March 2001

Communications-related Headlines for 3/20/01

INTERNET
Groups to File Suit Against Law Requiring Web-Filtering Measures
(WSJ)
Congressional E-Mail Overload Is No Surprise (WP)
State Web Sites Offer Little Practical Info - OMB Watch (WP)

HEALTH
For Medical Journals, A New World Online (NYT)
Teenagers Find Health Answers With a Click (NYT)

FCC
Consumer/Disability Telecommunications Advisory Committee (Cdtac)
Meeting (FCC)

INTERNET

GROUPS TO FILE SUIT AGAINST LAW REQUIRING WEB-FILTERING MEASURES
Issue: Internet
Civil liberties groups and libraries plan to file suit today to stop a
recently passed law that would require schools and libraries to install
Internet filters on public computers. Critics say the law pushes a bad
technology on schools, removes community control and fails to provide money
to pay for the software. They also contend that Internet filters fail to
block many inappropriate sites while denying access to others that shouldn't
be blocked. Unless a judge grants an injunction, schools and libraries will
have to install filters next month or lose their federal funds earmarked for
Internet access. "We don't think this is a useful way to make sure that
children have a safe and enriching experience online," said Nancy Kranich,
president of the American Library Association.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Associated Press]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB985041560954778642.htm)
See Also:
CRITICS TO FILE SUIT OVER INTERNET FILTERING LAW
[SOURCE: USA Today, AUTHOR: Associated press]
(http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2001-03-19-filters.htm)
EPIC CHALLENGES WEB FILTERING LAW
[SOURCE: Electronic Privacy Information Center]
(http://www.epic.org/)

CONGRESSIONAL E-MAIL OVERLOAD IS NO SURPRISE
Issue: Internet
[Commentary] A new study from the Congress Online Project says congressional
offices are being swamped by constituent and lobbyist e-mail. While senators
have a fair amount of people working for them, House of Representatives
elected officials, often put up with few employees, often in cramped
offices. The study says that a lack of resources and inefficient
congressional offices contribute to the e-mail logjam. All Congress members
receive a limited budget to hire people to do all manner of activities, and
few of these are frivolous. It's hardly likely there will be any sort of tax
increase to make sure there are enough gofers around to write e-mail
responses. The study also notes that bulk e-mail or "spam" campaigns from
lobbyists are taxing the stretched resources of Congress members and
staffers. One thing that Congress members could do is answer more e-mail
with e-mail, not mail via the US Postal Service, the way the study said more
than 90 percent of representatives and senators do.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (Washtech), AUTHOR: Robert MacMillan]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/rmacmillan/8446-1.html)

STATE WEB SITES OFFER LITTLE PRACTICAL INFO - OMB WATCH
Issue: Internet
A new report from OMB Watch says that state websites have little or no
practical information to share. The report says most state legislature Web
sites do not offer any information on their legislature's committee or floor
schedules, legislative calendars or session reports, and only about half
provide plain-English definitions of legislative terminology. Moreover, 51
percent of the sites plant information-tracking cookies on users' computers,
but 96 percent of those
sites offer no privacy statement showing that they use the technology. The
study also found that 75 percent of legislature Web sites collect or somehow
use personal data, but do not have "clearly defined" privacy policies.
"Democracy itself depends upon citizen and public interest participation.
The prospects of e-government to deliver enhanced democracy through
technology requires no less," the group said in its executive summary of the
report.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (Washtech), AUTHOR: Robert MacMillan]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/govtit/8430-1.html)

HEALTH

TEENAGERS FIND HEALTH ANSWERS WITH A CLICK
Issue: Health/Internet
Thousands of adolescents, both boys and girls, are turning to the Internet
for answers to their health questions. There are several Web sites focusing
on teenage health that are written by medical professionals with a view to
providing balanced, factual information. In addition to the for-girls-only
iEmily, the most comprehensive of these sites are TeenGrowth
(www.teengrowth.com), the Web site for the Pediatric Health Alliance; the
teenager section of KidsHealth site (www.kidshealth.org), which is
underwritten by the Nemours Foundation; and ZapHealth (www.zaphealth.com), a
company based in Manhattan, the only site among these that carries
advertising. These sites offer information on topics ranging from fitness,
to body piercing and tattoos and even pregnancy. For teenagers looking for
health information, the Web offers something a visit to the doctor's office
doesn't: privacy.
[SOURCE: New York Times (Online), AUTHOR: Bonnie Rothman Morris]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/20/health/20TEEN.html)
(requires registration)

FOR MEDICAL JOURNALS, A NEW WORLD ONLINE
Issue: Health/Internet
In the medical libraries of many developing countries, the magazine racks
have been replaced by computer terminals, as students and teachers have
begun to use the Internet to gain access to the medical journals. The
decision of the B.M.J. -- as the well-regarded British Medical Journal is
known -- to make itself available at no charge on the Web is an important
sign of the way the Internet is changing the multibillion-dollar medical
journal business. The Internet could fundamentally change the face of the
industry, with some midlevel publications facing the threat of extinction if
they fail to adapt. The democratizing effect of the Web has already had at
least one benefit: the flow of valuable information making its way to poorer
countries. This has been a welcome development at places like the University
of Zimbabwe, where Dr. Klara Tisocki, a professor of pharmacology at the
university, said the Web had already made it easier to do her job, allowing
her, for example, to get the latest information on administering drugs
against the AIDS virus. Still, while some major journals make themselves
available selectively to developing countries, and say they are moving to
increase those efforts, Dr. Tisocki said much more needed to be done to make
studies available.
[SOURCE: New York Times (F1), AUTHOR: Eric Nagourney]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/20/health/20JOUR.html)

