12/3: FDIC report released on bank accounts

AP: FDIC report says South's households more likely to live without banks

Nationwide, of the 1.3 million households that stopped having bank accounts in 2008, more than 31 percent said they closed them because of overdraft fees, service charges or high minimum balance rules. A slightly larger group, 34.1 percent, said they did not have enough money to need an account, the report says.

As noted in Southern Political Report, the South has the highest percentage of households which don't have checking or saving accounts, and Mississippi has the highest percentage in the country with 16.4 percent, followed by Georgia and Alabama.

Instead of banks, those without accounts rely on pawn shops, checking services, payday loans or similar non-bank instruments to meet their financial needs.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: Two insurers to cut property owners' Gulf Coast wind coverage

ARKANSAS: 10% of Arkansas households have no bank account

FLORIDA: Rail project is the subject of today's special legislative session

GEORGIA: Ethics complaint considered against House Speaker Richardson

KENTUCKY: State extends unemployment benefits

LOUISIANA: Reasons for farmers to support action against global warming

MISSISSIPPI: Gov. Barbour to announce more budget cuts on Thursday

NORTH CAROLINA: New fund created to invest in state businesses

SOUTH CAROLINA: Economists say state's recession will last through 2010

TENNESSEE: Another candidate drops out of governor's race

VIRGINIA: Three days left on tax amnesty

If you have a news story about public policy to suggest, send an email to info@bettersouth.org

8/31: Open access at risk as Internet turns 40

Clarion Ledger -- Open access at risk as Internet turns 40

The researchers who created the Internet (no, not Al Gore) intended the open network to be a place for freely exchanging information. Now, 40 years later, despite developments in social networking like the World Wide Web and Facebook, the openness may be breaking down.

To blame: Spam and hacking force network operators to put up security firewalls. Some governments block access to the Internet within their borders. And some commercial applications create policies to thwart their competition, further limiting what some devices can do.

Already, there is evidence of controls at workplaces and service providers slowing the uptake of file-sharing and collaboration tools. Video could be next if consumers shun higher-quality and longer clips for fear of incurring extra bandwidth fees. It'll be interesting where the Internet goes in the next 40 years.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: H1N1 virus hits Alabama college campuses

ARKANSAS: Arkansas Medicaid launches adult dental program

FLORIDA: Little done to enforce state hotel regulations on pest infestation

GEORGIA: Average global temperatures up, but not in Georgia

KENTUCKY: Reclaimed coal strip-mining sites being used for agriculture

LOUISIANA: Gov. Jindal orders state agencies to buy Louisiana shrimp

MISSISSIPPI: State to pilot civil rights courses for K-12 students

NORTH CAROLINA: OLF environmental impact study delayed in the state

SOUTH CAROLINA: State seeks innovative way to rebuild reefs for oyster beds

TENNESSEE: Cigarette waste the target of a new pollution study in the state

VIRGINIA: 19-tower wind tower project in Virginia draws criticism from neighboring state

If you have a news story about public policy to suggest, send an email to info@bettersouth.org