Jan. 23-25 NATPE convention, Fountainebleau Resort, Miami -- www.natpemarket.com
The following are trade-related highlights of the Executive Communications sent to Congress for December 30, 2011 - January 19, 2012:
The latest numbers emerging as the FCC pushes forward on an order addressing Lifeline funding reveal sharp growth in the cost of the Universal Service Fund program. Lifeline spending was up sharply in Q4 2011, ending in September, to $525 million, but it remains unclear whether that number is an anomaly or means real, across the board growth in the Lifeline program. Meanwhile, a senior FCC official said Chairman Julius Genachowski is committed to putting in place significant controls on the size of Lifeline program, which are projected to save $2 billion over a period of years versus the status quo.
The emergency.lu emergency communication service was successfully deployed for the first time in South Sudan, said SES. The service is meant to be used for global disaster relief and is made up of a group of Luxembourg companies and organizations, including SES, Hitec and Luxembourg Air Rescue. The service was deployed in two cities in South Sudan to provide connectivity for ongoing humanitarian operations of the United Nations and will be used in another city in coming weeks, said SES.
Best Buy is weighing consumer behavior and moods in developing promotions that reach beyond their base in holidays and special events, Best Buy Research Director Mark Herzog said Tuesday at the National Retail Federal (NRF) convention in New York.
Proposed new rules for cross-border payment of the EU value-added tax (VAT) emerged from the European Commission Friday. In December, the EC said it will apply a one-stop shop approach for VAT compliance across borders first to e-commerce, broadcasting and telecom services, beginning Jan. 1, 2015. Its new proposals (http://xrl.us/bmomza) cover aspects of the system such as scope, reporting obligations and records. The one-stop shop will let providers of such services declare and pay the tax in the EU member nation where they're established rather than where a particular customer resides, the EC said. The regime is currently limited to non-EU electronic services providers but is being extended to EU businesses and to broadcasting and telecom services, it said. The EC urged governments to agree to the proposal this year, saying a common approach is key to designing the information technology systems needed to exchange information among the 27 tax authorities by 2015.
Proposed new rules for cross-border payment of the EU value-added tax (VAT) emerged from the European Commission Friday. In December, the EC said it will apply a one-stop shop approach for VAT compliance across borders first to e-commerce, broadcasting and telecom services, beginning Jan. 1, 2015. Its new proposals (http://xrl.us/bmomza) cover aspects of the system such as scope, reporting obligations and records. The one-stop shop will let providers of such services declare and pay the tax in the EU member nation where they're established rather than where a particular customer resides, the EC said. The regime is currently limited to non-EU electronic services providers but is being extended to EU businesses and to broadcasting and telecom services, it said. The EC urged governments to agree to the proposal this year, saying a common approach is key to designing the information technology systems needed to exchange information among the 27 tax authorities by 2015.
LAS VEGAS -- Investment in infrastructure is critical to turning around a slumping U.S. economy, Rebecca Blank, acting deputy Commerce Secretary, told CES Thursday. Blank spoke during a discussion on how innovation can save the U.S., that took a sometimes pessimistic turn as panelists asked whether the nation is off its game. Panelists asked whether Angry Birds, a cellphone game which has gone viral, is now what passes for innovation in the U.S.
LAS VEGAS -- Investment in infrastructure is critical to turning around a slumping U.S. economy, Rebecca Blank, acting deputy Commerce Secretary, told CES Thursday. Blank spoke during a discussion on how innovation can save the U.S., but the discussion took a sometimes pessimistic turn as panelists asked whether the nation is off its game. Panelists asked whether the viral game Angry Birds is now what passes for innovation in the U.S.
LAS VEGAS -- Investment in infrastructure is critical to turning around a slumping U.S. economy, Rebecca Blank, acting deputy Commerce Secretary, told CES Thursday. Blank spoke during a discussion on how innovation can save the U.S., that took a sometimes pessimistic turn as panelists asked whether the nation is off its game. Panelists asked whether Angry Birds, a multiplatform game which has gone viral, is now what passes for innovation in the U.S.