FCC

CONSUMER/DISABILITY TELECOMMUNICATIONS ADVISORY COMMITTEE (CDTAC) MEETING
Issue: FCC
The FCC's Consumer/Disability Telecommunications Advisory Committee holds
its first meeting on Monday, March 26. The FCC announced the establishment
of the Committee on November 30, 2000. Organized under the provisions of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act at the FCC, it will play a large role in
keeping the Commission apprised of the needs and concerns of consumers. It
will make recommendations to the Commission regarding consumer and
disability issues within the jurisdiction of the Commission and facilitate
the participation of consumers, including people with disabilities and
underserved populations, in proceedings before the Commission
[SOURCE: FCC]
(http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Consumer_Information/News_Releases/2001/nrci0103
.htm)

--------------------------------------------------------------

Communications-related Headlines for 3/19/01

EDTECH
Internet Filters Used to Shield Minors Censor Speech, Critics Say
(NYT)

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Big Media v. Freelancers: The Justices at the Digital Divide (NYT)

INTERNET
Flaws in Computer Voting Make Paper More Accurate (WSJ)
For Some, The Net's Free Ride Is Ending (USA)

FCC
FCC Starts Setting Aside TV Channels For Auction (USA)
AT&T Gets a Reprieve From FCC On Shedding of Cable-TV Assets (WSJ)

EDTECH

INTERNET FILTERS USED TO SHIELD MINORS CENSOR SPEECH, CRITICS SAY
Issue: EdTech
In December, lawmakers passed a bill requiring federally financed schools
and libraries to use a "technology protection measure" like filters to block
access to obscene material, child pornography and anything considered to be
"harmful to minors." The new law bars schools and libraries that do not
comply from receiving federal money from a number of sources. Both the
American Civil Liberties Union and The American Library Association plan to
file suits this week to overturn the law, known as the Children's Internet
Protection Act. The groups contend that even the best filtering programs are
still rough tools that tend to let objectionable sites slip through while
blocking legitimate sites like Planned Parenthood. Ann Beeson, a lawyer for
the American Civil Liberties Union, said the new act would create a "dumbed-
down version of the Internet" for students at poorer schools, which have the
fewest alternatives to federal aid.
[SOURCE: New York Times (Online), AUTHOR: John Schwartz]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/19/technology/19FILT.html)
(requires registration)

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

BIG MEDIA V. FREELANCERS: THE JUSTICES AT THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
Issue: Intellectual Property
A group of angry freelance writers have sued publishing giants like The New
York Times Company and Time Inc., arguing that electronic archives like
Lexis-Nexis allow their work to unfairly appropriated. On March 28, after a
seven-year fight that produced contradictory lower court decisions, the
freelancers' case will be argued before the United States Supreme Court. The
writers argue that the solution lies in a rights clearinghouse, akin to the
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, which licenses
performance rights for music owned by Ascap members. Publishers and database
operators have argued that integrity of electronic archives would suffer if
publishers had to pay freelancers for copyrights.
[SOURCE: New York Times (B1), AUTHOR: Felicity Barringer And Ralph
Blumenthal]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/19/technology/19TASI.html)
(requires registration)

INTERNET

FLAWS IN COMPUTER VOTING MAKE PAPER MORE ACCURATE
Issue: Internet
Rebecca Mercuri, who teaches computer science at Bryn Mawr College and is an
authority on voting systems, expertise is suddenly in great demand. She
says, "the idea of running an election on the
Internet is totally horrifying." With Florida post-mortems in full swing,
pressure to mend broken ballot systems is mounting. It seems only natural to
sweep away clunky levers and the now-notorious chads and replace them with
gleaming computer screens. But Ms. Mercuri and other respected scientists
caution against that. According to Ms. Mercuri, completely computerized
voting systems can give us accountable ballots or anonymous ballots, but not
both. Any system that can be audited to assure that votes were captured and
counted correctly will jeopardize the privacy of the ballot. Measures that
protect voter anonymity make it difficult to verify an election's accuracy.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (Online), AUTHOR: Tom Weber]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB984949381206720473.htm)

FOR SOME, THE NET'S FREE RIDE IS ENDING
Issue: Internet
As more Internet companies charge for services that used to be free,
customers are turning away. Still, the companies say they're willing to take
a short-term hit to secure a long-term future. "We look at this as a way to
generate additional revenue and eliminate heavy users," says Tom Vos,
president of Free Edgar, an Internet firm that alerts users of such things
as company filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. "We've gone
from zero in all cases to several users who are paying $1,000 a month." Mr.
Vos says he's willing to lose some advertising revenue, if needed, in
exchange for fees. Indeed, creating a sustainable business model is the goal
of a growing number of Net firms that are starting to charge. "It's a
natural progression of the customer-vendor relationship. Businesses may
initially lose business, but in the long term it pays off," says analyst
Jill Frankle of Gomez Advisors. The number of Web sites starting to charge
for formerly free services has accelerated as online advertising has dipped.
[SOURCE: USA Today (Online), AUTHOR: Jon Swartz]
(http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2001-03-19-freebies.htm)

