|
|
July 31
INTERNET
CRUNCH TIME NEARS FOR 'KIDS.US' WEB DOMAIN NeuStar Inc. is accepting "sunshine"
applications from trademark holders until August 16 to register domains
within its kids.us Internet domain -- the world's first child-friendly
Internet space. The domain, formed as part of the Dot-Kids Implementation
and Efficiency Act of 2002, is set to launch in September, when general
registration becomes available to the public. Restrictions for the site
include no sexual content, no teenage or adult game sites, and nothing
that promotes gambling, alcohol consumption, tobacco use, or violence.
A combination of human intervention and search technologies will be used
to enforce the standards. Critics believe the site will have trouble signing
companies to the service, since the process requires registration, payment
of a non-refundable $1,000 application fee, and operation of a separate
location on the Web. Online safety experts critical of the initiative
say the success of kids.us will depend on its ability to provide content
appealing to children. Until kids.us garners enough support to compete
with the vast array of resources available on the Internet, online child
safety specialist Parry Aftab suggests that schools and parents turn to
"white lists" offered by the American Library Association and
her own organization, WiredSafety.org. SOURCE: eSchool News; AUTHOR: Corey
Murray http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=4519
(requires registration)
COMPETITION SPURS BROADBAND IN EUROPE A new report from the Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development suggests that European countries
that promote competition among telecom and cable providers show faster
adoption of broadband Internet services. The report warned governments
against propping up the telecom industry in exchange for broadband build-out.
"Incumbent operators are using their economic influence on governments
to say, 'If you are nice to us we will deliver broadband,' but what the
OECD numbers show is that competition between operators is what delivers
broadband," said Ewan Sutherland, director general of the Brussels-based
International Telecommunications Users Group. Evidence shows that Germany,
once the leader in broadband growth, has been overtaken by the more competitive
environment in Belgium, where 98 percent of the country has access to
at least 3Mbps service - up to six times faster than the transmissions
available in France or Britain. The United States has fallen from 3rd
to 10th in the OECD rankings, primarily because the prices and speeds
offered by phone companies have not matched those offered by cable. Asian
countries have used government subsidies to stimulate the markets have
resulted in additional competition and lower prices, allowing the region
to take the lead in broadband deployment. SOURCE: E-Commerce News; AUTHORL
Jennifer L. Schenker http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/31231.html
LOSS OF EMAIL 'WORSE THAN DIVORCE' A survey of information technology
managers for the software storage firm Veritas highlights the key role
of email in businesses. People start to get annoyed after just 30 minutes
without email access, the study found. About a fifth of computer technicians
feared for their job if they could not get email back online within a
day. While 99 percent of companies said they regularly back up email and
attachments, about half of the managers said it would be difficult to
locate and retrieve a particular email on the system. Only a fifth said
they could recover an email sent more than a year ago. According to Veritas,
the survey shows "alarming deficiencies in current email system management
and backup and recovery methods, placing businesses at risk and causing
undue stress in the workplace." A third of those surveyed said that
when email problems persist for more than a week, the experience was more
traumatic than moving or getting married or divorced. (Sadly, Veritas
and the article apparently have nothing to say about the "alarming
deficiencies" of a workforce that has so lost touch with their personal
lives that they consider an email outage to be more traumatic than getting
married or divorced.) SOURCE: BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3104889.stm
TECH SECTOR
A HIGH-TECH BRIDGE TO MIDDLE EAST PEACE? CNET News' interview with former
Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres reveals the Nobel Peace Prize winner's
belief that high-tech ventures between Israelis and Palestinians may be
the key to future peace. "Politics and economics are symbiotic,"
said Peres, who points out the economic success of pushing such ventures
during the 1990s, when the Israeli tech sector quadrupled in size. Peres
believes that despite the violence of the past three years, joint projects
between Israeli and Palestinian tech companies will not be uncommon in
the near future. Peres downplayed assertions that he advocates Israel
becoming a regional economic superpower in the Middle East, standing by
an earlier statement that "the better the Palestinians have it, the
better neighbors we will have," and adding that "Israel [would]
be happy to put at the disposal of its neighbors its know-how in the field
of high-tech and to develop ties of cooperation." SOURCE: CNET News;
AUTHOR: Charles Cooper http://news.com.com/2008-1082_3-5057993.html
July 16
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
