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FCC To Support 'Net Neutrality' And Open Internet

The U.S. government plans to propose broad new rules Monday that would force Internet providers to treat all Web traffic equally, seeking to give consumers greater freedom to use their computers or cellphones to enjoy videos, music and other legal services that hog bandwidth.

The move would make good on a campaign promise to Silicon Valley supporters like Google Inc. from President Barack Obama, but will trigger a battle with phone and cable companies like AT&T Inc. and Comcast Corp., which don't want the government telling them how to run their networks.

Treating Web traffic equally means carriers couldn't block or slow access to legal services or sites that are a drain on their networks or offered by rivals.

» Reuters [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]
» Wall Street Journal
» Washington Post

Businesses May Face Crippling Absenteeism from Flu

US business group warns of swine flu absenteeism The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Friday offered companies new guidelines for coping with the H1N1 swine flu pandemic, warning that employers could face crippling absenteeism as the U.S. flu season takes hold.

People wearing surgical masks to prevent swine fluIn the 16-page volume titled, "It's Not Flu as Usual: An H1N1 Business Preparedness Guide," the largest American business federation presented scenarios in which more than 10 percent of staff are too sick to come to work an any given day over the course of several months to a year.

"Absenteeism will be the central issue that businesses wrestle with during this pandemic," said Ann Beauchesne, who leads the chamber's national security and emergency preparedness program.

» CNBC [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

Taming Your Digital Distractions

Is there any human invention more duplicitous than the personal computer? These machines were manufactured and initially marketed as devices to help us at work. We were told they would perform amazing feats of office derring-do — adding up rows of numbers effortlessly, turning our musings into beautiful magazine-quality documents, and letting us collaborate with one another across continents.

» NY Times [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

Credit Card Companies Dodge Reform With New Fees

Companies have already rethought rates. Under the new law, issuers can't raise them without 45 days' notice. But there's a loophole: The rules don't apply to variable-rate cards, with rates that float up and down. That's why companies are moving more consumers into such cards, whose rates are likely to soar from their record lows. Researcher Bankrate.com (RATE) estimates variable-rate cards will account for 75% of all cards this year, up from 65% in 2008.

Fees have been another area of focus. Starting in February, lenders won't be able to charge consumers a penalty when they go over their credit limit. To make up for the lost revenue, issuers are coming up with a host of other penalties. Fifth Third Bank (FITB) started levying a $19 tariff if a borrower doesn't use the card for 12 months. Notes a Fifth Third spokeswoman: "The fee is used to encourage active use of accounts and to offset the increasing costs of accounts."

» Busness Week [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]