1. Monthly archive
  2. April 2001

April 2001

Communications-related Headlines for 4/27/01

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Does an Anti-Piracy Plan Quash the First Amendment? (NYT)
Scientists Drop Plan to Present Music-Copying Study (NYT)

INTERNET
Bills To Extend Net-Tax Moratorium Debut In Congress (WP)
Panel Explores Net's Impact on Sense of Self (SJM)

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

DOES AN ANTI-PIRACY PLAN QUASH THE FIRST AMENDMENT?
Issue: Intellectual Property
Does the fair use doctrine of copyright law, which permits uncompensated use
of copyrighted works in some circumstances, such as in teaching, research
and news gathering, entitle the scholar, reporter or others to gain access
to the copyrighted work in the first place -- especially when the material
is guarded by a technological device designed to prevent digital piracy?
This question is at the heart of a closely-watched
copyright and First Amendment case, "Universal City Studios v. Reimerdes."
Last year, eight major studios filed suit against Eric Corley, editor and
publisher of a hacker publication, for posting software that unlocks the
information in an encrypted DVD movie
disk. Civil liberties groups have filed friend-of-the-court briefs in
support of Corley, claiming that the First Amendment absolutely requires
that would-be fair users have the right to use certain information -- such
as decryption software -- to gain access to copyrighted works. The
plaintiffs, however, have argued that the First Amendment does
not require that would-be fair users gain access to books and movies.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Carl S. Kaplan]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/27/technology/27CYBERLAW.html)
(requires registration)

SCIENTISTS DROP PLANS TO PRESENT MUSIC-COPYING STUDY
Issue: Intellectual Property
In the face of strong objections from the recording industry, a group of
computer scientists who had successfully defeated an industry
copy-protection system abruptly withdrew the paper detailing their research
from a scientific conference yesterday. The dispute grew out of a contest
created by a music industry standards group, the Secure Digital Music
Initiative (SDMI), to remove a digital "watermark" from a musical
recording. But SDMI has claimed that the technical details of their
achievement could not be publicly disclosed because of limits established by
the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998. Organizers of the conference
said they were concerned about the effect of the industry's actions on
academic freedom.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: John Maroff ]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/27/technology/27MUSI.html)
(requires registration)

INTERNET

BILLS TO EXTEND NET-TAX MORATORIUM DEBUT IN CONGRESS
Issue: E-Commerce
Several bills to have been introduced in Congress that would extend the
Internet tax moratorium anywhere from three to six years. The moratorium,
which is set to expire this October, does not ban online sales taxes per
se. Most of the legislation that has come out this year shows some
support for its extension, but state and local government supporters
--mainly Democrats -- have come out in favor of allowing states remote
use-tax collections, if those states first simplify their tax systems.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Robert MacMillan ]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/9345-1.html)

PANEL EXPLORES NET'S IMPACT ON SENSE OF SELF
Issue: Internet
Although the Internet revolution has allowed people to create meaningful
communities around shared interests, it paradoxically also has resulted in
isolation, panelists at the "Technology and Us -- A Vision for the Future''
conference, presented by the Santa Clara University Center for Science,
Technology and Society. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
David Halberstam, said that online communication partially responsible a
breakdown in family and community relationships. "I think more and more
people in this country feel less and less connected," he said. "We aren't
connected really to work. We haven't served in military units together.
There is less and less texture, and people feel more frustrated."
[SOURCE: Washington Post , AUTHOR: Jessie Seyfer]
(http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/svfront/vision042701.htm)

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

Communications-related Headlines for 4/26/01

INTERNET
High-Speed Net Debate Turns On Service Rollout (USA)
Countries That Track Internet Activity (NYT)

JOBS
Senators Pitch Tech Training Tax Credit (WP)
Writers Strike Would Spell Trouble (USA)

FCC
Commissioner Susan Ness To Leave FCC (FCC)

