CoSine to deregister common stock; US Signal expands into more Midwest markets

> CoSine Communications (Other OTC: COSN.PK) is deregistering its common stock following the approval of its Board of Directors on Monday, in a move it says will "avoid the substantial and increasing cost and expense of being an SEC reporting company and of regulatory compliance under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002." CoSine, whose net loss in the second quarter nearly doubled from 2Q 2009, plans to take those savings and acquire or invest in other companies. News release.

> Data service provider US Signal has added eight new Midwest markets and is expanding into Illinois, St. Louis, Mo., and southern Indiana. This will add about 1,000 new miles of long-haul fiber to the provider's network. News release.

> Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) co-founder and Charter Communications (OTC BB: CCMM) boss Paul Allen has filed suit against several major tech companies, including YouTube, Facebook, eBay and Netflix, alleging they infringed on four patents owned by his company, Interval Licensing. Story.

> Ready for business VoIP? Skype has officially launched Skype Connect 1.0 (formerly Skype for SIP), which allows IP-enabled PBX or UC systems to connect to Skype. News release.

> Telecom New Zealand has put forward to government-owned Crown Fibre Holdings a proposal to structurally separate, through a demerger, into two companies: Telecom and Chorus 2. The operator also wants to integrate the country's Ultra-Fast Broadband Initiative with the Rural Broadband Initiative, in a move it says will extend broadband's reach well beyond the 75 percent coverage area. News release.

> Shareholders who want to redeem their TELUS (Toronto: T.TO) 2011 notes a bit early can do so on Sept. 2; they'll get a redemption price per $1,000 of $1,075.86 after accrued and unpaid interest is added. News release.

And finally... If your inbox isn't swamped these days, you're not on the Internet. But Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) is attempting to ease inbox overload with its new Priority Inbox feature, which organizes e-mails into three selection categories and automatically places those at or near the top of the list. Story.