Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ)’s talks to combine with movie-rental kiosk operator Redbox for an online-video service could lead to the phone company gaining expertise needed to start a business rivaling Netflix Inc. (NFLX) (more)
NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of striking workers in Verizon Communication Inc.’s landline division joined picket lines and rallies Monday at company offices from Massachusetts to Virginia, a union official said. (more)
Internet problems getting you down? Worry not (or do the opposite), because it happens to the White House from time to time as well. (more)
1.) Feds may have to bail out Detroit for a second time — If the federal government decides, in its finite wisdom, that poorly run states and municipalities do not deserve to sink or swim based on the electoral acumen of their residents (or lack thereof), and chooses instead to “bail out” bankrupt members of the American federation, there will be some irony in the decision. In Detroit, two of the city’s public pensions are under investigation for “risky investing” that cost the two funds $480 million in three years. According to the Detroit Free Press, “many of the investments involved secretive middlemen, who pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars, or were vetted by controversial investment adviser Adrian Anderson and his firm, North Point Advisors.” Anderson is currently under investigation by the SEC, but has not been charged. In the meantime, “the pensions are paying the legal bills of Anderson and a second adviser who scrutinized failed real estate deals.” Have you heard the one about the burglar who fell through the woman’s skylight and then demanded that she pay for his medical bills? This is sort of like that. (more)
Here’s what will most likely happen today: In the morning, the five members of the Federal Communications Commission will gather in a big room. The two Republican commissioners will read aloud passionate statements opposing the Democrats’ obsession with fixing a thing that is not broken. The three Democratic commissioners will read aloud passionate statements commending one another for saving the Internet from a dystopian future conjured out of whole cloth by paranoid public interest groups. (more)
Apple’s AT&T exclusivity has officially ended, at least as far as the iPad is concerned. Because at the end of this month, the tablet is coming to Verizon. (more)
Skype on Tuesday released Skype for Android, a full client for Android 2.1 Eclair devices that offers VoIP calling over Wi-Fi and 3G (though not in the U.S.). The application is a free download from the Android Market. (more)
For almost a year, the government has been looking into the “mystery fees” that Verizon now admits it mistakenly charged millions of customers. Verizon has finally fessed up to the snafu, and it has agreed to refund tens of millions of dollars to consumers. (more)
At this point, my head is spinning. Earlier tonight, I wrote about how Verizon is still full-steam ahead on destroying the fabric of Android. Meanwhile, on the other side of the aisle, we have AT&T playing up the fact that they got a “D-” on a coverage test instead of an “F”. I seriously just can’t decide which carrier is worse. (more)
Washington, D.C., can get hot and muggy in August, which is why lawmakers leave for most of the month, and many staffers, lobbyists and other industry-types also clear out of town in search of cooler climes. (more)
There are a few, but many of the world’s top companies in 1985 have foundered, shrunk, grown obsolete, or been acquired by rivals that grew stronger. General Motors and Ford, the world’s two biggest carmakers in 1985, spent the last decade in a dizzying tailspin, bleeding cash, losing market share, and struggling to turn themselves around. Venerable industrial firms like ITT restructured and drifted down the Fortune 500, while Wal-Mart, Verizon, banks, and technology firms displaced them. Digital Equipment and Wang Laboratories, once leading computer firms, disappeared completely. Even resurgent titans like Apple and IBM stared into the abyss of irrelevance and made painful changes before clawing their way back to the top. (more)
We’ve been hearing Verizon iPhone rumors for years now. (more)
The Federal Communications Commission has called off closed-door talks with tech lobbyists, talks meant to iron out a government driven compromise on “net neutrality.” The talks ended today in the wake of as-yet-unconfirmed reports that Google—the leading neutrality proponent—and Verizon may have reached a separate agreement enshrining non-neutral treatment of online content. No firm could ever actually support the policy as a general principle, and if this development hadn’t made that plain, it’d have been something else eventually. (more)
Last month, Verizon Communications Inc. Chairman Ivan Seidenberg accused the federal government of “injecting uncertainty into the marketplace.” Last week, he was named to a presidential panel on U.S. exports. (more)
Nearly everybody now thinks Obama is giving the impression that he hates business — There are no independent voters anymore, just Dems, Republicans, and people who hate Dems more than they hate Republicans — Cable news update: Lotsa car-washing, grumbling, job-hunting — Al Qaeda goes after those harmless ‘Wegians — Following the Blago trial is giving White House officials heartburn –Will a child disarm North Korea? (Figuratively, perhaps?) (more)
Rouge your cheeks and fake a smile, ‘cuz Gub’mint health care starts soon — Space agency changes prerogatives midflight — Business people are worried that Obama is killing all the jobs — John Roberts v. Barack Obama — – The USPS needs YOUR help to die slower — White House visitors compare overheard stimulus discussions to sound of cats mating (more)
President Obama’s announcement Monday that he will push to double the size of broadcasting spectrum for wireless devices is aimed, perhaps more than anything, at making it easier for iPhone or Blackberry users in major American cities to use their devices. (more)
Topics – Housing Prices drop to 1963 levels, Fed stays the course, Financial Reform sprints, G-20 agenda for US announced, Business Roundtable concerns voiced, Selective TARP update and markets continue to slide. (more)
Topics – Conferees vow completion this week — RVs and Debit Cards are the focus — Climate change bill looks unlikely — Internet rules and backrooms — Uncertain Certainty, and markets remain down globally. (more)
The Federal Communications Commission voted Thursday to take another step toward reclassifying the way it regulates Internet service providers, releasing a plan for public comment that would give the federal agency vast new powers over companies that distribute Web access. (more)