STATE AND NATIONAL CONSUMER GROUPS URGE CONGRESS TO ROLL BACK FCC MEDIA
DEREGULATION Fifty-five consumer groups have called on Congress to adopt
legislation to roll back the FCC's recent deregulation of the national
media before its August recess. Both chambers of Congress are considering
such legislation. "This letter sends a strong signal to Congress
that average Americans support legislation that will prevent large media
conglomerates from dominating local sources of news and information,"
said Gene Kimmelman of Consumers Union. Dr. Mark Cooper of the Consumer
Federation of America echoed his sentiments, arguing that such legislation
"is needed to preserve independent news voices so critical to our
democracy." SOURCE: Consumer Federation of America For the full text
of the letter, please contact Dr. Mark Cooper at mcooper@consumerfed.org
FOCUS ON MEDIA OWNERSHIP ISSUE TAKES LAWMAKERS BY SURPRISE
As House Republicans worked to drum up support for Medicare legislation
late last month, Rep. Richard Burr was trolling the floor for co-sponsors
to his bill to roll back the FCC's recently adopted broadcast ownership
cap expansion. With 163 cosponsors signed on, Burr is quickly approaching
the threshold at which the House leadership will take notice. "If
we get up to 230, 240, 250 cosponsors, it becomes an issue that the leadership
has to deal with," he said last week. "I think we'll aggressively
work it over the next couple weeks and make sure we get to that level."
By all accounts, the issue of media ownership was not expected to rise
to the top of the telecommunications policy agenda, let alone become a
hot legislative issue. Lawmakers were stunned by the public outcry following
the commission's June 2 vote, and the issue rose to more prominence when
the Senate Commerce Committee approved a series of measures scaling back
the FCC's recent moves and directing further regulations on the broadcast
industry. House Republican leaders, such as Rep. Billy Tauzin, Rep. Tom
DeLay and Speaker Dennis Hastert support the FCC changes, however, suggesting
that the commission did not go far enough to protect free speech and property
rights. The stage is set for a legislative dogfight as the session comes
to a close; tactics are likely to include riders to appropriations bills,
which House Appropriations Committee Chairman Billy Young say he will
vigorously oppose "unless the leadership tells [him] to do it."
SOURCE: CQ Weekly; AUTHOR: Joseph C. Alselmo http://www.cq.com
(subscription required)
COMMUNICATIONS FAILURE
Former FCC Chairman Reed Hundt says that the FCC's June 2 ruling on media
ownership has left his congressional colleagues "perplexed, dumfounded,
outraged, aghast, troubled, mystified and bewildered" about the transformation
of the FCC, as well as how to fight the news rules. Noting that the commission
improperly used competition as a basis, Hundt called the rules "an
abandonment of the traditional policing function of the FCC [representing]
a disregard of the responsibility to promote democracy [or] to follow
the dictates of congress." He said he would like to see the FCC "say
things that are true" regarding the impact of Internet use on more
traditional media. When asked about the current rollback legislation under
debate in Congress, Hundt suggested that "Congress should pass a
law, in whatever is the most rapid and feasible manner, that tells the
FCC to throw out this new proposed set of rules and adopt rules that reflect
the anti-trust law and democracy values," adding that every American
should contact their representatives on Capitol Hill and weigh in on the
debate. Ultimately, Hundt said he regrets not having foreseen this kind
of action as chairman and taken affirmative steps to prevent it. "I
never anticipated that anyone could do anything like this.... [T]hey have
acted like channel 45 in Washington is just as important as channel 4
and as if Salon.com... was just as important as the Washington Post....[T]hese
are crazy ideas." SOURCE: The Foundation for National Progress; AUTHOR:
Jennifer Hahn http://www.motherjones.com/news/qa/2003/28/we_440_01.html
FEWER OWNERS MEANS FEWER WATCHDOGS
Wisconsin columnist and former radio broadcaster Warren Bluhm laments
the current climate of shrinking media voices, especially in the news
arena. Before the newsroom became the business it is today, it was more
common to see reporters from multiple outlets covering items of local
interest such as town meetings. "Eventually the bean counters began
to think of news as a product, not a public service, and pressure was
exerted to make the news a profit center, too," he writes. "That
meant fewer reporters on the local level, just as the big guns had decided
to make do with fewer reporters on a global scale." Bluhm voices
frustration that media consolidation as a political issue has only reached
the mainstream in the brief time since the FCC's June vote to loosen media
ownership rules. "The sad thing about the current debate is how long
it took people to care, because the horse was out of the barn long before
the recent FCC decision to relax media ownership rules even further. Deregulation
and consolidation long ago took those eight radio news jobs in Green Bay
away." SOURCE: Green Bay News-Chronicle; AUTHOR: Warren Bluhm http://www.gogreenbay.com/page.html?article=120915
See also the Internet story "Online, Off and Running," below,
for more on media ownership via Lawrence Lessig and Howard Dean.
