Roy Mark

Oracle’s takeover bid for BEA Systems was just the latest example of what is shaping up as a historic stretch of mergers and acquisitions in the technology industry. Despite a recent slowdown in the credit markets that left private equity companies on the sidelines during the third quarter, M&A analysts still expect 2007 to be […]

Sprint Nextel’s $5 billion WiMax plans appear to be in flux. After staking out a claim on WiMax as its technology of the future in August 2006, and announcing a tentative WiMax partnership with Clearwire a year later, Sprint is now considering alternatives. Among the Sprint’s options, according to the Wall Street Journal, is merging […]

U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D.-Vt., questioned on Oct. 31 whether an “after-the-fact free pass” is in order for telecommunications carriers that cooperated with the Bush administration’s domestic spying program of telephone wiretapping and e-mail surveillance. As part of the renewal of FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act), the White House wants Congress to grant immunity for […]

Public advocacy groups and legal scholars from Yale, Harvard and Stanford filed a network neutrality complaint with the Federal Communications Commission against cable giant Comcast Nov. 1. The complaint sets the stage for the first major test of the FCC’s network neutrality principles. The complaint claims Comcast, which has nearly 13 million Internet customers and […]

Time Warners AOL said Oct. 30 it is launching a program allowing consumers to opt out of targeted advertising based on the Web sites they visit. AOL will use technology developed by Tacoda, a behavioral targeting solutions company that AOL acquired earlier this year, to create this feature. The opt-out advertising program will deliver millions […]

Three bills favored by the technology sector won committee approvals Oct. 30 in the Senate and House of Representatives. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce approved a measures to allow municipalities to provide broadband Internet access and improve 911 VOIP (voice over IP) calls and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation passed […]

Nine privacy groups asked the Federal Trade Commission on Oct. 31 to implement a Do Not Track list to prevent consumers from having their online activities unknowingly tracked, stored and used by marketers and advertising networks. Based on the FTCs popular Do Not Call list, the Do Not Track list would require advertising firms that […]

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama promised Oct. 29 to impose network neutrality mandates on broadband providers such as AT&T and Comcast if elected to the White House next year. Network neutrality laws, Obama said, would create a “level playing field for whoever has the best idea.” Speaking at an MTV-sponsored campaign event in Iowa, Obama said […]

The U.S. House fell into line with the Senate Oct. 30 voting 402-0 to extend the ban on Internet connection taxes for another seven years. The legislation now heads to President Bushs desk. The current three-year moratorium is due to expire Thursday. The Internet Tax Freedom Act (H.R. 3678) passed the House Oct. 16 with […]

A U.S. House proposal to increase taxes on venture capitalists will result in lost jobs and economic opportunities, according to an Oct. 29 letter from the National Venture Capital Association to federal lawmakers. House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel, introduced legislation last week that would more than double the tax rate on carried interest, […]