INTERNET

HIGH-SPEED NET DEBATE TURNS ON SERVICE ROLLOUT
Issue: Broadband
The regional Bell companies told lawmakers Wednesday that a new bill to lift
restrictions on their high-speed Internet services would spur rollout of
such services, especially in rural areas. The Internet Freedom and Broadband
Deployment bill would be the first major overhaul of the 1996
Telecommunications Act of 1996, aimed at sparking local phone competition.
Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-La., the bill's co-sponsor, has argued that cable
companies, which control 75% of the broadband market, are not regulated, so
the Bells should be able to play by the same rules. Bell rivals and their
supporters, however, claim that the bill would do the opposite and would
squash Bell competition. The bill "shields the Bell companies while emptying
a six-shooter into the heart of New Economy companies," said Edward Markey,
D-Mass, at a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on the bill. "It's
a competition killer."
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Paul Davidson]
(http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010426/3266864s.htm)

COUNTRIES THAT TRACK INTERNET ACTIVITY
Issue: Internet
Reporters Without Borders, a French advocacy group, reports that many
countries attempt to control or track their residents' online activities.
The group says that filtering is just one method of restricting access to
the Internet. In Russuia, for example, the government has instituted an
Internet surveillance system that requires I.S.P.'s and telephone operators
to reroute data traffic to local law enforcement headquarters, allowing
authorities to monitor phone calls or e-mail. The Australian government does
not filter the Net, but a new law forbids certain kinds of online content,
including specific representations of sexual acts, and information on crime,
violence and the use of certain narcotics.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: New York Times Staff]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/26/technology/26BSAF.html)
(requires registration)

JOBS

SENATORS PITCH TECH TRAINING TAX CREDIT
Issue: Training
Led by Sen. Kent Conrad, D-ND, a quartet of lawmakers yesterday proposed
legislation that would give companies a tax credit for teaching workers
high-tech skills. Joined by Sens. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, Mike DeWine,
R-Ohio and Harry Reid, D-Nev., Conrad introduced the Technology and Training
Act of 2001, which would allow companies to take a per-worker tax credit of
as much as $2,000 to defray the cost of information technology (IT) training
classes. On hand today to support the bill's introduction was Information
Technology Association of America President Harris Miller, who said that the
Conrad bill and other initiatives aimed at bolstering high-tech education
are critical to the US technology industry's continuing health.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: David McGuire]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/9292-1.html)

WRITERS STRIKE WOULD SPELL TROUBLE
Issue: Jobs
On the eve of the first labor-management showdown in the era of the media
megaconglomerate, Viacom president Mel Karmazin says he's indifferent "from
a profit-and-loss point of view." About 11,000 movie and TV scriptwriters in
the Writers Guild of America (WGA) are threatening to strike after May 1,
when their contract expires. They want more pay, more credit and more
control over their work, and are fighting studio demands for givebacks. The
Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and American Federation of Television and Radio
Artists (AFTRA) might also join ranks with the writers once contracts with
studios run to the end of June. Not everyone is as apathic as Karamzin about
the prospect of a strike. Southern California alone could lose 81,900 jobs
and $6.9 billion if a strike runs through September, according to a study
prepared by the Milken Institute and Sebago Associates for Los Angeles Mayor
Richard Riordan.
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: David Lieberman and Michael McCarthy]
(http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010426/3266942s.htm)

FCC

COMMISSIONER SUSAN NESS TO LEAVE FCC
Issue: FCC
After serving seven years as FCC Commissioner, Susan Ness announced today
that she will depart the Commission by June 1, 2001. President George W.
Bush has announced his intention to nominate three new Commissioners.
[SOURCE: FCC]
(http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Ness/States/2001/stsn122.html)

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

Communications-related Headlines for 4/25/01

TELEPHONY
Don't Demonize the Bells (USA)
Financial Woes Entangle Telecoms (USA)

EDTECH
Online Courses to Improve Teacher Technology Skills (NYT)

E-GOVERNMENT
Politicals, Tech Execs Discuss Area Improvements (WP)

TELEPHONY

DON'T DEMONIZE THE BELLS
Issue: Telephony
[Op-Ed] Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce
Committee, feels that the Baby Bells are subjected to a great deal of unfair
criticism these days because they still control more than 90% the local
telephone-exchange market in the United States five years after the passage
of the historic Telecommunications Act. Rep. Tauzin claims that the Bells'
competitors are only interested in competing for the high-dollar commercial
customers, which is why they control about 17% of the phone lines of large
businesses and 75% of the high-speed broadband market, but only 3% of the
local telephone market for homes and small businesses. "Rather than demonize
the Bells for their control of certain markets and shackle them with
unnecessary regulations," he suggests, "Congress should set these companies
free to accelerate their deployment of broadband services."
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La), chairman of the House
Energy and Commerce Committee.]
(http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010425/3262912s.htm)

