BT broadband upgrade hiccough calmed

A BT system failure is believed to be caused a backlog of ADSL users waiting to be upgraded from 512Kbps to 1Mbps connections. Some 10,000 are believed to have been affected, with some losing the service, shortly after being upgraded. The outage coincided with the surge in upgrade applications that followed changes to the availability and range of ADSL services. ...more

BBC Trust gives go-ahead to on-demand TV

The BBC Trust has given the go-ahead for the broadcaster to launch a range of Web-based on-demand TV and audio services. The Trust, which oversees the corporation, said that it had approved the service after examining the public demand and any impact it would have on commercial rivals. Broadcaster Channel 4 said on Monday that its on-demand service had been used by 'well over' one million people watching a total of 20 million programmes since it was launched six months ago, far exceeding expectations. ...more

Rights group tramples over EU e-commerce law

A consumer rights group has blocked an EU law that sought to simplify online shopping by 11 votes. The amendment, which sought to do away with conflicting trade laws within countries across the continent, would have meant that in a dispute consumers could only take up the case in the e-tailer's home nation. Otherwise the customer would be limited to an out-of-court settlement, or alternative dispute resolution (ADR), offered by the supplier. ...more

Google geared for IPO

The FT has reported that Google executives met with investment bankers last week to discuss how to take the company public as early as March next year. Sources told the newspaper the meeting, led by Google CFO George Reyes, also picked the bankers' brains on the possibility of offering shares via electronic auction, which would give private investors the same rank as investment banks and fund managers in the bidding. It would also prune back underwriter fees paid to the investment banks who have in the past been accused of setting the prices low for favoured clients, allowing them to quickly sell them on again at a profit as the value rockets in the buying frenzy of the first issue. ...more

Music group revolts over Sony DRM

US band My Morning Jacket has responded to fans' complaints about copy protected Sony BMG CDs by sending them DRM-free copies of its album. The group began burning unrestricted CDs after fans found that they could not transfer their album 'Z' (pictured) to their iPods. Their manager, Mike Martinovich, told Rolling Stone that Sony BMG should drop DRM on CDs entirely. ...more