FCC

AT&T GETS A REPRIEVE FROM FCC ON SHEDDING OF CABLE-TV ASSETS
Issue: Cable
The Federal Communications Commission on Friday gave AT&T a reprieve,
telling the telecommunications powerhouse that the agency would suspend a
looming deadline by which it must shed some cable-television assets. The
move will give AT&T some breathing room in its negotiations with AOL Time
Warner, which is considering buying AT&T's 25.5% stake in Time Warner
Entertainment, an AT&T-AOL joint venture. The FCC also moved to dismantle a
vestige of international telephone-service rate regulation known as
"tariffing," and took steps to clear additional spectrums for
wireless-communications service. On the tariffing matter, the FCC a year ago
began eliminating the requirement for long-distance companies to file
tariffs listing their rates for domestic long-distance service. Friday, the
regulators began phasing out the requirement to file tariffs on most
international service.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B8), AUTHOR: Deborah
Solomon And Mark Wigfield]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB984959010998256422.htm)

FCC STARTS SETTING ASIDE TV CHANNELS FOR AUCTION
Issue: Spectrum
The government took steps Friday to speed auction of airwaves set aside to
broadcast TV channels 52 through 59. Those stations could soon be used to
offer consumers new services, like wireless high-speed Internet access. It's
tied to the bigger process of broadcasters switching from analog to digital
television. Once that is complete, all TV stations will be broadcasting only
in digital and will occupy channels 2 through 51. Already the FCC plans an
auction of the broadcast channels 60 through 69 in September. Wireless
carriers are expected to bid aggressively for those licenses, even though
some may have to wait before they can begin using it. Auctions for channels
52 through 59 must occur before September of 2002. Roughly 265 TV stations
operating on those channels currently hold those licenses. The commission,
under its action Friday, sought comment on possible steps to expedite the
voluntary agreements between auction winners and broadcasters and on
licensing rules for that portion of the airwaves.
[SOURCE: USA Today (Omline), AUTHOR: Associated press]
(http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/review/2001-03-16-dtv.htm)

--------------------------------------------------------------

Communications-related Headlines for 3/16/01

DIGITAL DIVIDE
Digital Divide or Dividend? (NYT)

INTERNET
Virginia Court's Decision in Online 'John Doe' Case Hailed by
Free-Speech Advocates (NYT)

DTV
Transition To Digital TV Is Still Fuzzy (USA)

DIGITAL DIVIDE

DIGITAL DIVIDE OR DIVIDEND?
Issue: Digital Divide
[Op-Ed] Friedman writes of Maryann Flowers, who works for AT&T in Alaska
connecting native Eskimo villages and rural health centers. "But every time
we connect one of these native villages, I feel that a little of my native
Eskimo culture is lost," admitted Flowers. The desire to protect her culture
from bad influences, makes her wonder if the digital divide isn't a good
thing. As an antidote to Flowers fears about homogenization at the hands of
the Internet, Friedman tells of a company called Viatru, which uses the
Internet to enable native peoples to stay at home and globally market their
traditional crafts or farm product. The founders of Viatru hope to use the
Internet to preserve culture by rewarding sustainable cultural practices and
by creating a global market for them - "a digital dividend."
[SOURCE: New York Times (A21), AUTHOR: Thomas L. Friedman]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/16/opinion/16FRIE.html)
(requires registration)

INTERNET

VIRGINIA COURT'S DECISION IN ONLINE 'JOHN DOE' CASE HAILED BY FREE-SPEECH
ADVOCATES
Issue: Internet
The Supreme Court of Virginia has refused to grant an unidentified company
access to America Online's confidential subscriber information unless the
firm agreed to reveal its identity. The plaintiff in the case, named in
court documents only as "Anonymous Publicly Traded Company," dropped its
efforts to subpoena AOL after agreeing on Wednesday to the dismissal of a
related case in Indiana. the ruling in Virginia could set a precedent for
similar lawsuits across the country. In its decision, the Virginia court
said that an anonymous plaintiff could be given subpoena power only if it
would suffer exception harm, such as a social stigma or extraordinary
economic retaliation, as a result of revealing its identity. Free speech
advocates have hailed the ruling, which they say properly recognizes the
constitutional presumption of openness in American legal proceedings.
[SOURCE: New York Times (Online), AUTHOR: Carl Kaplan]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/16/technology/16CYBERLAW.html)

DTV

TRANSITION TO DIGITAL TV IS STILL FUZZY
Issue: DTV
The USA's transition to digital broadcast television is so far behind the
government's timetable that Congress is revisiting the issue to shove the
rollout back on track. All commercial stations are supposed to transmit
digitally by May 2002. So far, more than 180 of about 1,600 are. Fixing the
rollout is crucial, and not just for broadcasters. Today's TV frequencies
are to be auctioned for new wireless services starting later this year. But
the auctions, expected to fetch billions, will bring far less than hoped if
availability can't be guaranteed. The transition, started in 1998 and
scheduled to be finished in 2006, is "a mess, more characterized by
finger-pointing than progress," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said at a
Commerce Committee hearing earlier this month. "Early on in this session, we
need to begin to try to understand why this transition is off track so we
might think through ways to get it back on track," says Rep. Billy Tauzin,
R-La.
[SOURCE: USA Today (Online), AUTHOR: Mike Snider]
(http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/review/2001-03-15-dtv.htm)

