Net neutrality is back as FCC votes to regulate internet providers | CNN Business

April 26, 2024April 25, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The US government on Thursday banned internet service providers (ISPs) from meddling in the speeds their customers receive when browsing the web and downloading files, restoring tough rules rescinded during the Trump administration and setting the stage for a major legal battle with the broadband industry.

The net neutrality regulations adopted Thursday by the Federal Communications Commission prohibit providers such as AT&T, Comcast and Verizon from selectively speeding up, slowing down or blocking users’ internet traffic. They largely reflect rules passed by a prior FCC in 2015 and unwound in 2017.

The latest rules show how, with a 3-2 Democratic majority, the FCC is moving to reassert its authority over an industry that powers the modern digital economy, touching everything from education to health care and enabling advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence.

Tech earnings: Google, Microsoft and Snap shares climb | CNN Business

April 26, 2024April 25, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Alphabet, the parent company of Google, bounced back from an absolutely dreadful day for tech shares, as its stock surged Thursday after the closing bell. All it had to do was to hand out billions of dollars to investors.

The tech giant announced its first quarterly cash dividend, saying it will pay $0.20 per share on June 17 to shareholders of record as of June 10, as well as a $70 billion share buyback. Buybacks and dividends help to boost stock prices by rewarding investors with cash just for holding the stock — but they’re widely criticized for artificially inflating the stock price without spending on employees or improvements to the underlying business.

Google’s stock jumped as much as 13% in after-hours trading following the report.

The announcement came as part of Google’s earnings report for the first three months of the year, in which it also reported that it exceeded Wall Street analysts’ expectations for both sales and profits.

‘We were in disbelief’: Antarctica is behaving in a way we’ve never seen before. Can it recover? | Live Science

April 25, 2024April 24, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Look out over Antarctica in the summer, and time seems frozen. The South Pole’s midnight sun appears to hover in place, never dropping below the horizon for weeks between November and January.

But the Antarctic’s timelessness is an illusion. Only a decade ago, on summer nights across the coast, the sun would glide ever so slightly over the ocean, dusting its ice floes in golden light.

Yet today, much of this sea ice is nowhere in sight. And scientists are increasingly alarmed that it may never come back.

“Antarctica feels very distant, but the sea ice there matters so much to all of us,” Ella Gilbert, a polar climate scientist at the British Antarctic Survey, told Live Science. “It’s a really vital part of our climate system.”

Express bankruptcy: Full list of brand’s 95 store locations closing | Fast Company

April 23, 2024April 22, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

If you grew up hanging around the neighborhood mall, seeking out the trendiest low-rise jeans and tanks, you might feel nostalgically bummed today. Express, the clothing brand that was uber-popular with Xennials and millennials, has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Express, Inc. operates Express stores, as well as Express factory outlets, Bonobos, and UpWest stores. The retailer said it plans to shutter more than 100 stores, including all of its UpWest stores and at least 95 of its 500 Express stores in the U.S., effective Tuesday.

A representative pointed Fast Company to a court document that displays the full list of Express stores to be closed. Locations span the entire U.S., with multiple closures in California and New York, as well as Pennsylvania, Texas, and other states.

Pennsylvania Insurance Business Owner Found Guilty of Tax Evasion | Small Biz Trends

April 19, 2024April 18, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

A federal jury today convicted Brandon Aumiller, owner of Brandon Aumiller & Associates, an insurance sales business based in Milroy, Pennsylvania, on charges of tax evasion. The jury found Aumiller guilty of failing to pay substantial amounts in personal and business taxes, following a scheme that spanned several years.

According to evidence presented at trial, Aumiller filed personal income tax returns for 2007 and from 2009 through 2011, revealing he owed approximately $82,311 in taxes. Additionally, his business’s employment tax returns indicated about $24,882 owed for parts of 2013 and 2014. Despite acknowledging these liabilities to the IRS, totaling over $107,193, Aumiller failed to settle these debts.

Prosecutors detailed how Aumiller actively obstructed IRS collection efforts. His tactics included hiding his assets in undisclosed bank accounts, structuring real estate transactions to evade detection, and submitting false financial disclosure forms that concealed significant financial information.

IRS Cautions Tax Professionals About Spearphishing Scams | Small Biz Trends

April 19, 2024April 18, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The IRS recently issued a warning to tax professionals and businesses about a rise in spearphishing attacks aimed at stealing sensitive information. This alert is part of the IRS’s annual “Dirty Dozen” campaign, which highlights the top twelve scams targeting taxpayers and tax advisors each year.

Spearphishing is a type of email scam where criminals pretend to be potential clients to trick tax professionals into giving away personal and financial information. These attackers send emails that look real but are actually fake, trying to get access to computer systems and sensitive data.

IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel stressed the importance of staying alert. “Cyberattacks pose a threat to not just the livelihood of the businesses, but the sensitive tax and personnel information that identity thieves can use to try filing fake tax returns,” he said. “The Security Summit partners continue to urge tax pros and businesses to be on guard and educate their employees. Taking simple steps by using extra caution when opening emails, clicking on links or sharing private client information can prevent tax professionals from being taken advantage of by cybercriminals.”

Why you need to be excited about the Google Pixel 8a | Digital Trends

April 18, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

This is going to be a busy year for Google Pixel devices. In less than a month, Google is expected to launch its first new Pixel of the year with the Google Pixel 8a. Following that, we’re expecting a Google Pixel Fold 2, possibly another Pixel Tablet, the Pixel 9 series, and a Pixel Watch 3 later in the fall.

There’s plenty to look forward to with all of those Pixels, but if you ask me, I think the Pixel 8a is the most promising of the bunch. In a year when Google has exciting upgrades planned for its flagship and foldable phones, Google’s budget-focused omodel is what’s really on my mind.

Jamie Dimon: Bank boss warns US interest rates could rise to 8% | BBC

April 11, 2024April 9, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The boss of one of the world’s biggest banks has warned US interest rates could climb to 8%.

Jamie Dimon, the head of JPMorgan Chase, said his bank has prepared for interest rates to jump because of “persistent inflationary pressures”.

Central banks around the world have been busy raising rates in a bid to dampen rising prices.

But with US inflation gradually easing, the overwhelming expectation is for the Federal Reserve to cut rates this year.

Markets are pricing in two quarter-point rate cuts in 2024.

Tesla: Elon Musk’s EV maker to settle over fatal Autopilot crash | BBC

April 11, 2024April 9, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Electric car giant Tesla has agreed to settle a lawsuit over a crash in 2018 which killed Apple engineer Walter Huang after his Model X, operating on Autopilot, collided with a highway barrier.

The case, brought by Mr Huang’s family, was scheduled to begin in the California Superior Court this week.

If the trial had gone ahead, it would have brought increased scrutiny of the firm’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving technology.

The terms of the settlement were not disclosed and reports have said the deal still needs to be approved by a judge. Tesla did not immediately respond to a BBC request for comment.

Before the settlement, Tesla argued that Mr Huang had misused the system because he was playing a video game just before the accident.