FINANCIAL WOES ENTANGLE TELECOMS
Issue: Telephony
In the past 5 months, telecom carriers and equipment makers have axed more
than 130,000 jobs worldwide, with tens of thousands of the cuts in the USA.
After 5-years of non-stop growth, spending and investment, the
telecommunications industry has hit its first lull of the Internet Age.
Dealmaking and investment have slowed to a crawl. This year, telecom mergers
and acquisitions totaled $6.6 billion -- down from the quarterly average of
$60 billion for the past 3 years. At the bottom of the food chain are
customers. And they're being hit, too. When financially ailing NorthPoint
Communications shut down last month, stranding 100,000 customers, thousands
of businesses lost the super-fast Internet access it provided -- and that
cost them in productivity.
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Andrew Backover]
(http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010425/3262994s.htm)

EDTECH

ONLINE COURSES TO IMPROVE TEACHER TECHNOLOGY SKILLS
Issue: EdTech
Teachers who what to improve their technology skills can choose from a
variety of online offerings ranging from three-week skill boosting courses
to labor-intensive master's degrees. Since the quality of these programs can
vary widely, education experts suggest that teachers shop around and ask
questions first. "You have to look for courses that provide an opportunity
to have collaborative interaction with peers and provide the kind of
technology you would use in the classroom," said Lajean Thomas, a professor
of education at Louisiana Tech University and representative of the
International Society for Technology in Education's (ISTE) representative.
"We in education would like to think the ideal way for teachers to learn how
to use technology is by using it in their content area."
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Rebecca S. Weiner]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/25/technology/25EDUCATION.html)
(requires registration)

E-GOVERNMENT

POLITICALS, TECH EXECS DISCUSS AREA IMPROVEMENTS
Issue: E-Government
Washington, DC area politicians and technology executives gathered this week
to swap ideas about how to leverage the high-tech community to improve the
region's economy. The conference was organized by the Democratic Leadership
Council, a political organization of centrist Democrats. On a panel to
discuss "Digital Government," D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams, Montgomery County
Executive Douglas Duncan and Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley explained how
their respective governments were adopting information technology to improve
services "Bringing technology into government is about improving quality of
life for our citizens," said Duncan, who said Montgomery County residents
could renew library cards, pay for parking tickets and apply for county jobs
online. "The question isn't about bigger or smaller government. It's about
how to make it a better government."
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Terence Chea]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/9277-1.html)

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

Communications-related Headlines for 4/24/01

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Music Body Tries to Quash Study of Antipiracy Steps (WSJ)

INTERNET
Web Sites Track Regulatory Changes (WSJ)
Internet Freedom and Broadband Deployment Act of 2001 (House)

TELEPHONY
Verizon Seeks Connecticut Service (NYT)

PUBLIC TV
Elmo Gets Wired (NYT)

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

MUSIC BODY TRIES TO QUASH STUDY OF ANTIPIRACY STEPS
Issue: Intellectual Property
In September, a consortium affiliated with the music industry, known as the
Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI), invited volunteers to test the
security of antipiracy technologies known as watermarks, which are embedded
codes in the digital-music files that can be used to block copies. Now the
consortium is pressuring Princeton University computer-science professor
Edward Felten to suppress research that it says could undermine its efforts
to prevent the digital copying of music. Together with a team of other
cryptographic researchers, Mr. Felten said he was not only able to defeat
four of the watermarking methods in the challenge, but also to make educated
guesses about how the watermarking was done in the first place. SDMI claims
publication of results from the test may violate the Digital Millennium
Copyright Act (DMCA), a 1998 extension to copyright law that prohibits
efforts to defeat copy-protection methods. Some legal scholars believe the
DMCA may be unconstitutional, because it holds the potential to stifle free
expression and academic research into cryptography.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: David P. Hamilton]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB988069076366701618.htm)
(requires subscription)

