Obama proposal sets off Internet debate

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama touched off an angry debate Monday over government regulation of Internet service, coming down on the side of consumer activists who fear slower download speeds and higher costs but angering Republicans and the nation’s cable giants who say the plan would kill jobs.

Obama called on the Federal Communications Commission to more heavily regulate Internet providers, including prohibiting them from charging data hogs like Netflix more money to move their content more quickly. The announcement sent cable stocks tumbling.

The FCC, a regulatory body led by political appointees, is nearing a decision on whether broadband providers should be allowed to cut deals with the content providers but is stumbling over the legal complexities.

Assailants kill 2, wound 3 in Israel

JERUSALEM – Palestinian assailants carried out stabbing attacks Monday in Tel Aviv and the West Bank, police said, killing an Israeli woman and a soldier as a wave of Arab unrest appeared to be gaining strength.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised a harsh response – a confrontational strategy that risks deepening weeks of turmoil that has shaken the country.

With the attacks believed to be the work of lone assailants, however, police could have a tough time preventing more of them.

Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have been high following a 50-day Israeli war in July and August against those in the Gaza Strip and increased friction over Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site – the hilltop complex revered by Jews as the Temple Mount and by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary.

Associated Press