--------------------------------------------------------------

Communications-related Headlines for 3/15/01

TECHNOLOGY
Bush Budget Cuts Tech Funding Program (USA)

INTERNET
Technology vs. State Coffers (WP)
Welcome to the World Wide Web. Passport, Please? (NTY)

DTV
Hearing on Digital Television: A Private Sector Perspective (House)

TECHNOLOGY

BUSH BUDGET CUTS TECH FUNDING PROGRAM
Issue: Technology
A federal program that pays for research into emerging technologies such as
cheap digital TV components and new ways to diagnose genetic diseases is in
jeopardy under President Bush's budget. If Bush gets his way, the Commerce
Department program would have its funding suspended pending a review.
Scientists and companies that received federal funds from the Advanced
Technology Program say cutting it would leave a huge gap in the availability
of investments in future technology. Cutting ATP has been on the table in
Congress for years, with its Republican opponents calling it a form of
"corporate welfare" that should be ended. The Clinton administration
vigorously defended ATP, citing studies that said many companies would not
have pursued such research without federal help.
[SOURCE: USA Today (Online), AUTHOR: Associated Press]
(http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2001-03-14-bush-tech-funding.htm)

INTERNET

TECHNOLOGY VS. STATE COFFERS
Issue: E-Commerce
The downturn in the economy is adding a twist to debate on Internet taxes.
Dueling interests debated the merits of extending a ban on new Internet
taxes at the Senate's Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing
yesterday, with some calling the levy a threat to the Web's development and
others insisting that states need the income. "I am deeply concerned that a
tax on Internet growth will serve to hinder growth in this very important
sector," testified Jane Swift (R), Massachusetts's lieutenant governor.
"While other segments of the high-tech sector have been able to absorb some
of these company closings, it would be a mistake to drive remaining
businesses out of business through added taxes," she continued. "That would
be the equivalent of tossing them an anchor at a time when they need a life
vest." Other speakers, however, asserted that some businesses and consumers
could use the Internet tax ban to circumvent paying sales taxes.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (E3), AUTHOR: Alec Klein]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6289-2001Mar14.html)

WELCOME TO THE WORLD WIDE WEB. PASSPORT, PLEASE?
Issue: Internet
Last fall, a French judge made Internet history when he ordered the Yahoo
Web site to prevent French residents from viewing Nazi memorabilia in its
online auctions. His decision raised the question, How can one jurisdiction
decide what can or cannot be displayed on the World Wide Web? In the press,
American civil rights lawyer Alan Davidson said "The most restrictive rules
about Internet content - influenced by any country - could have an impact on
people around the world." In recent cases, judges in Germany and Italy have
come to similar conclusions, declaring that national boundaries do indeed
apply to the virtual world as well as the physical one. The imposition of
jurisdictional laws could mean that online publishers decide either to keep
some material off the Internet entirely, for fear of criminal and civil
charges filed in different countries or even different states, or to install
online gates and checkpoints around their sites, giving access to only
certain viewers.
[SOURCE: New York Times (E1), AUTHOR: Lisa Guernsey]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/15/technology/15BORD.html)

DTV

HEARING ON DIGITAL TELEVISION: A PRIVATE SECTOR PERSPECTIVE
Issue:
Live Audio Broadcast Digital Television: A Private Sector Perspective on the
Transition Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet Thursday,
March 15, 2001, 10:00 AM Eastern Time.
[SOURCE: House of Representatives]
(http://www.house.gov/commerce/hearings/03152001-108/03152001.htm)

--------------------------------------------------------------

Communications-related Headlines for 3/14/01

INTERNET
Virginia's Localities Urged to Go Online (WP)
Web Policy Group Studies Issues Of Multilingual Domain
Names (WSJ)

PRIVACY
Privacy Groups Urge Limits On Consumer Data Sharing (WSJ)

INTERNET

VIRGINIA'S LOCALITIES URGED TO GO ONLINE
Issue: Internet
At a meeting of his E-Communities Task Force in Charlottesville today, Virginia Gov. James S. Gilmore III (R) plans to present guidelines on how communities can best use the Internet to improve social well-being and economic growth. The guidelines recommend that local elected officials move aggressively to create online communities. "If you believe that the Internet drives power, choice and control to the individual, you have to go to the most local level of government with which a person interacts," said Donald W. Upson, the state's secretary of technology. But Gilmore will argue that city and county governments should be required to follow the guidelines for establishing Internet portals so that each county uses the same basic approach in making its services accessible over the Internet.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (E05), AUTHOR: Neil Irwin]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A946-2001Mar13.html)