INTERNET

WEB SITES TRACK REGULATORY CHANGES
Issue: Internet/Government
A few years ago, finding out about changes in federal regulations, would
have required days of research in dusty docket rooms and many quarters for
the copying machine. Now, Internet sites run by government agencies and
private groups provide instant access to the anatomy of almost any rule. The
interest in dissecting federal rules has increased sharply with the Bush
administration's review of dozens of last-minute
regulations issued by the Clinton White House. The General Services
Administration's site at reginfo.gov is an electronic road map to every
federal document that concerns regulation. In addition to the government
sites, the web site of many special interest groups-from the AFL-CIO to the
Heritage Foundation--provide analysis of regulation, often with a partisan
tinge, reflecting the politics of the group sponsoring them.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Cindy Skrzycki]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55567-2001Apr23.html)

INTERNET FREEDOM AND BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT ACT OF 2001
Issue: Broadband
Draft of Internet Freedom and Broadband Deployment Act of 2001 (Requires
Adobe Acrobat) Legislation scheduled for hearing on Wednesday, Markup on
Thursday. See the Committee schedule for more information.
[SOURCE: House of Representatives]
(http://www.house.gov/commerce/)

TELEPHONY

VERIZON SEEKS CONNECTICUT SERVICE
Issue: Telephony
Verizon Communications said yesterday that it would seek permission from
federal regulators to offer long-distance telephone service in Connecticut.
Verizon, the nation's largest regional phone company, already provides
long-distance service in New York and last week gained approval to offer it
in Massachusetts. Other regional Bell companies now also offer long-distance
service in Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma. Verizon's application with the
Federal Communications Commission to expand in Connecticut is part of a
wider effort by large local-service companies to compete with big long-
distance providers like AT&T, WorldCom and Sprint. In addition to New York
and Massachusetts,
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Simon Romero]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/24/technology/24PHON.html)
(requires registration)

PUBLIC TV

ELMO GETS WIRED
Issue: Public TV
[Op-ED] Gail Collins has concerns about the seemingly close relationship
between AOL and PBS. "Sesame Street," which is underwritten by AOL,
regularly features a dancing "you've got mail" computer. In February, Elmo
was the special guest of an online chat to kick off a new AOL service for
preschoolers. Collins wonders if Elmo's computer fixation amounts to a PBS
version of product placement. The "Sesame Street" folks say nothing could be
further from the truth. "I wasn't even aware AOL is underwriting it, and I'm
the one responsible for content," said Rosemarie Truglio, the vice president
for education and research. "Our pure goal here is an educational goal - to
address computers in children's lives today," said Ms. Truglio.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Gail Collins]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/24/opinion/24COLL.html)
(requires registration)

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

Communications-related Headlines for 4/23/01

DIGITAL DIVIDE
Funds For Bridging Divide Are Drying Up (SFC)
Women In Tech More Likely To See Gender As Obstacle (SJM)

TELEVISION
Local TV Fears the Networks' Power (NYT)
Digital Television Presentation from Open Meeting (FCC)
Sony Unit and Accenture Are Creating Consulting Venture for Media
Concerns (WSJ)

BROADBAND
The Internet Freedom and Broadband Deployment Act of 2001(House)

DIGITAL DIVIDE

FUNDS FOR BRIDGING DIVIDE ARE DRYING UP
Issue: Digital Divide
Between the new Republican administration in Washington and the slumping
economy, digital divide programs are worried that their government and
corporate funding will dry up. Perhaps most worrisome is
the Commerce Department's proposal to cut the Technology Opportunities
Program, which has financed technology programs across the country, by 65
percent, from $42.5 million to $15 million. While most digital divide
initiatives say they haven't seen the big companies pulling back on giving
yet, Joint Venture Silicon Valley recently scraped its own digital divide
project because "corporate interest was not strong enough to fund the $30
million effort that was our goal over the next five years," said Josh
Holcomb, Joint Venture's communications director.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Carrie Kirby]
(http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/04/2
3/BU224027.DTL&type=tech_article)

WOMEN IN TECH MORE LIKELY TO SEE GENDER AS OBSTACLE
Issue: Digital Divide
Although a majority of the Silicon Valley women surveyed in a new study said
they don't see gender as a significant barrier to career advancement, women
who work in technology fields are more likely than others to cite gender as
a professional handicap, according to a study released today. The survey,
conducted by the Collaborative Economics in Palo Alto and the Community
Foundation Silicon Valley, found that 41 percent said they need to "fit into
a masculine workplace" to advance, compared with 23 percent of women in
other fields. Although women say they sometimes encounter people who assume
women aren't as good as men at technical jobs, many say one of the main
barriers can be isolation. "The reality is the majority of the people you
work with are going to be men, so you need to develop a level of trust
there,'' said Darlene J.S.-Solomon, director of the Life Science
Technologies Laboratory at Agilent Technologies in Palo Alto.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Margaret Steen]
(http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/depth/women042301a.htm)

