Communications-Related Headlines for July 24, 2002

DIGITAL DIVIDE
African Schools Get a Tech Boost
FCC Launches Campaign to Connect All Americans to Basic Phone
Service

JOURNALISM
Press Club Defends Against Criticism

INTERNET
FCC Releases Data on High-Speed Services for Internet Access
ICANN Forefather Wants More Democratic Internet Governance

TELEPHONY
FCC Releases Data on Local Telephone Competition
Bush Admin. Unveils Wireless Plan

DIGITAL DIVIDE

AFRICAN SCHOOLS GET A TECH BOOST
SchoolNetAfrica (SNA) if the first African nonprofit organization to focus
on bringing educational technology resources to students in Africa.
Twenty-eight African countries participate in the program. The organization
is running a number of programs, like a Web design competition and an online
curriculum database, that it hopes will help build resources and leadership
skills. SNA is researching various models, such as the e-rate program in the
U.S., for funding access to computers and connectivity in African schools.
The organization is also facilitating relationships between
telecommunications companies and international partners. More information
about SchoolNetAfrica may be found at their website,
(http://www.schoolnetafrica.net/).
[SOURCE: Wired News, AUTHOR: Katie Dean]
(http://www.wired.com/news/school/0,1383,54045,00.html)

FCC LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO CONNECT ALL AMERICANS TO BASIC PHONE SERVICE
This week, the FCC's Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau kicked off "Get
Connected: Afford-A-Phone," a national public education campaign to increase
subscribership in phone service programs for low income consumers. The goal
of "Get Connected" is to inform income eligible consumers about the Lifeline
Assistance and Link-Up America programs, which provide discounts on initial
telephone installation and basic monthly telephone service to qualifying
low-income consumers. "Lifeline and Link-Up are designed to ensure that
everyone in this country has access to basic telephone service," said K.
Dane Snowden, Chief of the FCC's Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau,
"Phone service is not only a convenience, but a necessity. It is our link to
emergency services, the way we look for jobs and the way we stay in touch
with our families."
[SOURCE: FCC]
(http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/news/072202connected.html)

JOURNALISM

PRESS CLUB DEFENDS AGAINST CRITICISM
Despite protests from black and Hispanic journalists, the National Press
Club on Monday awarded the author of a controversial book about diversity in
the media. In Coloring the News, William McGowan argues that the search for
diversity has corrupted American journalism. Richard Prince, a Washington
Post editor and member of the National Association of Black Journalists,
said the book is full of ''half-truths, spin and inaccuracies and is not
worthy of an award from a journalistic organization.'' Press Club chairman
Jonathan Salant said the board reviewed its decision and chose to give
McGowan its press criticism award even though some members had serious
misgivings. The book, he said, ''prompted a self-examination and
reaffirmation by some news organizations historically committed to
diversity.''
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Peter Johnson]
(http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20020723/4297680s.htm)

INTERNET

FCC RELEASES DATA ON HIGH-SPEED SERVICES FOR INTERNET ACCESS
The FCC released summary statistics on the deployment of high-speed Internet
connections in the United States. The information, released yesterday, comes
from data as of December 31, 2001. High-speed lines to homes and businesses
increased by 33 percent during the second half of 2002, from 9.6 million to
12.8 million lines. Another interesting statistic indicated that, at the end
of 2001, high-speed service subscribers were present in all fifty states,
the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Broadband
service subscribers were in 79 percent of the nation's zip codes, compared
to 78 percent six months earlier and 73 percent at the end of 2000. For zip
codes ranked by median family income, the FCC reports high-speed subscribers
in 97 percent of the top one-tenth of zip codes and in 63 percent of the
bottom one-tenth of zip codes. The comparable figures from 2000 were 96 and
55 percent, respectively.
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
(http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-224580A1.doc)

ICANN FOREFATHER WANTS MORE DEMOCRATIC INTERNET GOVERNANCE
Ira Magaziner, one of the people responsible for creating the Internet
Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), said the organization
must give ordinary Internet users more say in its decisions. In a rare
public appearance at a Cato Institute forum on Internet governance,
Magaziner said he would disapprove of an ICANN plan that abandoned
democratic involvement from individuals and non-governmental organizations.
"I know [democratic processes] make it a less tidy process, but you need
it," he said. ICANN is considering internal reform that includes abandoning
a structure that would have allowed ordinary Internet users to elect a
portion of the ICANN board.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: David McGuire]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51142-2002Jul23.html)

TELEPHONY

FCC RELEASES DATA ON LOCAL TELEPHONE COMPETITION
Yesterday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released summary
statistics of its latest data on local telephone service competition in the
United States. The FCC's statistics indicate that customers obtain local
telephone service "over some 173 million incumbent local exchange carrier
(ILEC) switched access lines, almost 20 million competitive local exchange
carrier (CLEC) switched access lines and about 122 million mobile wireless
telephone service subscriptions." Generally, the statistics show an increase
in the number of lines operated by CLECs, who now account for about 10.2
percent of the more than 192 million total switched access lines in the
country. CLECs reported that about 22 percent of their switched access lines
came by reselling the services of other carriers, about 47 percent through
unbundled network element (UNE), and the remainder by local-loop facilities
owned by the CLECs. ILECs reported providing about 21 percent more UNE loops
to other carriers at the end of 2001 as they reported six months earlier.
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
http://www.fcc.gov/

BUSH ADMIN. UNVEILS WIRELESS PLAN
The Bush administration announced on Tuesday that the Pentagon has agreed to
shift some military communications to other frequencies, allowing space in
the airwaves for advanced mobile phones and other wireless gadgets. Under
the plan, the Pentagon would give up two sections of the spectrum by the end
of 2008. The wireless companies that buy the rights to the released
frequencies will pay for the Pentagon's transfer. Wireless companies have
been pushing for the release of a specific range of frequency that other
countries plan to use for advanced wireless features. By using the same
frequencies internationally, customers would be able to use a device
anywhere in the world.
[SOURCE: Wired News, AUTHOR: Associated Press]
{http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,54062,00.html)

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