WEB POLICY GROUP STUDIES ISSUES OF MULTILINGUAL DOMAIN
NAMES
Issue: Internet
The Internet Corp. for Assigned Names and Numbers(Icann), has established a working group to make policy recommendations concerning new multilingual Internet addresses. So-called multilingual domain
names -- Internet addresses written in languages that don't use the Latin alphabet -- have created controversy because they lack a technical standard to ensure compatibility among competing systems. Icann has expressed fears that the unsanctioned systems could mislead consumers, violate intellectual-property rights and technically hobble the Internet. The question of introducing multilingual domain names
presents a fresh challenge to Icann's authority to act on behalf of the Internet community at a time when the organization faces other obstacles.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (Online), AUTHOR: Kenneth Neil Cukier]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB984532624208630478.htm)

PRIVACY

PRIVACY GROUPS URGE LIMITS ON CONSUMER DATA SHARING
Issue: Privacy
A privacy group has cautioned that companies should better explain how they share customer information with other firms and then let consumers decide if they want their names and addresses given to other companies. This advice was given to Federal Trade Commission in a workshop on how Internet and advertising businesses gather and trade data to create
customer profiles. At the FTC workshop, Ari Schwartz, a policy analyst at the Center for Democracy and Technology, advocated a new technology that makes privacy policy interactive. Companies check off how they use customer information, and customers decide whether they're comfortable with each use. But House Majority Leader Dick Armey said in a prepared statement that the government should get its own house in order before turning its attention to private companies. "If the government is going to monitor the information sharing practices of the private sector," said Rep. Armey (R., Texas), "I'd like to know who's going to monitor the government."
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (Online), AUTHOR: Associated Press]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB984519995392559910.htm)

--------------------------------------------------------------

Communications-related Headlines for 3/13/01

MERGERS
F.C.C. Approves Radio Deals (NYT)

INTERNET
Industry Groups Launch Attack On Internet-Privacy Legislation (WSJ)
Internet Tax Hearing (Senate)

NEWSPAPERS
Newspapers Struggle As Ad Sales Have 'Fallen Off A Cliff' (USA)

EDTECH
Cyberschool Pioneers Learn First-Year Lessons (USA)

MERGERS

F.C.C. APPROVES RADIO DEALS
Issue: Mergers
The Federal Communications Commission has cleared 32 radio mergers that had been flagged by the commission for closer competitive analysis. In 1998, the FCC began putting aside certain radio deals to look at them more carefully because of worries over widespread consolidation stemming from a 1996 telecommunications law that ended restrictions on how many radio stations a company could own nationwide and eased caps on how many stations a company could own in a local market. "I do not believe the public interest is served by inaction," said newly appointed FCC Chairman Michael Powell. "Further delay is neither warranted nor just."
[SOURCE: New York Times (C2), AUTHOR: Associated Press]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/13/business/13FCC.html)
(requires registration)

INTERNET

INDUSTRY GROUPS LAUNCH ATTACK ON INTERNET-PRIVACY LEGISLATION
Issue: Privacy
The Online Privacy Alliance, a loosely formed coalition of companies and industry organizations aiming to halt Internet privacy legislation, went public with four industry-funded studies asserting that privacy legislation would cost consumers billions of dollars annually. Members of alliance, which includes Microsoft, AOL Time Warner, IBM, AT&T, BellSouth Corp. and Sun Microsystems Inc, are increasingly concerned about the patchwork of state privacy laws passed amid broad public support for online-privacy protections. And while none of the privacy bills pending in Congress have made significant headway, there are fears that any major privacy breach on the Internet could jump-start legislation.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B6), AUTHOR: Ted Bridis]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB984446508732053549.htm)
(requires subscription)

INTERNET TAX HEARING
Issue: Internet
Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today announced the witness list for the hearing on Internet Tax.. The Full Committee hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, March 14, at 9:30 a.m. in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building.
[SOURCE: US Senate]
(http://www.senate.gov/~commerce/press/107-21.html)

NEWSPAPERS

NEWSPAPERS STRUGGLE AS AD SALES HAVE 'FALLEN OFF A CLIFF'
Issue: Newspapers
Nearly all of the major newspaper chains have been surprised by how steeply some ad sales have fallen. "We're at the cusp" of the decline, says Bear Stearns' Kevin Gruneich. "And the valley is a lot deeper than media executives thought a few months ago." Meanwhile, publishers have been grappling with increases in the cost of newsprint. To meet the revenue challenge, several major dailies are curtailing news coverage or raising subscription prices.
[SOURCE: USAToday (6B), AUTHOR: David Lieberman]
(http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010313/3132539s.htm)

EDTECH

CYBERSCHOOL PIONEERS LEARN FIRST-YEAR LESSONS
Issue: EdTech
USA TODAY has been chronicling the progress of 34 ninth-graders enrolled on a Daniel Jenkins Academy in Haines City, Fla. Students at Jenkins do all their online coursework in a lab setting at school, working with teachers who are elsewhere. While a handful of students opted out of online learning early and were transferred to a nearby traditional high school, the others are nearly done with their studies and will be able to start their summer break weeks earlier than their public school peers. Among the major lessons learned this school year
Were that the classes were too big, too, and that students might need to take more in-school classes. "Based on what we've learned, we're going to limit students to three online courses'' rather than the five or six allowed now, says principal Sue Braiman.
[SOURCE: USAToday (6D), AUTHOR: Karen Thomas]
(http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010313/3132578s.htm)

