The head of the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday slammed wireless carriers over what he described as unsuitably slow progress in restoring communications in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. “Even though efforts to restore communications services have been going well in most of the areas affected by Hurricane Michael, the slow progress in restoring wireless service in areas close to where the hurricane made landfall is completely unacceptable,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement. Saying the actions of the companies on the ground don’t match the “urgency” conveyed by the commission, Pai announced he was joining with Florida Gov. Rick Scott in pushing a list of demands. The officials are now calling on wireless carriers to waive the monthly bills of subscribers in the affected areas, at least for the month of October, and allow them to change carriers without paying a contract penalty. Pai added that he’s directed the FCC’s … [Read more...] about FCC Butts Heads With Wireless Carriers Over Hurricane Michael Response
Netflix stock soars on stellar Q3 report
Why it matters: It's impressive to see Netflix's growth from a DVD-by-mail outlet to the industry's leading video streaming outfit, complete with compelling original content production. And to think, it all nearly fell apart with Quickster. Netflix shares shot up more than 12 percent in after-hours trading on Tuesday following the release of its favorable third-quarter earnings report. Subscriber growth is paramount and in this category, Netflix didn’t disappoint. Analysts predicted growth of 5.07 million users but Netflix managed to attract 6.96 million net additions. In total, Netflix now enjoys north of 137 million subscribers, 130 million of which are paying members. As for earnings, Netflix generated $4 billion compared to the $3 billion it took in a year earlier. Diluted earnings per share checked in a $0.89 per share versus $0.29 per share during the same time in 2017. The future is looking even brighter for Netflix as the video streaming outfit forecast paid net … [Read more...] about Netflix stock soars on stellar Q3 report
Google is making a huge change to its business model in response to the EU
Google is preparing for a major shift to its business model in response to a record-breaking EU fine this summer over the rules that Google binds Android handset makers to if they want access to the OS — rules that include requiring those handset manufacturers to set Google’s own search and web browsers as the default offerings. Now, in response to the EU ruling, Google is saying it will shift for the first time away from giving away its Android OS for free to get it onto as many devices as possible. Google will now charge a licensing fee for Android device makers that want to deliver handsets pre-installed with apps like Gmail and YouTube within the EU. In another major change, per CNBC, Google will also end restrictions on phone makers selling forked versions of Android. Don't Miss: The Instant Pot of air fryers is back in stock on Amazon “Previously,” CNBC notes, “Google tied together a suite of 11 different apps that phone makers would … [Read more...] about Google is making a huge change to its business model in response to the EU
IBM revenue misses as server, software sales slow
(Reuters) - IBM Corp reported a bigger-than-expected drop in revenue on Tuesday, hit by slowing software sales and wavering demand for mainframe servers, pointing to a bumpy recovery for the technology services giant that is in the midst of a turnaround. FILE PHOTO: A logo of IBM is seen at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain February 28, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo Chief Executive Officer Ginni Rometty has been refocusing International Business Machines Corp toward faster-growing cloud and analytics services to lower dependence on its traditional hardware products and reverse years of revenue declines. The Armonk, New York-based company’s overall revenue slipped 2 percent in the third quarter ended September, with almost all of its businesses missing Wall Street’s revenue estimates. Revenue at its systems unit, which includes mainframe servers and data storage systems sold to large organizations, climbed only 1 percent, compared with a 25 … [Read more...] about IBM revenue misses as server, software sales slow
NASA astronaut on failed Soyuz launch: ‘The first two minutes were great’
It’s now been nearly a week since the Soyuz rocket ferrying a NASA astronaut and Russian cosmonaut failed during launch, leading to a mission abort and sending the passengers on a course right back down to Earth. It was an unfortunate incident that appears to have been traced to a collision between rocket components, but while we wait for the final verdict we’ve been treated to a first-hand account of how the stressful journey unfolded, straight from one of the passengers. In a new interview with NBC News, NASA astronaut Nick Hague explains what it was like to be sitting in the crew capsule when the rocket strapped to its rear failed. Don't Miss: The Instant Pot of air fryers is back in stock on Amazon “The first two minutes of the launch were going great,” Hague says. “Everything was nominal, and it was right after the first staging, when the boosters started to separate inside, it went from normal to ‘something was wrong’ pretty quick.” … [Read more...] about NASA astronaut on failed Soyuz launch: ‘The first two minutes were great’