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Mon. May. 21, 2012 AT&T amps up TD Garden network so fans can tweet and text faster Just in time for a Celtics play-off basketball game Monday night, AT&T said it is throwing the switch on a network upgrade that will expand mobile Internet coverage at TD Garden, the arena where the Celtics play their home games. One problem at a game is that many fans tend to tweet all at once --- after a spectacular play, for example. That can overwhelm a wireless network. AT&T’s newly installed Distributed Antenna System is designed to allow for massive simultaneous tweeting.	Advertisement
AAA: Mass. gas prices fall another 6 cents a gallon The average price for gas in Massachusetts is $3.659 a gallon in the latest weekly AAA survey, down 6 cents from the previous week’s average, AAA Southern New England said Monday. It is the fifth straight week of decreases. The current national average price is $3.68 a gallon. A year ago at this time, the Massachusetts average price was $3.88.
Music downloading damages against BU student Joel Tenenbaum left intact by US Supreme Court The US Supreme Court left intact a $675,000 jury verdict against a college student who downloaded and redistributed thousands of songs from the Internet without paying. The court, without comment, refused to hear Boston University student Joel Tenenbaum’s challenge to a law that let the recording industry collect thousands of dollars from individuals for such downloading. The jury was told to impose damages, set by U.S. copyright law, of between $750 and $150,000 per violation. Jurors set a rate of $22,500 for each of 30 songs he downloaded.
TD Bank survey: Young Americans still aspire to be homeowners Nearly 85 percent of US consumers between the ages of 18 and 34 plan to own a home someday, according to a new survey from TD Bank. Recent tough times weighed heavily on the housing market, and many consumers opted to keep renting rather than take a risk on buying a home. But the market seems to be improving. According to the TD Bank study, the majority of current home owners report purchasing their first home early in life, with four out of five buying between the ages of 18 and 34.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing files for bankruptcy Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Co., the publisher of authors from Mark Twain to J.R.R. Tolkien, sought bankruptcy protection to eliminate more than $3 billion in debt. The company, based in Boston, listed assets and debt of more than $1 billion each in Chapter 11 documents filed today in US Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan. On May 11, Houghton announced a debt restructuring plan that would include a pre-packaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
FDA’s $6.4b plan to rush reviews of new drugs hits Senate sweet spot A $6.4 billion effort to speed US reviews of new drugs and medical devices is a step closer to law as the agreements Mylan Inc., Pfizer Inc. and other companies struck with regulators wind through Congress. The Senate is set to begin voting soon on more than $2 billion in new fees that drug and device companies will pay regulators through 2017 to review their products for safety and efficacy. The figure includes $1.56 billion from generic- drug companies such as Pennsylvania-based Mylan, which had been exempt from such review fees.
Maine gas prices down 3 cents AUGUSTA, Maine — Gas prices in Maine are continuing to fall and are getting closer to the national average. Price-monitoring website MaineGasPrices.com reports Monday the average retail price for a gallon of gas in Maine has dropped more than three cents in the past week to an average of $3.76. That compares to a national average of $3.70 per gallon. Maine prices are now almost 15 cents lower than at the same time a year ago and more than 19 cents lower than a month ago.
Boston officials say chef Todd English left his closed Faneuil Hall restaurant in shambles Celebrity chef Todd English, who owes more than $1 million in back rent and other charges related to his Kingfish Hall restaurant, left the space with thousands of dollars in damage after shuttering the location at Faneuil Hall Marketplace several weeks ago. Photos obtained by the Globe show what appear to be ripped ceiling tiles, torn duct work, exposed wires, and garbage strewn throughout the historic property, which is owned by the city of Boston.
Schilling’s firm may get more aid Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee said the state is considering giving former Red Sox pitcher Curt Shilling’s troubled 38 Studios game maker millions of dollars in additional subsidies to keep the company afloat.
Spanish language learning app includes Nuance voice technology Nuance Communications Inc., a Burlington company known for its Dragon voice-recognition software, said Friday that its voice technology has been is incorporated into a PlaySay language learning app designed for Apple Inc.’s iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices. The app connects Spanish and English language learners so they can practice with a real partner, and improve pronunciation. Nuance, which provided the software for the Siri voice activated assistant for the new iPhone, is making its voice technology available to app designers through a program called NDEV Mobile.
Romney backer, Tom Stemberg, defends Bain’s private-equity role of making money A top surrogate to Mitt Romney said making money -- rather than creating jobs -- was the primary goal of the presumed Republican Party presidential nominee when he was running Bain Capital LLC, saying he “acted responsibly” as chief executive officer of the Boston-based private-equity firm. “The role of private equity as fiduciaries is certainly to make money,” said Tom Stemberg, the founder of Staples Inc., the office supply giant headquartered in Framingam.
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