The Register reports that “[s]mall computer outfits could see VAT rates slashed to as low as five per cent under new proposals put forward by the European Commission yesterday.  The EC, which is the executive arm of the European Union, said it wants to relax value added tax and state [...]

The International Herald Tribune has an interesting article today on the negative consequences of Internet outages in an age when “[c]ompanies like Google want us to store not just e-mail online but also spreadsheets, photo albums, sales data and nearly every other piece of personal and professional information.” The Seattle [...]

The Wall Street Journal reports that “International Business Machines Corp. said it agreed to buy Platform Solutions Inc. in a deal that eliminates litigation and a potential competitor for its lucrative mainframe business.  IBM didn't disclose what it is paying for Platform, a venture-capital backed, Sunnyvale, Calif., company with about [...]

Internetnews.com reveals that “[t]wo Republican lawmakers have called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to drop the proposed conditions for a new spectrum auction that would require the winning bidder to provide free Internet access.  In a letter to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, Joe Barton of Texas and Florida's Cliff [...]

We've fallen horribly behind on our blogging over the past couple weeks, but this week we're officially back from travel/ICANN meetings/vacation/etc. and are ready to go.  Not a moment too soon, either.  Not only do we have a metric ton of news to cover from the past couple weeks, but [...]