21ST CENTURY SKILLS
A QUESTION OF SKILLS OR SCHOLARS BBC correspondent Mike Baker asks his
readers the question, "Which do we need most: more university graduates
or more adults trained in technical or craft skills?" The short answer,
he says, is both, but the British government is now beginning to recognize
the importance of the latter. While the percentage of Brits receiving
university degrees is higher than the average industrialized country,
the UK is lagging behind when it comes to its citizens possessing relevant
technical skills for the workplace. According to a new British government
white paper, "21st Century Skills: Realising Our Potential,"
only 28 percent of the British workforce possesses technical skills, compared
to 51 percent in France and 65 percent in Germany. The UK government has
decided to assist adult tech students at the intermediate level with weekly
stipends and free tuition. "Our fast-changing economy needs workers
who retrain in new -- but same level -- skills just as much as it needs
the unskilled to gain better qualifications," Baker writes. "So,
if we are providing a substantial subsidy for young people to go to university,
shouldn't there be a similar, or even higher, level of support for those
working towards the lower-level skills of which the economy has the most
pressing shortage?" SOURCE: BBC; AUTHOR: Mike Baker http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/3059647.stm
DIGITAL DIVIDE
HILL TRIBES GO HIGH-TECH TO PRESERVE WAY OF LIFE A village in northern
Thailand is preparing to make the leap to cyberspace. Members of the Lahu
tribe are designing a virtual museum to showcase the region's minority
ethnic communities.
The plan is to have an Internet link in a village building, dependent
upon solar power until the village gets electricity.
The museum will chronicle and preserve ceremonies, traditions, rituals,
clothing and other aspects of minority culture that are being lost. Another
objective is an online talking dictionary for the Akha tribe, which lacks
a written script.
These communities, which have roots going back to Burma, Tibet and southern
China, are noted for colorful women's clothing, their diverse languages
and unique customs.
This cultural diversity has not always translated into broad societal
support, however.
Hill tribe members do not automatically get Thai citizenship, and the
educational system tends to emphasize assimilation into Thai culture.
Phayoong Phetcharat, a Thai language teacher, says that the hill tribe
children need alternative ways to gain awareness and celebrate their way
of life.
The museum, he points out, is ''trying to fill this void to help preserve
and sustain hill tribe culture.'' SOURCE: Inter Press Service News Agency;
AUTHOR: Marwaan Macan-Markar http://ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=19238
INTERNET
ONLINE, OFF AND RUNNING: WEB A NEW CAMPAIGN FRONT Democrat presidential
hopeful Howard Dean is redefining the way campaigns are organized and
financed through his use of the Internet. At a recent neighborhood Dean
campaign meeting in Alexandria, Virginia, more than 100 activists gathered
to support the candidate and write personal appeals to Democrats in Iowa.
This meeting, along with the 300 others that occurred that same night
accross the country, was organized online via the meeting tool Meetup.com,
with the idea to write Iowa voters coming from an online suggestion.
With Dean's blessing, tens of thousands of his supporters are chatting
up ideas and strategy over the Net, not to mention raising money -- more
than $3.5 million so far from online contributors. According to Internet
politics expert Michael Cornfield, Dean already has as many online supporters
on his email list as Internet campaigning pioneer John McCain had at the
peak of his campaign in 2000.