--------------------------------------------------------------

Communications-related Headlines for 3/12/01

DIGITAL DIVIDE
One Year Later, Navajo Teen Still Waits To Log On (SJM)

NONPROFITS
As Economy Slows, Dot-Coms Crash, Dot-Orgs Are Paradigms of Stability (WSJ)

EDTECH
E-Commerce: Pushing Ahead With Online Education (NYT)

FCCC
Top FCC Official Says Agency Should Revisit AT&T Conditions (WSJ)
Consumer Information Bureau Releases its First Annual Report (FCC)

DIGITAL DIVIDE

ONE YEAR LATER, NAVAJO TEEN STILL WAITS TO LOG ON
Issue: Digital Divide
Last year, Myra Jodie, a teenager from Steamboat, Ariz., used a school computer to enter an online contest. She won a blueberry iMac. Unfortunately, Myra could not use her computer to access the Internet because the trailer she lives in has no phone. Myra became a symbol of the digital divide. When President Clinton became the first sitting president to visit the Navajo reservation, Myra introduced him to thousands in Shiprock, N.M. A wireless phone company said it would connect Myra's family to distant phone lines with its radio-based technology. But a year later, it appears to have abandoned its efforts, and Myra is still without a phone.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Mike Cassidy]
(http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/opinion/dispatch/mc031101.htm)

NONPROFITS

AS ECONOMY SLOWS, DOT-COMS CRASH, DOT-ORGS ARE PARADIGMS OF STABILITY
Issue: Nonprofits
Call it revenge of the dot-org. Two years ago, high-flying dot-coms threatened to eclipse not only brick-and-mortar companies, but also scores of nonprofit environmental, political and other grass-roots groups readily identified by their ".org" moniker. Last month, eNature.com the Web site which provides online guidebooks about plants and wildlife, was bought by the National Wildlife Federation. The big nonprofit environmental group agreed to spend $4 million in cash to bolster its presence in cyberspace. "This is one of the last places in the world we would have looked for money," says Chris Krueger, eNature's vice president and executive producer. Dot-coms and dot-orgs each have their own advantages and disadvantages. Dot-orgs have less access to capital, such as the stock market, which can be a disadvantage in boom times, and they may have trouble keeping top employees from bolting to more lucrative jobs. On the other hand, dot-orgs aren't dependent on shaky venture financi!
ng and impatient investors, a decided advantage in down economic times. And many large nonprofits have foundation sources that give them relative financial stability. As the dot.com craze disappears into oblivion, now, it's the dot-orgs that look like models of stability and even fund-raising potential.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B1), AUTHOR: Jim Carlton]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB984348541543781867.htm)

EDTECH

E-COMMERCE: PUSHING AHEAD WITH ONLINE EDUCATION
Issue: Edtech
While some corporate trainers and a handful of universities have found a lucrative niche in online education, many companies that target online education to the average consumer are struggling. In additional to getting consumers to pay for information they think they can get free elsewhere on the Web, online education companies have failed to dispel the image of e-learning as a feeble alternative to the real thing. "This whole idea of selling e-learning to the mass market has mostly failed because our culture hasn't moved to the point where we are self- directed learners," said Cushing Anderson, an analyst with IDC, an Internet research firm. "These companies have had big trouble finding people who simply want to learn stuff."
[SOURCE: New York Times (Online), AUTHOR: Bob Tedeschi]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/12/technology/12ECOMMERCE.html)
(requires registration)

FCC

TOP FCC OFFICIAL SAYS AGENCY SHOULD REVISIT AT&T CONDITIONS
Issue: FCC
A Federal Communications Commission official said the agency should revisit the strict conditions imposed on AT&T's acquisition of MediaOne Group, and suspend its deadline for the company to sell some cable assets. Commissioner Harold Furchgott-Roth said the agency shouldn't force AT&T to reduce its 42% share of the nation's cable-television market until the agency has had time to review a recent court decision striking down federal cable-ownership caps. Mr. Furchgott-Roth's remarks, which came just days after similar comments from FCC Chairman Michael Powell, suggest the GOP-controlled commission may be willing to adopt a softer approach toward AT&T, the nation's largest cable operator. Postponing the FCC deadline would allow AT&T to negotiate from a position of relative strength, helping it hold out for more favorable terms. "It's impossible to ask a company to come into compliance with rules that the courts found unconstitutional," said Mr. Furchgott-Roth, who voted against!
the divestiture conditions last year.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B4), AUTHOR: Yochi J. Dreazen]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB984355058168060285.htm)

CONSUMER INFORMATION BUREAU RELEASES ITS FIRST ANNUAL REPORT
Issue: FCC
The Federal Communications Commission's Consumer information Bureau has released its first annual report. In November of 1999, former FCC William Kennard created the Consumer Information Bureau to help the public make informed choice and fully benefit from increased competition and proliferation of new services and devices.
[SOURCE: FCC]
(http://www.fcc.gov/cib/annual/2001.html)

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Communications-related Headlines for 3/09/01

MERGER
Frays, Both Small and Big, Emerge After AOL, Time Warner Merger
(WSJ)

DIGITAL DIVIDE
Foundation To Tackle 'Digital Divide' in Va. (WP)
Internet Tax Full Committee Hearing (Senate)

