Bush
to Congress: No internet taxes
President Bush urged the U.S. Congress to make
internet access permanently tax free and to reduce regulations so
high-speed access can be universally available by 2007. Because the United
States was ranked 10th in the deployment of broadband access, Bush signed
an order for the government to make it easier for broadband facilities to
be built on federal land. Lawmakers are split on whether a permanent
internet tax ban would boost innovation and production of new technologies
or deprive states and local governments of funds. Sen. John Kerry of
Massachusetts criticized the president for failing to make the tax ban
part of previous tax cut packages. Kerry's campaign said Bush's broadband
policies don't do anything to provide the new resources that will be
needed to deploy broadband in rural and urban areas.
Biggest players adding new
IM features
Instant-messaging
software has evolved into the latest weapon in a fierce battle among major
internet companies to reap revenues from every visit online. Yesterday,
Yahoo launched internet radio and other new services around its messaging
software. Microsoft is leveraging IM as a subscription gaming hub,
while America Online is packaging weather. The new Yahoo! Messenger
software, available in a beta test with a final version due
in late May, reconfigures the main window so your list of friends can
remain on the screen as you visit other Yahoo services such as news,
stocks and calendar. The software adds several free features. For example,
the titles of songs you listen to appear on friends' "buddy
lists" next to your name so they can listen in, too.
An internet place for bands
that are on the make
While big music labels and well-known bands fight to
stop internet users from ripping their songs for free, bands that
haven’t made it yet seemingly have no problem with it. CNET has launched
music.download.com, a site that allows independent artists to upload songs
so visitors can sample and download them. The previous online hot spot for
wannabe rock stars was Mp3.com, which CNET acquired from Vivendi Universal
SA's U.S. Internet division. CNET plans to relaunch Mp3.com, however,
reintroducing it as a place for music fans to get info and product
reviews. Music.download.com allows artists up to 50 Mb of space for music,
typically enough for 10 average-length songs. The site’s main
competition comes from GarageBand.com, a similar site that strives to
“discover the best in independent music.”
Those
Olsen twins: All grown up and off to court
As the day Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen turn 18 finally
approaches (June 13 by the way), the twins, known best for their work as
baby Michelle on “Full House,” are already experiencing one of the
downfalls of life as grownups: the lawsuit. On April 15, the Olsen twins
filed a suit in Los Angeles Superior Court against video game publisher
Acclaim Entertainment, claiming the company owes them nearly $178,000.
According to the filing, the cash was due to the twins on April 1, based
on the terms of a settlement reached last September. That settlement was
one of the results of an audit of Acclaim’s books, which uncovered
royalties not paid for video games featuring the twins.
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