"The Internet benefits insurgents," adds political scientist
Carol Darr. "It is a way for candidates who can connect with people
to make an end-run around the established process." SOURCE: USA Today:
AUTHOR: Jim Drinkard and Jill Lawrence http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/2003-07-14-online-cover-usat_x.htm
See also: Stanford Professor Lawrence Lessig's Web Log. Howard Dean is
subbing for Lessig while he's on vacation. Dean begins the blog with a
discussion on the FCC media ownership decision. As of 10am this morning,
over 175 users had posted responses on the topic. http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/lessig/blog/
April 7
OWNERSHIP
SENATE PANEL TO REVIEW MEDIA OWNERSHIP AGAIN
According to committee staff, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science
and Transportation will hold a hearing on media ownership prior to the
FCC's proposed June 2nd rule issuance. Lawmakers want to give the public
ample opportunity to comment on this issue, though opponents of the hearing
argue that the rules should be made quickly so as to let media companies
plan their immediate futures. Such a hearing could further frustrate FCC
Chairman Michael Powell, who last week referred to those attempting to
slow the rulemaking process as mere "noisemakers."
[SOURCE: Yahoo! News, AUTHOR: Jeremy Pelofsky]
(http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/nm/20030406/media_nm/congress_media_fcc_dc)
WIRELESS
SILICON VALLEY HIKES WIRELESS FRONTIER
As cellular telephone technology advances to a level comparable with personal
computing, product engineers and software developers are migrating from
the PC industry into several cell phone software start-ups. To industry
veterans, the trend is similar to the early PC and Internet eras. "It's
starting to happen, it's getting exciting again," says Esther Dyson,
host of Arizona's annual PC Forum. And, as in those prior eras, the winners
and losers are not quite clear, since the competition has yet to begin
in earnest, standards have yet to be agreed upon and the regulatory context
is very much up in the air.
[SOURCE: The New York Times, AUTHOR: Steve Lohr]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/07/technology/07CELL.html)
PRIVACY
US OR EU MODEL FOR SA PRIVACY LAWS?
[Commentary] Despite having several privacy laws on the books as well
as a constitutional and common law basis, the South African government
has yet to really define the concept of privacy via legislation. In fact,
previous acts have been intentionally vague since clarifying legislation
was pending. The government must now decide which model of privacy protection
it should adopt, and the European Union and United States models offer
differing views. Unlike the US system, which places the burden on consumers
and makes obtaining and using private information easy for businesses,
the EU model relies on government regulation to offer more individual
protection, making it a more adoptable framework for South Africa.
[SOURCE: All Africa.com, AUTHOR: Paul Vecchiatto, ITWeb]
(http://allafrica.com/stories/200304070125.html)
YOUTH & MEDIA
CONNECTING WITH THE WIRED GENERATION
The focus of this week's New Media Conference in Berkeley was on the relationship
between young people and digital technology and how their habits are reshaping
the media industry. Archived video of all the panels and presentations
from the conference, organized by the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism
and the USC Annenberg School for Communication, are online in QuickTime
format.
[SOURCE: USA Today, AUTHOR: Jon Swartz]
(http://journalism.berkeley.edu/events/conference2003/webcast.html)
OWNERSHIP
FCC'S NEW RULES AND THE COMMON GOOD
[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission's potential elimination
of media ownership limits should be an issue of great concern to the public,
according to the editors of this Catholic magazine. They claim that media
consolidation has resulted in a decrease in availability of religious
programming. They call for a "public outcry against this democracy-bustingmove."
[SOURCE: St. Anthony Messenger Press]
(http://www.americancatholic.org/Messenger/Apr2003/Editorial.asp)
INTERNET
WAR COVERAGE BOOSTS DEMAND FOR BROADBAND ON INTERNET
Web-based news offerings aimed at high-speed Internet users have had the
desired effect of increasing demand for the service in the home. While
content providers such as news outlets and Yahoo have increased the quality
and quantity of streaming video, consumer acceptance of the price of broadband
access has also been a key factor. As a result, RealNetworks reports that
demand for its video streams doubled last month, and MSNBC saw seven times
the number of requests for video in March compared to February.
