The Colorado Springs Gazette

Just whose Internet is it? New federal rules may answer that

WASHINGTON (AP) — Whose Internet is it anyway? Tom Wheeler, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, says he's keeping that question in mind as he pitches the biggest regulatory shake-up to the telecommunications industry since 1996, when people still used noisy modems and referred to the "information superhighway" as a fun way to...
Drive to repeal medical device tax no slam dunk in Congress

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress have never had a better chance of repealing the tax on medical devices. Though they're backed by Democrats from states where that industry provides lots of jobs, abolishing the tax won't be easy. That's because of a possible veto by President Barack Obama. In addition, some...
MOVERS & SHAKERS

Three people have joined the Vladimir Jones advertising agency in Colorado Springs. Patrick Cannarozzi was hired as a digital coordinator. He previously worked as a content coordinator and community manager for BFG Communications. Kaitlin Cronk joined the agency as an account coordinator. She previously worked in sponsorship and marketing...
Status quo for Colorado Springs apartment scene: vacancies low, rents high

A continued strong demand for apartments and relatively little construction kept Colorado Springs' apartment vacancy rate low and rents high during the fourth quarter of last year, according to a report from the Colorado Division of Housing and Apartment Association of Southern Colorado. The Springs-area vacancy rate stood at 5.3 percent in...
What slowing economy? US consumers are in a mood to spend

WASHINGTON (AP) — There's a good reason the U.S. economy is impressing the world right now despite a slowdown in the final three months of 2014: In a word, steadiness. Companies have been hiring at healthy rates for the past year. Layoffs hover near historic lows. Auto sales are strong. Gas prices have sunk. Congressional budget fights have...
Uber says outside review shows customer data safe, private

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Uber Technologies says that if you catch a ride with one of its drivers, your personal and financial data are safe — from Uber itself. The ride-booking company on Friday used a blog post to release the results of what it described as a thorough outside examination of its privacy and personal data policies. While popular...
Lawsuit: Exploding air bag killed Texas man

HOUSTON (AP) — The family of a Texas man who died in a minor traffic accident is alleging in a lawsuit that their loved one is the latest person to be killed by shrapnel shooting out of exploding air bags made by Takata Corp. of Japan. Carlos Solis, 35, died on Jan. 18 in a minor crash in a Houston suburb. A lawsuit filed this week by his...
IBM boss gets bonus despite company's lackluster year

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — IBM boss Virginia Rometty will get a $3.6 million bonus for her performance last year, even though the company's sales and profits declined in 2014. Rometty and other top executives did not take bonuses for 2013, after the company turned in disappointing results for that year. But even though IBM is still struggling to...
Jury deliberations break for weekend in Toyota Camry case

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A jury of six men and six women has gone home for the weekend in a case alleging a 1996 Toyota Camry had a design defect that caused a fatal crash. Jurors received the case late Wednesday afternoon and deliberated all day Thursday and Friday without reaching a verdict. They're due to resume deliberations at the federal...
FDA approves ADHD drug for binge-eating disorder

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health regulators have approved an attention deficit disorder drug for a new use: A first-of-its kind treatment for binge-eating disorder. About 2 percent of U.S. adults, or about 5 million people, have binge eating disorder, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Standard treatment for binge...
Business Highlights

___ Consumers fuel steady US economy as rest of world struggles WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy slowed in the final three months of 2014, but a burst in consumer spending and the prospect of continued low energy prices are bolstering confidence that growth will strengthen this year. The economy, as measured by the gross domestic product,...
Exxon Mobil updates anti-discrimination employment policy

IRVING, Texas (AP) — Exxon Mobil Corp. has updated its corporate policies to protect employees from discrimination for sexual orientation or gender identity. Spokesman Alan Jeffers said Friday that the Irving, Texas-based oil giant added these protections to comply with federal law. In July, President Barack Obama signed an executive order...
BBB of Southern Colorado warns businesses of phishing scam

The BBB of Southern Colorado warned Friday that scammers are sending bogus emails to business owners, asking them to click on a BBB Standard Business Questionnaire form. But the link goes to a site that delivers malware to the user's computer. The Council of Better Business Bureaus Inc. is working with its security vendor to address the...
New York wage board suggests $7.50 wage for tipped workers

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Restaurant servers and other tipped workers in New York state would make $7.50 an hour before tips under a proposal recommended by a state wage board Friday The proposal from the state Wage Board would go into effect Dec. 31 if approved by Gov. Andrew Cuomo's labor commissioner. That looks likely to happen after Cuomo...
AT&T, Verizon get more airwaves: Expect more mobile capacity

NEW YORK (AP) — Consumers may see improved networks after AT&T and Verizon, the two largest U.S. wireless companies, spent billions in the government's latest airwaves auction. The additional airwaves, or spectrum, will allow wireless companies to offer more capacity for mobile data services, helping ease congested networks. The auction,...
Shake Shack shares more than double in stock market debut

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street went wild for burgers Friday. Shares of Shake Shack, a burger chain that started as a New York City hot dog cart, more than doubled in their first day of trading. The company raised $105 million in its initial public offering Thursday, selling 5 million shares at $21 per share. It had initially forecast that its...
Cost pressure intensifies for Southern Co. nuclear plant

ATLANTA (AP) — The delays and cost overruns are piling up for a new plant in Georgia that was supposed to prove nuclear energy can be built affordably. Instead, the companies building first-of-their-kind reactors at Plant Vogtle expect they will need an extra three years to finish construction. The plant's owners and builders are fighting over...
Figures on government spending and debt

WASHINGTON (AP) — Figures on government spending and debt (last six digits are eliminated). The government's fiscal year runs Oct. 1 through Sept. 30.
Government sells scandalized Teapot Dome oilfield for $45M

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A private company finally will be able to drill legally for oil at Teapot Dome, a remote Wyoming oilfield that remains best known for a political scandal that embroiled the administration of President Warren G. Harding in the early 1920s. The Energy Department announced Friday that it had finalized the sale of the...
Mastercard and Amazon are big market movers

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that moved substantially or traded heavily Friday on the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Market: NYSE MasterCard Inc., up 65 cents to $82.03 The processor of debit and credit card payments reported better-than-expected fourth profit on a boost in consumer spending. Abbvie Inc., down $2.77 to $60.35 The...