Congress Votes to Free Up E-Rate Funds
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Legislation to free hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies for school Internet connections that had been frozen by a change in accounting rules won final approval on Wednesday from the U.S. Congress.
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Shares in UK online gaming stocks lost  more than half their value on Monday after U.S. Congress  approved a bill to ban Internet gambling, with PartyGaming   plummeting 60 percent in early trade.
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The go-ahead from the Federal Trade Commission clears the way for a formidable combination in the burgeoning online advertising sector.
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Online banking service provider CheckFree Corp. is rolling out technology that could mean consumers will no longer have to go to a bank branch to deposit checks.
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WASHINGTON -- Congress is trying to end a practice that unintentionally has allowed banks to take in billions of dollars meant to help students pay for college.
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The Senate voted to make it easier for thousands of homeowners with ballooning interest rates to refinance into federally insured loans
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Shares in British online gambling companies, including Sportingbet PLC and PartyGaming PLC, dived yesterday after the Congress passed legislation prohibiting the use of credit cards, checks, and electronic fund transfers for online gaming.
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The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a seven-year extension to an Internet tax ban, the final step before the legislation heads to President George Bush to be signed into law.The House on Tuesday approved the Senate version of the Internet tax moratorium, which would ban Internet-only taxes such as access taxes for seven years. The current ban has been in effect since 1998, except for a lapse during most of 2004.Many supporters of the moratorium had&#160;called for a permanent ban, but some lawmakers and state and local government groups had&#160;raised concerns&#160;that a permanent ban would hurt state and local governments&#39; ability to raise money. Opponents of a permanent ban also questioned if telecom carriers would try to expand the ban to services such as VoIP.Bush is expected to sign the legislation. He has supported an Internet tax ban, and he signed the last extension, passed by Congress in late 2004.The ban on Internet taxes expires Thursday. Lawmakers in favor of extending the ban say it&#39;s important to promote the adoption of broadband, which, in turn, creates jobs and improves the U.S. economy.Earlier this month,&#160;the House passed a four-year extension. After the Senate passed the seven-year ban last Thursday, the House on Tuesday voted 402-0 for the seven-year ban.The tax moratorium does not ban sales taxes online. It applies only to taxes that would be unique to the Internet, including taxes on Internet access.Sen. John Sununu, a New Hampshire Republican, praised the House for passing the seven-year ban, which he cosponsored. The Senate version of the bill, awkwardly named the Internet Tax Freedom Act Amendments Act, specifically exempts e-mail and instant messaging from taxes after some groups raised concerns that the House version of the bill could allow taxes on those services.&quot;It&#39;s great to see Congress act on time for a change and take an enormous step for Internet tax freedom -- banning access taxes and protecting e-mails and instant messaging for the next seven years,&quot; Sununu said in a statement. &quot;I will continue to fight for a permanent ban on access taxes, but this is a strong step forward. Taxing the Internet is wrong for consumers and wrong for the economy.&quot;The United States Telecom Association, a trade group, and Verizon Communications both praised Congress for passing the extension.&quot;Broadband access is now a crucial driver of America&#39;s economy, and this moratorium extension will ensure continued investment and growth in the broadband marketplace,&quot; Peter Davidson, Verizon&#39;s senior vice president of federal government relations, said in a statement. &quot;This is good for consumers and businesses across the country.&quot;
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The House has given final congressional approval to a bill that bans state and local governments from taxing Internet connections for the next three years.
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Last weekend, when the U.S. Congress   passed a bill making it illegal for banks and credit-card   companies to make payments to Internet gambling sites, a legion   of online gamblers were sent scrambling to find new ways to   place their bets.
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The U.S. Congress approved a $300  million boost in emergency funds to help poor and elderly  Americans pay home heating bills that are expected to be  sharply higher than last winter.
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A federal judge rules that Florida doesn't have to provide a paper trail for electronic votes, tossing out a congressman's lawsuit. Jacob Ogles reports from Orlando, Florida.
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Congress is trying to end a practice that unintentionally has allowed banks to take in billions of dollars meant to help students pay for college.
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Turbocharge your savings thanks to lowered fund fees.
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The Senate moved against the worsening mortgage crisis Friday, voting to make it easier for thousands of homeowners with ballooning interest rates to refinance into federally insured loans.
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HSBC on Thursday reversed its decision to take away students&#39; interest-free overdrafts as soon as they leave university after it suffered a consumer revolt by graduates on the pages of Facebook, the cult social-networking site.
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A bill that privacy experts have called one of the worst before the current Congress has passed a House committee vote. The Electronic Modernization Surveillance Act cleared the House Judiciary Committee by a 20-16 vote.