[SOURCE: USA Today, AUTHOR: Jon Swartz]
(http://www.usatoday.com/tech/world/iraq/2003-04-01-broadband_x.htm)
JAPAN: I.T. DEVELOPS INFORMED CONSUMERS
Information technology is having a measurable effect on consumer behavior
in Japan. Traditionally, marketers categorized Japanese consumers in three
ways: trend-followers, trendsetters and those who are most likely to buy
products whose advertisements target them. However, research shows that
the availability of online product information and increased user experience
on the Web has shifted these categories, creating a group of tech-savvy
individuals who set trends based on sound decisions. Companies now see
the marketplace as divided into four groups: tech-knowledgeable trend-setters,
trend-followers, brand-followers and price-conscious buyers. Marketers
now
see the trend-setters as prime recipients of targeted advertising, but
people in that group are more likely to rely on their own research when
making purchasing decisions.
[SOURCE: The Daily Yomiuri, AUTHOR: Kenichi Sonoo]
(http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20030328wo12.htm)
OWNERSHIP
SCHOOL-OWNED AIRWAVE RIGHTS STUDIED BY FCC
The Federal Communications Commission is considering a proposal that would
allow schools and universities to sell airwaves that are now licensed
for educational television to high-tech businesses for high-speed Internet
and wireless uses. While some commission officials see this move as an
important step to freeing up much sought after airwaves, Commissioner
Michael J. Coppsbelieves it is a bad idea. "Such an outcome would
threaten this important educational tool," he said. "If [these
parts of the airwaves] become just another commercial service, we will
have lost the last place on the spectrum reserved specifically for education."
[SOURCE: Education Week, AUTHOR: Rhea Borja]
(http://www.edweek.org/ew/ewstory.cfm?slug=28fcc.h22)
TIME IS NOW TO FIGHT FOR FUTURE OF TV
[Commentary] TV's shift toward digital broadcasting should, in theory,
provide non-mainstream content providers an opportunity to offer channels
and services directly to American households. However, a fundamental shift
in the structure of the media system must be affected in order for this
to be realized in practice, says Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital
Democracy. Chester fears that the dominance of cable and satellite providers
in the emerging digital market will crowd out alternative voices, using
targeted advertising and "smart" boxes to further limit the
types of images viewers see. Furthermore, the FCC's policies prohibiting
alternative ISPs from using existing broadband networks create a high-speed
service monopoly. Chester advocates a legislative strategy that reduces
the "stranglehold" cable and satellite have on channel capacity
at both the federal and local levels while working to develop real programming
alternatives.
[SOURCE: AlterNet, AUTHOR: Jeff Chester]
(http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=15538)
JOURNALISM
WEB SURFERS FLOCK TO AL-JAZEERA
Even after being temporarily knocked offline by hackers, the website of
Arab satellite news network Al-Jazeera was among the most sought-after
on the
Internet last week. Al-Jazeera, which has a reputation for being an unusually
independent voice in the Arab world, drew interest from Web surfers after
it broadcast pictures of dead and captive US soldiers in Iraq. US Internet
users are visiting foreign sites in huge numbers for news on the war,
according to a study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project released
Tuesday.
[SOURCE: WIRED, AUTHOR: Associated Press]
(http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,58313,00.html)
WORKFORCE
EVENT: 2003 NATIONAL IT WORKFORCE CONVOCATION
The Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) will host the
sixth annual National IT Workforce Convocation on Monday, May 5 in Arlington,
VA. The convocation will bring together leaders from industry, education,
and government to discuss collaborative ways to expand and develop America's
IT workforce. Registration information is available at the address below.
