AT&T to pause fiber spending on net neutrality uncertainty

By Marina Lopes WASHINGTON (Reuters) – AT&T Inc on Wednesday raised pressure on the U.S. telecommunications regulator's work on new “net neutrality” rules, saying it would stop investing in high-speed Internet connections in 100 cities until the Web rules were settled. The statement from AT&T Chief Executive Officer Randall Stephenson is the first move by an Internet service provider in response to President Barack Obama's unexpected call on the Federal Communications Commission on Monday to regulate these companies more like public utilities.

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Comcast says Time Warner deal going ‘full steam ahead’

By Christina Farr SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Comcast Corp's merger with Time Warner Cable Inc is going “full steam ahead” despite uncertainty around new rules governing net neutrality, Comcast Chief Executive Officer Brian Roberts told reporters on Wednesday. The deal, which would create the largest U.S. cable Internet provider, is in its final phases and remains on track to close, he said at a Comcast press event in San Francisco

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Spotify says fights piracy, has paid $2 billion to artists, industry

By Michael Roddy LONDON (Reuters) – The music streaming portal Spotify made an impassioned defense of its business model on Monday, saying it fights music piracy and had paid out $2 billion to the industry and artists since its launch in 2008. The statement in a blog post by CEO Daniel Ek came a week after U.S. singer Taylor Swift pulled her entire catalog from the popular streaming site as she released her new album “1989”, which immediately soared to the top of the U.S.

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Alibaba reports record $9 billion Singles’ Day sales

By Adam Jourdan HANGZHOU China (Reuters) – E-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd reported more than $9 billion in sales on China's Singles' Day on Tuesday, illustrating the buying power of the Chinese consumer and the importance of the event in the retail calendar.

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SurveyMonkey targets professional customers in Britain

By Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) – SurveyMonkey, an internet company that enables people to poll friends, colleagues and customers, is bringing its professional polling service to Britain, marking its first foray for the product in Europe. Launched a couple of years ago in the United States, SurveyMonkey Audience has a 4.5 million strong panel ready to answer questions. It is used by companies to get feedback on new products or on ads

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China hackers target rights groups, say Canadian researchers

By Alastair Sharp TORONTO (Reuters) – Chinese hackers are attacking activists, journalists and human rights groups using many of the same techniques they apply to steal state secrets and spy on corporations, a Canadian technology research group said on Tuesday.

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Unclear if China ready to sign IT agreement: WTO chief

BEIJING (Reuters) – China is part of “intensive” talks on a global trade pact regarding information technology products, the World Trade Organization's chief said on Saturday, but it is unclear if a deal will be made at a meeting of Asia-Pacific leaders underway in Beijing. The United States and other countries have been hopeful that China would sign on to the Information Technology Agreement (ITA), which requires signatories to eliminate duties on some IT products, during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit that ends on Tuesday.

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California man sentenced to 37 years for raping women he met on dating sites

(Reuters) – A California man described by prosecutors as a dangerous internet predator was sentenced on Friday to 37 years to life in prison for raping two women he met on dating websites including ChristianMingle.com, an attorney for one of the victims said. Sean Patrick Banks, 39, must serve 85 percent of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole, attorney Gloria Allred said

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