Cash Flows to Add Broadband, But Feds Don't Have Plan

Team searches for ways to bolster economy

(NEWSER) - With economic recovery looking sluggish at best , President Obama is considering a national infrastructure program, alongside a wave of tax cuts for businesses and individuals. Up for discussion are additional tax cuts for small businesses, a possible payroll tax cut for businesses and individuals, and other tax breaks aimed at encouraging businesses to hire, sources tell the Wall Street Journal . More»

Agency had no standing to regulate Comcast, 3-judge panel rules

(NEWSER) - A federal court today said the FCC does not have the power to force Internet service providers to treat all traffic equally. The ruling, in a closely watched case concerning Comcast's ban on BitTorrent, is a blow to the Obama administration’s crusade for net neutrality. But the FCC failed to show that regulating ISPs falls within “its statutorily mandated responsibilities,” a three-judge appeals court panel ruled. More»

(NEWSER) - When the stimulus was in the works, President Obama went to great lengths to show he was sacrificing his top pet project—a clean-coal power plant to be built in Illinois—on the altar of fiscal responsibilities. “It shows that we’re serious,” a rep for Nancy Pelosi said at the time. “There will not be earmarks in this bill.” But the plant is getting stimulus cash after all—$1 billion of it, Politico reports. More»

President has raised taxes when business needs a break

(NEWSER) - Everyone loves a scapegoat. The American people have Wall Street fat cats, and President Obama has George W. Bush, writes David Harsanyi for the Denver Post. While Obama, "in a superbly eloquent and inspirational pitch, always reminds us that nothing is his fault," Harsanyi gripes, "nearly every initiative enacted in the first 50 days of the Obama administration has exacerbated what Bush started." More»

Tech adviser Genachowski lauded to lead troubled agency

(NEWSER) - President Obama has officially named Harvard pal and technical adviser Julius Genachowski to head the Federal Communications Commission, NPR reports. It’s Genachowski’s second tour—he worked at the FCC during the Clinton administration—and he’s being applauded on both sides of the aisle. Most are hoping the big-thinking Net neutrality proponent can clean up after the much-panned reign of outgoing chairman Kevin Martin. More»