[SOURCE: Information Technology Association Of America]
(http://www.itaa.org/workforce/events/event.cfm?EventID=563)
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
FCC GETS AN EARFUL FROM COLORADO
Colorado residents are among the thousands of citizens who have emailed
the FCC to comment on current proposals to deregulate US media ownership
rules. Even though the official public comment period ended in February,
emails continue to pour into the FCC, many of them critical of both the
proposed deregulation and the limited number of public forums to address
the issue. FCC Chairman Michael Powell said in a recent interview that
while it's interesting to receive public opinion through email, the emails
don't count as evidence. "The comments are nice to know people's
sentiments," Powell said. "But they tend to be at a very generalized
level." Consumer advocates are critical of Powell. "I think
it's outrageous that the chairman of the FCC in our democracy does not
believe that the viewpoints and concerns of the American people are relevant,"
said Cheryl Leanza, deputy director of the Media Access Project. "Aren't
the airwaves meant to serve the public?" wrote Dariel Blackburn of
Colorado Springs. "Why is the public not given access to these hearings,
and how can you make such an important decision regarding future ownership
of our media without asking for public input?"
[SOURCE: Denver Post, AUTHOR: Anne C. Mulkern]
(http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%257E33%257E1261284%257E,00.html)
DIGITAL DIVIDE
INDIA'S TELEPHONE MAN: BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
Ashok Jhunjhunwala of the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras is
passionate about telephones and the Internet. Both an educator and entrepreneur,
Jhunjhunwala is currently working to bring low-cost wireless telephone
service to Egypt. The project is part of Jhunjhunwala's vision of bringing
affordable telephony and Internet service to the world's poor. He cites
India's own flourishing telephone kiosk market; since 1987, the kiosks,
known locally as STDs, have grown to nearly a million in number, serving
hundreds of millions of Indians who lack telephones at home. Jhunjhunwala
hopes to expand India's telephony and rural Internet markets, connecting
600,000 villages and deploying two million telephones. "Internet
is power. It enables people," he says. "It is changing the way
we live.
Those without Internet will have a tremendous disadvantage as we go on.
We would like to see that all villages get reasonable speed Internet connection
at the earliest."
[SOURCE: Hindustan Times, AUTHOR: Frederick Noronha]
(http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_220171,0003.htm)
TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES TAKE HOPE IN CHARITY
Hewlett-Packard is among the many high tech companies that have adopted
philanthropic activities that simultaneously attempt to bridge the digital
divide and develop new consumer markets around the world. In the case
of HP, they are supporting the expansion of micro-loan initiatives in
Bangladesh.
HP describes such philanthropy as "enlightened self-interest,"
but some question the motivations of these companies. "It's too early
to tell if companies are simply pushing technologies on naïve populations
or if the products they sell will ultimately increase productivity,"
says Craig Warren Smith, author of Digital Corporate Citizenship: The
Business Response to the Digital Divide. Other companies like IBM are
less open about the relationship between their philanthropy and their
business objectives. "I think it's the struggle between what they
think they should be doing, what their public image should be and what
they're actually doing," says Dwight F. Burlingame of the Center
on Philanthropy at Indiana University.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Susan E. Reed]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/23/business/23PHIL.html)
INTERNET
WEBLOGGERS SIGNING ON AS WAR CORRESPONDENTS
Reports of how new technologies available to the media have altered war
coverage have been widespread, but the Internet has made this conflict
even more personal. Using Web logs, or blogs, sites mainly comprised of
periodic text entries, individuals closest to the battles are keeping
the world informed. US soldiers, a British lawmaker, an Iraqi exile, and
a resident of Baghdad have so far authored such sites, each injecting
the kind of personal perspective absent in the media and heretofore impossible
in real time. Though the posts are often biased towards the author's point
of view, readers can anticipate such bias and recognize the value of these
unique perspectives. "The value we add is in unpacking the spin in
the media coverage," says University of Tennessee law professor Glenn
Reynolds, a fellow blogger.
[SOURCE: The Washington Post, AUTHOR: Howard Kurtz]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12179-2003Mar22.html)
JUNK FAX RULING MAY HELP ANTI-SPAM EFFORT
A ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit on Friday upheld
legislation banning unsolicited fax advertisements -- a decision some
hope will add fuel to a push for federal anti-spam laws. The three-judge
panel ruled that the Telephone Consumer Protection Act did not violate
the First Amendment of the US Constitution. Anti-spam supporters note
that the cost-shifting model on which Congress based the TCPA is similar
to the argument against junk mail -- individuals and corporations must
purchase filtering software, larger servers and disk space and broader
Internet connections in order to handle the increased email traffic.