TELEVISION

LOCAL TV FEARS THE NETWORKS' POWER
Issue: Television
Regulatory changes, increased competition, technological advances and
consolidation of power by the networks and big station owners, have
resulted in growing tension between the television networks and their
affiliates. The affiliates are increasingly concern about their future as
they see their profits being eroded by reductions in the commercial time the
networks leave available to them to sell local advertising and as the
networks eliminate compensation fees they have traditionally paid to the
stations that carry their programming. Just last week, the Republican-led
Federal Communications Commission gave the major networks a victory,
repealing a rule that had prevented ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC from owning
smaller networks. And the networks hope the FCC will also soon end federal
rules that prevent any network from owning stations whose total audience
exceeds 35 percent of the country's population.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Bill Carter]
(requires registration)
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/23/business/23NETS.html)

DIGITAL TELEVISION PRESENTATION FROM OPEN MEETING
Issue: DTV
Federal Communication Commission Mass Media Bureau Chief gave a presentation
on the status of the transition from analog to digital television (DTV)
broadcasting, and the various actions and proceedings associated with the
transition at the FCC's Open Meeting on Thursday, April 19. The presentation
is available online in pdf format.
[SOURCE: FCC]
(http://www.fcc.gov/dtv/dtv_presentation.pdf)

SONY UNIT AND ACCENTURE ARE CREATING CONSULTING VENTURE FOR MEDIA CONCERNS
Issue: DTV
Accenture and Sony Electronics have announced that they are forming a
management-consulting joint venture, Concadia, for the media industry.
Concadia will seek to help television broadcasters and movie makers convert
to digital technologies. Officials said they expect strong demand for
Concadia's services, in part because federal law requires television
broadcasters to begin using digital signals by 2006, though analysts say the
industry could miss that deadline
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Theo Francis]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB987973327591714155.htm)
(requires subscription)

BROADBAND

THE INTERNET FREEDOM AND BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT ACT OF 2001
Issue: Broadband
The Committee on Energy and Commerce has scheduled a hearing on "The
Internet Freedom and Broadband Deployment Act of 2001" for Wednesday, April
25, 2001 at 10:00 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn House Office Building.
[SOURCE: House of Representatives]
(http://www.house.gov/commerce/schedule.htm)

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

Communications-related Headlines for 4/20/01

EDTECH
Some Push Hard To Get Software; Area School Computer Access Varies
(WP)

PRIVACY
3 Web Firms To Pay Fines For Collecting Data On Children (WP)

TELEPHONY
FCC Ruling Settles Internet Phone Fight (WP)
Ericsson to Slash 12,000 More Jobs (USA)

EDTECH

SOME PUSH HARD TO GET SOFTWARE; AREA SCHOOL COMPUTER ACCESS VARIES
Issue: EdTech
A Washington Post survey of area school districts found that a large digital
divide exists -- even among schools in the same district, where some schools
have a ratio of two students for one computer and other schools labor under
a ratio as big as 11 to 1. Across the nation, most school districts strive
for an average of five to seven students per computer -- the recommendation
from the U.S. Department of Education. Educators across the region and
nationwide give many reasons for the disparity in technology in the
classroom. Schools in the most affluent neighborhoods don't always have the
most computers, according to the Post's survey. Several D.C. schools scored
high on the survey of computers when compared with their counterparts in
suburban Maryland and Virginia. That's because low-income schools can
benefit from Title I and E-rate federal grant programs.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Liz Seymour]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/metro/schools/schoolsurvey01/A34597-20
01Apr18.html)

