In brief: Websites host ‘Slowdown’ to protest FCC net neutrality plan

WASHINGTON – Activist groups and popular websites including Netflix, Mozilla, Reddit and KickStarter launched an action they’re calling Internet Slowdown Day on Wednesday to protest the controversial proposed changes to net neutrality rules by the Federal Communications Commission.

“If they win, the Internet dies,” says the coalition’s website, BattleForTheNet.

The banners on participating websites feature an endlessly spinning “still loading” symbol, meant to warn visitors about the so-called “pay for play” Internet the new rules could create. This new Web would be divided between those able to pay for a speedy pipe to consumers and those who can’t, protesters say.

While the participating websites didn’t actually slow down their service during Wednesday’s protest, they say the high visibility of their messages and social media campaigns might add another flood of feedback to the already record-breaking 1.3 million comments that crashed the FCC website in July.

Dollar General makes hostile takeover bid

Dollar General is going hostile with its $9.1 billion bid for Family Dollar after its rival repeatedly rejected previous offers.

The discount chain has commenced an open offering to investors of Family Dollar Stores Inc. for $80 per share in cash. That offer was rejected last week by the company’s board, which has already accepted a deal with another discounter, Dollar Tree.

Family Dollar, based in Matthews, North Carolina, has voiced concerns about Dollar General’s deal passing antitrust review. In response, Dollar General has said that it is willing to divest up to 1,500 stores if the Federal Trade Commission requires it.

Dollar General’s offer makes for a compelling financial argument, Sterne Agee analyst Chuck Grom wrote. He expects the Goodlettsville, Tennessee, company to ultimately win the dollar store war.

Family Dollar Stores Inc. has been exploring a sale amid considerable financial stress. It accepted an $8.5 billion offer from Dollar Tree Inc. in July. The competing bid includes $59.60 in cash and the equivalent of $14.90 in shares of Dollar Tree for a total of $74.50 for each share held.

140 flights canceled amid Munich pilot strike

BERLIN – Lufthansa has canceled 140 flights after pilots walked off the job at Munich airport – their fourth strike in five months in a dispute that has cost Germany’s largest airline tens of millions of euros.

The dpa news agency reports that Lufthansa said Wednesday’s eight-hour strike by the Vereinigung Cockpit union at Germany’s second-busiest airport affected some 15,300 passengers.

T-Mobile offers hybrid Wi-Fi, cell service

SAN FRANCISCO – T-Mobile will sell more than 100 smartphone models with a built-in feature that taps into Wi-Fi networks to make phone calls and send texts when customers can’t connect to the wireless carrier’s cellular network.

The program announced Wednesday represents T-Mobile’s latest attempt to lure wireless subscribers away from its larger rivals.

Over the past 18 months, T-Mobile has shaken up the industry by replacing two-year contract commitments with monthly installment plans to pay for smartphones and lowering the cost to upgrade devices and stream digital music.

T-Mobile is trying to exploit the hoopla surrounding the Sept. 19 release of Apple Inc.’s iPhone 6 with its new twist on Wi-Fi connections. The iPhone 6’s latest options include the ability to begin a call on a Wi-Fi network and then automatically transfer the conversation to a cellular network without interruption when the device is on the move. T-Mobile is the only U.S. carrier offering this versatility.