[SOURCE: CNET News, AUTHOR: Declan McCullagh]
(http://news.com.com/2100-1028-993749.html?tag=fd_top)
DIGITAL DIVIDE
MAKING STRIDES IN DIGITAL DIVIDE
According to a recent study by Arbitron and Edison Media Research, 74
percent of blacks and 65 percent of Hispanics have access to the Internet
from at least one location. The report hails the efforts of public schools
and libraries for helping to bridge this gap. However, the study also
notes that the gap between those who have access in the home versus having
access in other locations is still far wider for blacks and Hispanics
than it is for their white counterparts.
[SOURCE: eMarketer]
(http://www.emarketer.com/news/article.php?1002101)
TECHNOLOGY ERODING THE WALL BETWEEN DISABLED, NON-DISABLED
As the aged population grows, tech companies face dual incentives to create
assistive technologies. Though much of the impetus is regulatory, profit
is also a motive -- 42 percent of people 65 and older have a disability,
and that population will grow from 35 million to 59 million over the next
20 years. Technologies such as video relay to facilitate telephone use
for the deaf are becoming more prevalent as a result.
[SOURCE: USA Today, AUTHOR: Associated Press]
(http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2003-03-12-tech-help_x.htm)
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
FAMILY VALUES LOCAL OWNERSHIP
The Tanger family in Massachusetts has radio in its blood. Todd Tanger,
the third generation of radio owners in his family, recently acquired
a classical station from his father. Since radio ownership deregulation
began in earnest in 1997, the Tangers have become a dying breed. "It's
very tough for the small owners to compete with the large companies that
have programming that they can throw out to all their stations,"
says Tanger, who added that there are fewer owners who are involved in
both the station and the community.
[SOURCE: The Boston Globe, AUTHOR: Clea Simon]
(http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/072/living/Family_values_local_ownership+.shtml)
INTERNET & SOCIETY
ANTIWAR SONG, WITH WHIMSY
The Beastie Boys have taken to the Web to release a new song critical
of the potential US war with Iraq. The band, which has been working on
a new studio album, chose to release the song on their website well ahead
of the completed album. "We were working on our record, and we realized
that by the time we finished a record that it might be a bit late to get
out some of the things we wanted to comment on," said Beastie Boy
Adam Yauch. "So we figured we'd finish the song and post it [on the
Web]." Radio stations received no advance notice of the single, which
also serves as the Beasties' message to the rest of the world that "the
messages [Bush is] sending out aren't necessarily the view of all Americans,"
the group said.
[SOURCE: The New York Times, AUTHOR: Neil Strauss]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/12/arts/music/12POPL.html)
CIVIC HACKING: A NEW AGENDA FOR E-DEMOCRACY
[Commentary] The focus of e-governance in the UK has been on attracting
disaffected youth into participation. However, as James Crabtree points
out, ease of access alone will not entice those who do not see the value
taking part in politics. There is still use for e-government, however,
helping people to help themselves, their communities and other like-minded
individuals. Crabtree promotes a concept of "civic hacking"
that would allow for collaboration amongst citizens to solve problems
rather than fostering a reliance on the state and the bureaucratic process.
[SOURCE: openDemocracy, AUTHOR: James Crabtree]
(http://www.opendemocracy.net/debates/article-8-85-1025.jsp)
WIRELESS
WANT FRIES OR WIRELESS WITH THAT?
McDonald's will offer wireless Internet access in some of its restaurants
beginning today. Patrons will receive an hour of free Wi-Fi access with
the purchase of a combination meal in three Manhattan-area locations,
and the company plans to offer the service in 300 restaurants in New York,
Chicago and an undetermined California city by year's end. The move coincides
with the release of Intel's Centrino processor, a chip that contains a
built-in Wi-Fi transceiver capable of speeds up to 11 Mbps.