PRIVACY

3 WEB FIRMS TO PAY FINES FOR COLLECTING DATA ON CHILDREN
Issue: Privacy
The Federal Trade Commission announced yesterday that three online companies
have agreed to pay $100,000 in fines to settle charges that they violated
the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which took effect
exactly one year ago. A study conducted by the Center for Media Education
found that commercial online sites for children generally post privacy
policies for parents and limit the data they collect, but the study said
that most of the 153 Web sites examined did not have obvious links to their
privacy policies, as required by the law, and a majority "did not obtain
prior parental consent or provide parental notice" before collecting data.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Robert O'Harrow Jr.]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39263-2001Apr19.html)
See Also:
CME REPORT FINDS POSITIVE CHANGE BUT MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE
[SOURCE: Center For Media Education]
(http://www.cme.org/press/010419pr.html)

TELEPHONY

FCC RULING SETTLES INTERNET PHONE FIGHT
Issue: Telephony
Settling a dispute among local phone companies, the Federal Communications
Commission yesterday set caps on the rates those carriers pay one another
for carrying Internet-related traffic. The decision will reduce costs for
the former Bell local phone companies, which estimate they pay $2 billion to
$3 billion to their competitors every year. The rate reduction will also
mean diminishing returns for the already ailing competitive local exchange
carriers, as the former
Bells' competitors are known, for whom Internet-related payments have been
an important source of revenue.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Yuki Noguchi]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39243-2001Apr19.html)

ERICSSON TO SLASH 12,000 MORE JOBS
Issue: Telephony
Ericsson, the world's largest maker of mobile phone systems, said today that
it plans to slash an additional 12,000 jobs in an effort to reshape the
telecommunications giant into a more nimble, manageable and profitable
company. Ericsson's planned restructuring takes place against a backdrop of
a world economic slowdown and abruptly reduced demand for telecommunications
equipment and cell phones. The company said the world market for handset
sales this year probably won't top 480 million units. Earlier, Ericsson
projected global sales might reach 540 million.
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Associated Press]
(http://www.usatoday.com/hlead.htm)

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

Communications-related Headlines for 4/19/01

OWNERSHIP
FCC to Ease Rules, Allow Viacom To Own Both CBS, UPN Networks (WSJ)

TECH INDUSTRY
High-Tech Industry's Loss of Clout Is Evident in White House Agenda
(WSJ)
Cheney: White House Won't Take Tech Sector for Granted (WP)

SATELLITES
India Launches Satellite-Carrying Rocket Into Space (WSJ)

OWNERSHIP

FCC TO EASE RULES, ALLOW VIACOM TO OWN BOTH CBS, UPN NETWORKS
Issue: Ownership
At a public meeting today, the Federal Communications Commission is expected
to approve changes that would allow any of the four major television
networks to own a smaller rival. The move, which will allow Viacom Corp. to
own both CBS and UPN, furthers the recent erosion of rules designed to
promote media diversity. The commission, however, is likely to retain
related rules keeping the four major networks -- ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox --
under separate ownership. Many consumer advocates are concerned that the
trend toward relaxation of the ownership rules will promote consolidation,
reducing the diversity of news and entertainment available to TV viewers.
"The FCC is trying to undo 60 years of policy dedicated to the principle
that multiply-owned sources of news and information protects our democracy,"
said Andrew Schwartzman, head of the Media Access Project, a nonprofit
consumer-law group here. "The fear is that someone with a new programming
idea or a different perspective will have a much harder time getting it
out."
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Yochi J. Dreazen]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB987632938177026761.htm )
(requires subscription)

TECH INDUSTRY

CHENEY: WHITE HOUSE WON'T TAKE TECH SECTOR FOR GRANTED
Issue: Tech Industry
In a speech to the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) in McLean,
Vice President Dick Cheney assured high-tech executives Wednesday night that
the White House will not take them for granted, and asked for their support
in passing what he called a tax code that rewards enterprise. He said that
the administration supports extending the Internet tax moratorium, as well
as a permanent ban on all Internet access taxes. Cheney also told the NVTC
that administration believes it's time to make the R&D tax credit permanent.
Cheney said he and the president believe the industry will be at the front
edge of economic recovery, setting new standards in job growth, worker
productivity and scientific progress.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Kyle Balluck]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/9153-1.html)

