The Switch: The FCC is moving to preempt state broadband limits

Today's technology and tech policy news  •  Mon., Feb. 2, 2015 View in your Web browser

The FCC is moving to preempt state broadband limits Federal regulators are moving ahead with a proposal to help two cities fighting with their state governments over the ability to build public alternatives to large Internet providers.The Federal Communications Commission this week will begin considering a draft decision to intervene against state laws in Tennessee and North Carolina that limit Internet access operated and sold by cities, according to a senior FCC official. The agency's chairman, Tom Wheeler, could circulate the draft to his fellow commissioners as early as Monday and the decision will be voted on in the FCC's public meeting on Feb. 26.  Read full article »

Sony sells Everquest maker Sony Online Entertainment

Sony has sold Sony Online Entertainment, its game publisher and studio. The move was announced on reddit, and backed up by tweets from SOE chief executive John Smedley. Sony sold the SOE division to investment group Columbus Nova for an undisclosed amount. Effective immediately, the company will officially be known as the Daybreak Game Company and will operate independently.  Read full article »

How two ‘free’ games made enough money to buy Super Bowl ads

Two mobile game developers paid big bucks to get big names to sell their apps during the Super Bowl on Sunday. Actor Liam Neeson did a riff on his role in the "Taken" film series for Clash of Clans, while model Kate Upton was featured in an ad for "Game of War: Fire Age."  Read full article »

What to make of Amazon’s island of misfit toys

Amazon is expanding in every direction -- and that has made some investors nervous. The company's stock price skyrocketed after a strong holiday quarter last week. Yet while its shares are trading 11 percent up at a price of $354.53 Monday morning, its 52-week high was still, well, just about 52 weeks ago.   Read full article »

Innovations: Why Obama should stop pushing nuclear energy on India

The White House is claiming victory for a breakthrough in the impasse with India over nuclear energy. Indian laws have held suppliers, designers and builders of nuclear plants liable in case of an accident and this made U.S. companies fearful of doing business there. During his recent trip, President Obama persuaded India’s government to create an insurance pool to compensate victims of a potential disaster and to cap the liabilities of companies supplying the technology.  Read full article »

The Switchboard: Verizon Wireless will let customers opt out of ‘supercookie’ tracking code

Published every weekday, the Switchboard is your morning helping of hand-picked stories from the Switch team.The FCC is moving to preempt state broadband limits. "Federal regulators are moving ahead with a proposal to help two cities fighting with their state governments over the ability to build public alternatives to large Internet providers," reports the Switch's Brian Fung.  Read full article »

Innovations: The U.S. Postal Service is throwing a Hail Mary: Same-day delivery. The U.S. Postal Service recently announced the expansion of Metro Post, its same-day delivery service (that it has been testing in San Francisco and New York City), to the Washington, D.C. area.  Under the program, shoppers can place orders from participating retailers by 2 p.m. and receive their items between 4 and 6 p.m. the same day.  It’s a great idea that allows commerce companies to leverage the scale of the nation’s most iconic delivery service to make life better for consumers.  Read full article »

Innovations: The Weekly Itch, Vol. V

Welcome to my weekly roundup of innovation, tech, creativity and humor tidbits.Sorry guys, nothing grabbed the cool tech of the week honor. Instead we were left with creepy tech, such as some social media posts being used to connect people to credit card transactions. There was also word of a national database to track vehicles moving around the United States. But there were a lot of great videos this week! Be sure to dig into them this weekend. See you back here Monday morning!  Read full article »

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