes to us from Stanford University Medical Center. He is one of few surgeons on the West Coast who performs the minimally invasive Hybrid Maze procedure. Presenters Include: Gan Dunnington, MD, Cardiothoracic Surgery Peter Chang-Sing, MD, Cardiac Electrophysiology Monica Divakaruni, MD, General & Interventional Cardiology A D V E N T I S T H E A R T I N S T I T U T E Red Lion Hotel 1830 Hilltop Drive Redding, CA 96002 March 29, 2016 FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM | NEWS | 7 A