CABLE
Cable Companies Proving Immune to Economic Downturn (NYT)

MOVIES
Can Hollywood See the Tiger? (NYT)

MERGER

FRAYS, BOTH SMALL AND BIG, EMERGE AFTER AOL, TIME WARNER MERGER
Issue: Merger
AOL and Time Warner are undergoing some pains as executives hash out exactly
what it means to be a "new media" company now that their merger has been
completed. Adding to the difficulties, employees are worrying about the new
behemoth's stock price, its earnings targets and the layoffs that were
announced earlier this year. In the Time Inc. division, which is the largest
magazine outfit in the U.S., employees are increasingly wary that the
magazine business could be threatened by AOL's lack of journalistic savvy
and the huge pressure to meet AOL Time Warner's extremely aggressive
financial goals, amid an ever-deteriorating advertising climate. "There is a
lot of pressure to think of ways to expand the business," says a Time Inc.
executive. "The question is will it be done in a smart, thoughtful way or
will people act out of panic?" says a Time Inc. executive.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B1), AUTHOR: Julia Angwin And Matthew Rose]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB984095115797502668.htm)

INTERNET

FOUNDATION TO TACKLE 'DIGITAL DIVIDE' IN VA.
Issue: Digital Divide
The Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) yesterday unveiled an effort
to raise $10 million to create a charitable foundation that will seek to
bridge the state's "digital divide." NVTC Foundation plans to expand the
reach of education and workforce training programs and develop new tech
initiatives for communities. The programs to be expanded include an NVTC
computer education center, a robotics tournament for area high school
students, and a scholarship program for students at George Mason
University's School of Information Technology and Engineering. The
foundation will encourage philanthropists to take a hands-on approach,
lending management expertise to not-for-profit initiatives and demanding
measurable results, officials said.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (E05), AUTHOR: Felicia Morton]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44256-2001Mar8.html)

INTERNET TAX FULL COMMITTEE HEARING
Issue: Internet
Senator McCain will preside over a full a Commerce Committee hearing on
whether Congress should allow states to require all remote sellers to
collect and remit sales taxes on deliveries into that state, provided that
states and localities dramatically simplify their sales and use tax systems.
The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, March 14, at 9:30 a.m. in room 253
of the Russell Senate Office Building.
[SOURCE: US Senate]
(http://www.senate.gov/~commerce/press/107-18.html)

CABLE

CABLE COMPANIES PROVING IMMUNE TO ECONOMIC DOWNTURN
Issue: Cable
Amid the year-long bloodletting in technology stocks that took root last
spring, cable companies have thrived above the fray. Dismissed as a
backwater collection of yesteryear companies during the height of the
high-tech rush, seven of the largest U.S. cable firms have outperformed the
Nasdaq composite index since the gauge's 57 percent plunge from its all-time
high last March. Stocks in four of those market leaders are up more than 17
percent from a year ago. "The cable sector as a whole and in the past has
been fairly recession resistant, and we continue to believe we'll continue
to do well," said Mary Jo Moehle, Charter Communications director of
investor relations. "Cable is very predictable, it's 40 bucks times three
months, times X number of subs," said Tom Eagan, an analyst at UBS Warburg,
referring to the cable subscribers.
[SOURCE: New York Times (Online), AUTHOR: Reuters]
(http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/technology/tech-cable-dc.html)
(requires subscription)

MOVIES

CAN HOLLYWOOD SEE THE TIGER?
Issue: Movies
Salman Rushdie thinks that the Hollywood studios should be a little more
concerned about the impending strikes by actors and writers. With the
crossover success of movies like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," Rushdie
suggests that the industry "may be making a big mistake if they think they
can ride out the strike without losing their stranglehold on the market."
He takes "Crouching Tiger" as proof that Americans can accept subtitled
foreign films into the giant cineplexes where the big money is made. "When
the world's finest filmmakers are coming after your audience, it may not be
such a smart idea to shut your industry down," Rushdie concludes.
[SOURCE: New York Times (A21), AUTHOR: Salman Rushdie (the author of "The
Satanic Verses" and "The Ground Beneath Her Feet."]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/09/opinion/09RUSH.html)
(requires registration)

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Communications-related Headlines for 3/08/01

MERGERS
WB Network Chief Takes Over Turner Operations at AOL Time Warner
(WSJ)
Post Unit's Deal Gets Antitrust Scrutiny (WP)

TELEPHONY
Long-Distance Calls via Internet (WSJ)

PRIVACY
The EU Data Protection Directive (House)

MERGERS

WB NETWORK CHIEF TAKES OVER TURNER OPERATIONS AT AOL TIME WARNER
Issue: Merger/Journalism
The AOL Time Warner entity has made for strange bedfellows. For years, Ted
Turner tried to get Time Warner to pull the plug on the WB Network. Now the
founder and chief executive of WB, Jamie Kellner, is taking over Turner's
programming empire. AOL Time Warner, in efforts to consolidate operations,
is folding the WB Network into Turner Broadcasting Systems. Unlike the WB
which has a solid youth audience, TBS and TNT have had a tough time holding
onto audiences because they lack clearly defined identities. Mr. Kellner
said in the interview that he doesn't necessarily think that the Turner
channels are broken. The moves will not affect Home Box Office. It is
unlikely that the programming of the successful Cartoon Network or CNN will
be dramatically affected by the restructuring.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal 3/7/01 (B01), AUTOR: Flint and Beatty]
(http://interactive.wsj.com)
(Subscription Required)

