Dorgan, Snowe introduce legislation to prohibit discriminatory treatment of Internet traffic by broadband carriers.

New legislation would cap expenses while extending obligations to VoIP customers.

Advocacy groups from across the political spectrum rally against AOL's plan to monetize e-mail.

Legislation to level the taxation playing field for all in-store, catalog and online retailers is back on the table in Congress.

New agreement allows states to distribute free software to simplify process but congressional sanction still needed.

Gartner survey shows one of out three Internet users buying less online.

Members urge Senate to address latest House call to pass national legislation banning forms of spyware.

Senator introduces bill to keep Internet services free from Federal Excise Tax.

North Carolina company agrees to pay $15,000 and promises to drop port-blocking practices.

Internet telephony firms Vonage, Nuvio take complaints to the FCC.

Broadband, Internet tax cuts, spyware and Chinese fair trade issues dominated debates on Capitol Hill this year. The decisions ultimately made in D.C. will certainly affect SMBs.

A new Federal ban on connection taxes extends exemptions to broadband and wireless hookups.

Will the FCC rule that VoIP should remain exempt from state and local regulation? If you're thinking of switching your SMB over to VoIP, stay tuned to this issue.

Things are looking up for SMBs regarding tax-free Voice over Internet Protocol services.

VoIP technology is hot and offers small businesses huge savings. Proposed legislation tries to keep government regulation to a minimum.

Both plans contain broadband access measures that will promote small business growth.

In an attempt to help spread wireless broadband deployment across rural regions, the Federal Communications Commission last week approved proposed rules to allow unlicensed wireless devices to operate at higher power.

The Federal Trade and Communications Commissions have begun the process of fully implementing the United States' first national law aimed at curbing unsolicited bulk e-mail. Will spammers get the message?

Court bars two Chicago area residents from participating in Web auctions and orders more than $90,000 in consumer redress. The two constantly changed their Internet auction account names to conceal that they were defrauding consumers.

With the stroke of the president's pen moving the legislation into law Tuesday, e-mail marketers have until May to comply with new opt-out measures. But consumer groups question whether the bill has teeth.

Landmark legislation sets first national standards for regulating spam. Congress says that 'if you are a spammer, you can wind up in the slammer.' But PC users expecting to see a significant drop in e-mail are likely to be disappointed.

Sharp divisions over duration and definitions mean no action is expected until Jan. 2004 . Barring a last-minute compromise, the movement to revive the Internet access tax ban that expired on Nov. 1 is all but dead for 2003.

Technical issues force another House vote on anti-spam legislation, but President Bush is still expected to sign bill early in 2004. Meanwhile, the FTC may not have to look past its own backyard to enforce the anti-spam bill.

With no Senate opposition expected for opt-out legislation that pre-empts tougher state laws, it looks like the White House could make the new anti-spam bill the law of the land come January.

Federal opt-out legislation pre-empts tougher opt-in state laws and calls for five-year prison sentences for violators — assuming that the FTC can find and prosecute the spammers.

The U.S. federal agency sends letters to 37 e-tailers as a holiday reminder of consumer protection laws. Warranty information, quick-ship claims and country-of-origin disclosures top the list of missing details online shoppers are frequently not provided.

Hewlett-Packard dedicates new resources and support to its sales partners that focus on the SMB market through its PartnerOne SMB networks. Flexible financing terms are a big part of HP's 'Smart Office Initiative' for smaller businesses.

Federal agency claims Mercury Marketing continuing to bill for Internet-related services without consumers' authorization; many of which are small businesses caught by the telemarketer's lure of inexpensive Web hosting and site design services.

Good news for small businesses that sell goods and services online — legislation to permanently extend the current moratorium on certain Internet taxes moves to the House and Senate.

The U.S. federal agency takes Internet 'shopping mall' operators to court to halt alleged scam. NexGen3000.com marketed Web-based malls that they claimed would enable investors to earn substantial income and commissions on products purchased through the Internet.

Responding to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's request, a judge orders owners of a do-it-yourself Internet tool kit to halt bogus advertising claims. The FTC asserts the claims by an operation that promised a one fee, turnkey, get-rich-quick Internet home-based business opportunity are deceptive .

The new measure would permanently ban taxes on Internet access. If a moratorium, permanent or otherwise, is passed by Congress, it would not, in all probability, apply to the growing movement to enforce sales taxes on Internet sales.

According to one expert, the increase in e-commerce by wholesalers is clearly one reason many leading technology companies have their sites set upon the small- and mid-sized business market for growth. But drug and automotive aftermarket wholesalers lead pack according to new Census Bureau stats.

Two U.S. Senators are joined by a member of the House in support of making the Internet sales tax moratorium permanent. The legislative move would put e-businesses on a much more level playing field, according to those that proposed the pair of bills.

With moratorium on sales taxes for purchases made over the Internet expiring in November, two Net-savvy elected officials push for a permanent solution.

With cooperation from American business, the U.S. Census Bureau completes an Economic Census every five years. The 2002 Economic Census is currently underway and at the end of the year, you can save some time by completing the business census online.