[SOURCE: Wired News, AUTHOR: Associated Press]
(http://www.wired.com/news/wireless/0,1382,58000,00.html)
E-COMMERCE
N.Y. SENATE PASSES BILL AUTHORIZING TAX ON INTERNET SALE
The New York state Senate unanimously passed a measure Tuesday allowing
for the collection of sales tax on goods and services purchased over the
Internet. The bill would allow New York to participate in the multi-state
effort toward adopting a uniform Internet sales tax while also providing
a much-needed revenue boost to help plug an $11.5 billion budget hole.
Governor George Pataki has opposed Internet taxation but will review the
senate action.
[SOURCE: The Washington Post, AUTHOR: Alicia Chang]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11766-2003Mar11.html)
ANTITRUST
SUPREME COURT TAKES ANTITRUST APPEAL FROM BABY BELLS
The Supreme Court said it would consider blocking lawsuits alleging that
the Baby Bells engage in anti-competitive business practices. A claim
filed in federal court alleges that Verizon intentionally provides poor
service on the lines it leases to AT&T in New York in order to drive
the company out of business, thus violating federal antitrust law. Solicitor
General Theodore Olson contends that such cases would pose "substantial
disruption of the telecommunications industry."
[SOURCE: The Washington Post, AUTHOR: Gina Holland]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5256-2003Mar10.html)
DIGITAL DIVIDE
BUILDING DIGITAL BRIDGES
French telecom giant Alcatel hopes to help bridge the digital divide by
providing data services over traditional GSM networks. Its latest venture
seeks to capitalize on the burgeoning African market, selling services
to Senegalese fisherman seeking to negotiate prices remotely or obtain
weather information for safer sailing. Jean-Marie Blanchard, Alcatel business
development director, says that the company's aim is to meet local content
needs, not just provide points of access. "We will not simply duplicate
existing Internet services in countries where it is obvious something
else is needed for it to take off. We investigate, as a matter of course,
how the Internet can support economic development."
[SOURCE: itWeb, AUTHOR: Carel Alberts]
(http://196.30.226.221/sections/telecoms/2003/0303111300.asp?O=FPT)
OWNERSHIP
MEDIA OWNERSHIP: HOW MUCH DOES THE PUBLIC KNOW?
The majority of Americans, 72%, have heard "nothing at all"
about the sweeping changes the Federal Communications Commission has proposed
to the rules governing how many media outlets corporations can own. According
to survey results released recently by the Project For Excellence in Journalism
in collaboration with the Pew Research Center for the People and The Press,
only 4% of Americans say they have heard "a lot." Critics have
argued that the public is largely unaware of the proposed changes because
the FCC has only held one formal public hearing on the matter and news
organizations have failed to sufficiently cover the debate. [SOURCE: Journalism.org]
(http://www.journalism.org/resources/research/reports/fccsurvey/)
INTERNET
HOW THE NET WILL PLAY A KEY ROLE IN THIS WAR
[Commentary] The potential US-led conflict in Iraq will challenge journalists
and media outlets to provide the most comprehensive news coverage possible.
While TV newscasters are charged with delivering eyewitness accounts not
just from the scene but from other relevant international markets, we
learned from the Gulf War that they might not always be able to provide
the full picture. This is where alternative grassroots Internet journalists
can help. Independent journalists have a proven track record of late when
it comes to delivering powerful images and stories to larger news outlets
well before they can break the stories themselves. [SOURCE: MediaGuardian,
AUTHOR: Chris Cramer, CNN International]
(http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,7558,910785,00.html)
Click
here for other Benton files.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
(c) Benton Foundation 2003. Redistribution of this email publication --
both internally and externally -- is encouraged if it includes this message.
Communications-Related Headlines are compiled, summarized and edited by
Rachel Anderson (rachel@benton.org), Andy Carvin (andy@benton.org) and
Charles Meisch (charlie@benton.org) of the Benton Foundation -- we welcome
your feedback. Based in Washington DC, the Benton Foundation's mission
is to
articulate a public interest vision for the digital age and demonstrate
the value of communications for solving social problems. Other projects
at Benton include:
Digital Divide Network (www.digitaldividenetwork.org)
Digital Opportunity Channel (www.digitalopportunity.org)
OneWorld US (www.oneworld.net/us)
Sound Partners for Community Health (www.soundpartners.org)
|