POST UNIT'S DEAL GETS ANTITRUST SCRUTINY
Issue: Antitrust
Maryland's attorney general is reviewing allegations that the Gazette
Newspapers, a division of The Washington Post Co., violated antitrust laws
by acquiring 10 publications in Southern Maryland. The attorney general has
asked to be kept informed about a separate antitrust lawsuit filed in
federal court by two Maryland newspaper publishers. That lawsuit alleges
that The Post and Gazette are using their combined market power to buy up
local rivals and force others out of business. The Washington Times, on its
own behalf, has also asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate. Post
spokesman Guyon H. Knight said the antitrust lawsuit is without merit. "We
are fully prepared to have this transaction reviewed by anyone, because we
believe it serves the public interest, it is good for readers, advertisers
and the communities," Knight said.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (E01), AUTHOR: Christopher Stern]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36644-2001Mar7.html)
See Also:
SLUMP HITS NEWSPAPER INDUSTRY
[SOURCE: Washington Post (E01), AUTHOR: Howard Kurtz]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38714-2001Mar7.html)

TELEPHONY

LONG-DISTANCE CALLS VIA INTERNET SHAKE UP GLOBAL TELECOM INDUSTRY
Issue: Telephony
The number of free long-distance telephone calls over the Internet has risen
to one in 33 voice calls. The rise in Internet telephony is causing
telecommunications companies to rethink how to charge for service. "Internet
telephony means lower prices for consumers and big challenges for telecom
operators," said U.N. official Tim Kelly, an organizer of a three-day
meeting of 1,000 government regulators and industry experts that started
yesterday. Once the networks are fully developed, the potential market for
Internet telephony is the exact same market as for current analog calls over
circuit-switched networks: an estimated 1.5 billion telephone users
world-wide. An ITU survey found the cost of a one-minute call from the U.S.
to Australia over a traditional phone network to be 17 cents. The price of
the same call through a Net-based service could be as little as eight cents.
Calls to China drop to 21 cents from 59 cents a minute, the survey found.
Currently the U.S. does not regulate Internet telephony. European Union
competition regulators treat companies providing Internet telephony services
in the same way as traditional phone providers.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal 3/7, AUTHOR: Jonathan Fowler]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB983916372201974022.htm)

PRIVACY

THE EU DATA PROTECTION DIRECTIVE: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE U.S. PRIVACY DEBATE
Issue: Privacy
The House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection is
holding a hearing on privacy issues: "The EU Data Protection Directive:
Implications for the US Privacy Debate." Live Audio Broadcast is available.
[SOURCE: House of Representatives]
(http://www.house.gov/commerce/hearings/03082001-49/08082001.htm)

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Communications-related Headlines for 3/07/01

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Napster Ordered to Block Access to Songs (WP)

INTERNET
Report Opposes Internet Voting (NYT)

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

NAPSTER ORDERED TO BLOCK ACCESS TO SONGS
Issue: Copyright
Napster said yesterday that it will try to comply with a court order to
block the trading of copyrighted songs, but was unsure whether it could
overcome some of the technical challenges of comprehensively identifying the
copyrighted songs. Napster officials pointed out that individuals have
different naming schemes: Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" can also be
listed as "Stairway 2 Heaven," for instance. The five major record companies
suing Napster had asked the court to require Napster to identify all
alternative listings, but the judge said Napster and the music industry
share responsibility on that measure. Napster chief executive Hank Barry
said in a prepared statement yesterday that the company will "take every
step within the limits of our system to exclude copyrighted material from
being shared." The record companies, meanwhile, have prepared long lists of
copyrighted songs for Napster. "What is likely to happen is that the
recording companies will blanket Napster with a very, very large number of
file names," said Peter Jaszi, a professor of copyright law at American
University. The Napster case is seen by many as a test of the industry's
ability to stop Internet users from trading copyrighted material around the
world without paying for it.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (E01), AUTHOR: Christopher Stern]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32654-2001Mar6.html)

INTERNET

REPORT OPPOSES INTERNET VOTING
Issue: Internet/Political Discourse
According to a report commissioned by the National Science Foundation,
voting through the Internet from home or the workplace should not be allowed
in the near future because significant questions remain about security,
reliability and social effects. "E-voting requires a much greater level of
security than e-commerce -- it's not like buying a book over the Internet,"
said C.D. Mote Jr., president of the University of Maryland and chairman of
the committee that studied the issue. "Remote Internet voting technology
will not be able to meet this standard for years to come." At least a dozen
states have legislation pending that request studies of Internet voting. The
Arizona Democratic Party held a primary last year that allowed Internet
voting both from home and from polling places.
[SOURCE: New York Times (Online), AUTHOR: Associated Press]
(http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Internet-Voting.html)
(requires registration)
See Also:
INTERNET VOTING: A WEB OF INTRIGUE?
[SOURCE: Washington Post (A21), Ben White]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32292-2001Mar6.html)

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