TECHNOLOGY BRIEFING
TECHNOLOGY BRIEFING
Thursday, June 15, 2006; Page D05
INTERNET
AOL Retools Netscape.com Portal
AOL is revamping its Netscape.com portal to give visitors a greater role in determining what news articles get readily shown to others. Visitors will be able to submit links to articles they find elsewhere and vote on the ones they like most. The items receiving the most votes will appear on the home page, as well as in separate sections focusing on technology, food and other topics. The new Netscape portal is scheduled to launch July 1, with a public "beta" test version starting today.
  Monster Worldwide's stock options are being investigated. (By Adrian Brown -- Bloomberg News) Save & Share |
Saving options
According to ComScore Media Metrix, Netscape had 12.3 million U.S. visitors in April, compared with 128 million for Yahoo, 102 million for Microsoft's MSN and 87 million for AOL.com. News Corp.'s MySpace.com and Lycos's portal also had more traffic than Netscape.
TELECOM
Cable TV Companies Protest AT&T Decision
Several cable television companies and the state attorney general asked Connecticut regulators to stay a recent decision allowing AT&T to offer video over phone lines without requiring the company to seek a cable franchise.
The cable companies said the decision by the Department of Public Utility Control was a boon to AT&T, freeing it from regulations intended to protect consumers.
In a written request to the DPUC, the companies and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal cited the close vote proposals involving AT&T being considered by the Federal Communications Commission and the likely success of a court challenge.
LEGAL
Monster Stock-Option Probe Continues
The parent company of job-search Web site Monster.com said the Securities and Exchange Commission has asked it to "preserve all relevant information" in anticipation of a document request related to the timing of its stock-options grants. Monster Worldwide has received a subpoena from the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York over its options grants.
Monster is among more than 40 companies under inquiries by the SEC or the Justice Department over the timing of options grants.
The issue is whether executives illegally backdated the grants, increasing the options' value by timing them at low points.
Compiled from reports by Washington Post staff writers, the Associated Press and Bloomberg News.
