> Broadband providers and data center companies across the EU are committing to reduce energy consumption, with 16 additional companies signing on to a voluntary initiative. This brings the total number of participants to 36. Story.
> The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) is protesting newly proposed legislation that would require domain-name registrars to shut down websites merely suspected of hosting materials that infringe copyrights, Network World reports. Not only is the bill a blow to free speech, it would cause fragmentation of the Internet as other countries try to enforce their own laws on foreign websites, the CDT says. Story.
> Cable & Wireless Worldwide plans to establish an enterprise cloud computing service using Cisco's Unified Computing System (UCS) as its data center platform, says CED. The service is slated to go live later this year. Story.
> LGS Innovations, an Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) subsidiary, chalked up a win this week as the U.S. Army selected the provider to update its IMOD I3MP network at Camps Carroll and Henry in South Korea. News release.
> Thanks to a $21.6 million stimulus award from the USDA, the Yadkin Valley Telephone Membership Corporation and next-generation provider Zhone Technologies (Nasdaq: ZHNE) can expedite and extend buildout of a fiber network in rural North Carolina. News release.
> Level 3 Communications (Nasdaq: LVLT) will provide direct Internet access and colocation to VoIP provider VoiceOnyx for its Central Florida-based business phone services. News release.
> You'll find ADTRAN's (Nasdaq: ADTN) Total Access 5000 MSAP on yet another rural provider's network as the company was selected by Bijou Telephone Cooperative, which is extending broadband and POTS service to rural parts of Eastern Colorado. News release.
And finally... It's not just the CDT doing all the yelling: The Senate's proposal to block websites merely suspected of infringing copyrights also came under fire from some of the Internet's pioneers, the Washington Post reports. David Reed, Paul Vixie And Jim Gettys are among a group of 89 engineers who submitted a letter to Congress pointing out that enforcing such a bill could destabilize the domain name system, wiping out domain names. Worse, "an incredible range of useful, law-abiding sites can be blacklisted under this bill," the letter said. Story.