Feb 25
Despite having no formal role in the review of mergers and acquisitions, Comcast’s deal with Time Wa
Posted in: Today's ChiliDespite having no formal role in the review of mergers and acquisitions, Comcast’s deal with Time Warner Cable
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Jul 18
The rascals over at Anonymous are still pretty upset over the recent revelations about the NSA spying on seemingly everyone so they’re acting out in the only way they know how: hacking. Specifically, releasing the supposed email accounts—and passwords—of seemingly everybody on Capitol Hill.
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May 16
When Apple’s Tim Cook revealed that his company would once more assemble a Mac line in the US, there was a flood of questions almost immediately: which model? Where would it be made? While the CEO isn’t revealing all his cards quite yet, he just gave us a better sense of those domestic production plans through a Politico interview. The American Mac will be a new iteration of an existing family, Cook says. It also won’t just be a collection of parts shipped from overseas, as multiple pieces will come from Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky and Texas. We’re glad to hear that Apple’s partial shift to US manufacturing is sincere, although the timing of the news isn’t coincidental: Cook is about to defend Apple’s growing offshore cash supply in front a Senate committee, and any visible support for the US economy is likely to burnish his firm’s image.
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Apple
Via: The Verge
Source: Politico
May 07
The Daily Roundup for 05.07.2013
Posted in: Today's Chili
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
May 07
If you’re a regular Internet shopper, you were probably paying close attention to the news yesterday as the U.S. Senate was in the process of voting on a bill deemed the “Internet Sales Tax” bill. Unexpectedly, the Senate passed the bill Monday night, which was being introduced as a way for states to collect sales tax for online purchases more easily.
The so-called Marketplace Fairness Act passed with a vote of 69 – 27 and will now head to the House where its future is uncertain at this point due to a number of Republicans possibly viewing the bill as an increase on taxes. A total of 45 states which currently charge sales tax would require large online retailers to collect taxes on purchases made by the resident of their state. The new law would only apply to online sellers whose sales reach at least $1 million outside of states where the company has a physical operations, such as stores or warehouses. (more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Pentagon Okays Use Of BlackBerry And Samsung Devices , Under the Radar: Meet C-Level Execs From Rackspace, BofA, Virgin America and more ($200 off door price promo code), 
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May 06
The debate over taxing out-of-state online sales in the US has been raging for years, but there are signs that the often messy saga is finally winding to a close… well, maybe. The Senate just voted 69-27 in favor of the Marketplace Fairness Act, a bill that would make internet retailers collect out-of-state sales taxes that Americans are already obligated to pay, but rarely do under a current system that puts the onus on (frequently unaware) buyers. Don’t be too hasty in cheering or jeering the apparent conclusion, however. The bill’s next stop is the House of Representatives, and the reception may be decidedly colder this time around. The act could be submitted to the President this year if it does survive the gauntlet, although a six-month buffer would likely push any tax changes to 2014 if the bill is ever signed into law.
[Image credit: Scrumshus, Wikipedia]
Filed under: Internet
Source: The Washington Times
Mar 07
We should have known that it wouldn’t take long for someone in congress to take up the fight to re-legalize cellphone unlocking. Those championing the effort on the floor of the Senate are Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) , Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Mike Lee (R-UT) who introduced the Wireless Consumer Choice Act this afternoon. After the Librarian of Congress declared that unlocking a cellphone violated copyright law under the DMCA (that’s Digital Millennium Copyright Act) activists kicked into high gear in an attempt to prevent or reverse the decision. Consumer advocates quickly collected 100,000 signatures on a petition, forcing the White House to take a position on the matter. To the relief of many, including the globe trotters and ROM fanatics here at Engadget, President Obama backed our right to circumvent carrier locks — within reason, of course. This is after FCC chairman Julius Genachowski voiced concerns that the ban could hamper competition and innovation.
Anna Eshoo, a Democrat from California, is pushing a similar bill in the House of representatives, but its the bipartisan senate version that seems to be garnering the most attention. In a statement Blumenthal called the legislation “common sense, crucial for protecting consumer choice and important for ensuring healthy competition in the market.” Obviously this is just the beginning of a long long journey and all the sponsors can do is hope and pray their sad little scrap of paper will one day become a law.
Update: It turns out that there’s another bill that has been introduced in the Senate as well, penned by Oregon senator Rob Wyden.
Source: AllThingsD
Dec 28
By a vote of 73 to 23, the US Senate just voted for the warrantless surveillance of American citizens until 2017. More »
Jul 26
Internet Association to lobby Washington, may tout Amazon, Facebook, Google among its ranks
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Political lobbying is often a mixed bag at best. Still, there’s a cautious amount of optimism surrounding the Internet Association, a soon-to-start lobbying group that plans to advocate for an “open, innovative and free” internet among US politicians. The unsurprising (if well-intentioned) aim is to prevent another SOPA or PIPA with more formal opposition than even the Internet Defense League can manage. Who’ll be pulling the strings is nebulous — officially, the Association will only say that former Congressional staff director Michael Beckerman is at the helm until a formal September 19th launch. That internet openness must extend to some very leaky representatives, however, as the National Journal, AFP and Reuters all claim that Amazon, eBay, Facebook and Google are charter members. None of them are talking on the record; we certainly wouldn’t be shocked if the roster is real, knowing how much Google and other partners have fought takedown laws that would bypass much of the normal legal system. We’re hoping that whatever manifests a genuinely rational counterbalance to media and telecom influences that often aren’t very interested in protecting internet-only business models or due process.
Filed under: Internet
Internet Association to lobby Washington, may tout Amazon, Facebook, Google among its ranks originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 11:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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