Communications-Related Headlines for October 3, 2003

DIGITAL DIVIDE
NTIA Announces TOP Grantees

MEDIA OWNERSHIP
FCC Hits the Road to Hear About Local Radio, TV
Report: How Big Radio Took Over Middle America

INTERNET
Web Searches: The Fix is In
Congress Moves to Resolve Internet Tax Debate

WORLD SUMMIT ON THE INFORMATION SOCIETY
Hot Air at the Digital Divide Summit?

EVENTS
Neighborhood Networks, Kidz Online Host Educational Webcast

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E-Government for All:
Take part in our upcoming virtual conference!
Information and free registration: http://www.egov4all.org/

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DIGITAL DIVIDE

NTIA ANNOUNCES TOP GRANTEES
The US Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information
Administration (NTIA) has announced the award of almost $14 million in
Technology Opportunities Program (TOP) grants to 28 nonprofit organizations,
including state, local, and tribal governments, in 22 states. The grants,
matched by $14.8 million in contributions from the private sector and state
and local organizations, demonstrate how information technology can address
public concerns over areas such as economic development, housing, public
safety, health, and e-government. TOP received 569 applications for funds
during this grant round. Among the grantees this year are the Bay Area Video
Coalition (California), Technology for All (Texas), the New York Public
Library, Milwaukee Public Schools (Wisconsin) and the New England Foundation
for the Arts.
SOURCE: NTIA
http://ntiaotiant2.ntia.doc.gov/top/awards/index.cfm

MEDIA OWNERSHIP

FCC HITS THE ROAD TO HEAR ABOUT LOCAL RADIO, TV
The FCC will soon hit the road to take the nation's pulse on how radio and
television stations are doing on presenting local issues to the public. The
first hearing could be held as early as this month. Hearings will take place
around the country and will likely coincide with the broadcast license
renewal process for television and radio stations, FCC Chairman Michael
Powell said. Stations must renew their licenses every eight years, and this
often can lead to debate over the programs they run.
SOURCE: Reuters
http://reuters.com/financeNewsArticle.jhtml?type=governmentFilingsNews&s...
ID=3542088

REPORT: HOW BIG RADIO TOOK OVER MIDDLE AMERICA
A new study by the Center for Public Integrity finds that the greatest
concentration of radio ownership is in smaller and medium-sized markets, not
in large cities. Of the 25 markets most heavily controlled by a single
owner, Clear Channel is the top owner in 20 of them, while Cumulus Media
controls five. According to the study, a single company owns nine or more
stations in 34 different metropolitan areas. The limit for even the largest
markets in the nation, including New York and Los Angeles, is eight
stations. The Center also found that in 43 different metropolitan areas
across the nation, a single company owns at least a third of all stations.
Clear Channel and other competitors often focus on mid-size and smaller
markets in their acquisition strategy because these markets are less
competitive, derive a significant portion of their revenue from local
advertisers and offer substantial opportunities for consolidation. Such
consolidation may result in a net loss of local news reporting and
programming.
SOURCE: Center for Public Integrity; AUTHOR: John Dunbar and Aron Pilhofer
http://www.openairwaves.org/telecom/report.aspx?aid=63

INTERNET

WEB SEARCHES: THE FIX IS IN
Some search engines, such as MSN and Lycos, accept money from corporations
each time a paid-inclusion Web link is clicked. These links, which are
essentially advertisements, are virtually indistinguishable from unpaid
links. "Paid inclusion dilutes the accuracy and relevance of a search
engine," says James Taylor, CEO of a search-marketing company. But companies
using paid inclusion, including Yahoo, insist that search results are
displayed in order of relevance. Anecdotal evidence, however, contradicts
the claim that paid ads get no preferential treatment. In one example, the
Lamps Plus e-commerce site turned up prominently on Google but was nearly
out of sight on MSN. After paying to have the site included with LookSmart,
which feeds search results to MSN and shares revenues with it, Lamps Plus
pages soared to near the top of MSN's search results. An implication of paid
inclusion is that smaller companies that can't afford to pay per click fees
will be at a disadvantage. In addition, search engines may lose credibility
if customers begin to see them as simply leading to a pile of ads.
SOURCE: Business Week; AUTHOR: Ben Elgin
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/03_40/b3852098_mz063.htm

CONGRESS MOVES TO RESOLVE INTERNET TAX DEBATE
State and federal lawmakers are still wrestling with whether to impose taxes
on Internet access fees and online purchases. On Sept. 17, House lawmakers
passed a bill keeping connections to the Internet permanently tax-free. A
week later, Rep. Ernest Istook (R-OK) introduced a bill allowing states to
collect sales tax on online purchases. Schools argue that this bill could
hurt technology literacy initiatives by curbing home access as well as
increasing prices. Yet supporters argue the Internet sales tax would provide
welcomed relief for cash-strapped states, many of which have been forced to
dip into educational budgets to curtail increasing deficits. "Preserving
local authority is critical to the ability of local government to provide
fundamental services on which our citizens depend, especially at a time when
local governments have been squeezed by so many fiscal pressures," said
Karen J. Anderson, mayor of Minnetonka, Minnesota. Congress approved a $20
billion budget to help states weather a stormy economy, but Istook says he
would rather see states make their own decisions about raising and spending
tax money.
SOURCE: eSchool News; AUTHOR: eSchool News staff and wire reports
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/ssunreg.cfm?ArticleID=4700&ul=%2Fnews%2F...
Story%2Ecfm%3FArticleID%3D4700

WORLD SUMMIT ON THE INFORMATION SOCIETY

HOT AIR AT DIGITAL DIVIDE SUMMIT?
[Commentary] The PrepCom-II meeting held last month should have finalized
the agenda for this December's World Summit On Information Society (WSIS),
but discord between rich and poor countries could derail the event, writes
Bill Thompson. The meeting focused on the summit's Declaration of Principles
and the Action Plan, but no agreement could be achieved. An emergency
meeting will be held in early November to attempt to compromise on disputes.
The summit will be the end product of 18 months of detailed planning,
including almost a dozen preparatory meetings. Thompson says that this
summit has not been well publicized until recently. "I think that the real
reason why I did not know about the summit is simply that it is not going to
have any impact, and so nobody in my extended circle of contacts, and none
of the reporters who I read regularly, thought it was worth talking about."
He hopes that the summit proves him wrong and takes a step toward making the
information society a more fair and equitable place to live.
Source: BBC News; AUTHOR: Bill Thompson
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3161568.stm

EVENTS

NEIGHBORHOOD NETWORKS, KIDZ ONLINE HOST EDUCATIONAL WEBCAST
On Thursday, October 9 at 6pm ET, Neighborhood Networks Centers and Kidz
Online will host a live educational webcast. The event will focus on digital
audio education during an interactive game show for kids. Guest speakers
will include Secretary of Education Rod Paige, Assistant Secretary of
Education Raymond Simon, and Nina Reese of the Office of Innovation and
Improvement. The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) in Herndon, Virginia
will host the webcast. To participate, visit http://www.kidzonline.org/nnkol
the day of the event.
SOURCE: Kidz Online
http://www.kidzonline.org/nnkol/

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