AOL Cuts 300 Jobs as Part of Restructuring

America Online Inc. fired 300 people, or about 5% of its staff, as part of a restructuring that will lead to a $75-million charge in the second quarter. About a third of the 200 people fired at AOL’s Dulles, Va., offices handled billing and customer complaints, while the rest were programmers and engineers. The company also fired about 60 people at its Global Network Navigator Internet service in Berkeley, which the company is closing. The rest of the firings come from offices in Vero Beach, Fla. The terminations follow America Online’s announcement two weeks ago that it would reorganize into three divisions and lower prices as the company strives to compete with cheaper Internet services. It said the firings resulted from duplicated work after the reorganization. The charge for the quarter ending Dec. 31 will cover severance packages and building leases. AOL shares rose $1 to close at $25.75 on the NYSE.