HIGH-TECH INDUSTRY'S LOSS OF CLOUT IS EVIDENT IN WHITE HOUSE AGENDA
Issue: Tech Industry
While George W. Bush actively courted the high-technology industry when the
New Economy was booming, many executives feel that the President is doing
little to provide an immediate helping hand to the struggling high-tech
world. He has resisted pressure for tax credits to spur the purchase of
computers and the infrastructure to connect them. He hasn't aggressively
touted the idea of extending the tax moratorium on the Internet market,
though he plans to later this year. Some in the industry also feel that he
hasn't pushed for as large an increase in research funding for technological
innovations as they would like. Industry officials also privately complain
that Mr. Bush has been too slow in filling technology positions inside his
White House, which has hindered the tech agenda.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Jim VandeHei]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB987627037207737716.htm)
(requires subscription)

SATELLITES

INDIA LAUNCHES SATELLITE-CARRYING ROCKET INTO SPACE
Issue: Satellites
On Wednesday, India's civilian space program successfully launched a
satellite-carrying rocket -- its first spacecraft capable of delivering a
payload into geosynchronous orbit. The test puts India a big step closer to
the multibillion-dollar satellite-launching business, but Indian Space
Research Organization chairman K. Kasturirangan says the country doesn't
have an immediate plan to commercialize the service. The next step is to
fire a second test launch in a year to 15 months, and then to eventually
launch television, telephone and meteorological satellites to aid India's
economic development. After that, "if there is [commercial] demand, then
maybe we could support it," Dr. Kasturirangan said.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Jesse Pesta]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB987620467491520591.htm)
(requires subscription)

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Communications-related Headlines for 4/18/01

INTERNET
Survey Shows Mixed Use Among Wired Schools (NYT)
VeriSign-ICANN .Com Deal Now In Govt Hands (WP)
Children's Online Privacy Protection Act - The First Year (CME)

MERGER
AOL Time Warner Reports Higher Earnings (NYT)

JOURNALISM
Dictatorship TV (USA)

INTERNET

SURVEY SHOWS MIXED USE AMONG WIRED SCHOOLS
Issue: Edtech
Recent survey suggests that colleges are wiring classrooms at a slower pace
than their primary and secondary school counterparts. According to a survey
done by education research firm Market Data Retrieval, 64 percent of
colleges say they have Internet access in their classrooms, up from 49
percent in the 1999-2000 academic year. Elementary and high schools have
wired 63 percent of their classrooms, up from 3 percent in 1994. Experts
said it might be less important for colleges to wire classrooms because
students learn in a less controlled environment and are apt to have access
to technology in libraries and dormitories. One hundred percent of colleges
reported they have Internet access in their libraries, 94 percent said their
computer labs are wired and 40 percent said their dormitories have online
access, according to the survey.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Rebecca S. Weiner]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/18/technology/18EDUCATION.html)
(requires registration)

VERISIGN-ICANN .COM DEAL NOW IN GOVT HANDS
Issue: Internet
On Monday, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
sent contractual agreements that would ensconce VeriSign Inc. as the
permanent steward of the global ".com" to the US Department of Commerce.
Once the sole seller of Internet addresses in .com, .net and .org,
VeriSign's monopoly was broken in 1999 by the US Commerce Department and the
not-for-profit ICANN, which was charged by the US government with managing
the Internet's worldwide addressing system. Lawmakers have urged the
Commerce Department to closely review the controversial arrangement between
VeriSign and ICANN. "Without taking a position on the propriety of the
revised agreement, we want to ensure that any actions by ICANN support and
encourage strong, vibrant competition," wrote Commerce Committee Chairman
Billy Tauzin(R-LA), Ranking Democrat John Dingell(D-MI), Internet
Subcommittee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), and Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) in a
letter to Commerce Secretary Donald Evans.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: David McGuire (Newsbytes.com)]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/9113-1.html)

CHILDREN'S ONLINE PRIVACY PROTECTION ACT - THE FIRST YEAR
Issue: Privacy
To mark the anniversary of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act
(COPPA), which went into effect on April 21, 2000, the Center for Media
Education (CME) conducted a study of commercial Web sites directed at
children under age 13 to see if they are complying with the provisions of
COPPA.
[SOURCE: Center For Media Education]
(http://www.cme.org/press/010417pr.html)

MERGER

AOL TIME WARNER REPORTS HIGHER EARNINGS
Issue: Merger
As many Internet media companies struggle to meet expectations, AOL Time
Warner, the world's largest Internet and media company, is reporting higher
than expected first-quarter earnings, due strong growth in its online and
cable television subscription businesses. In a statement the company said
its cash earnings rose to 23 cents a share, from 19 cents a year earlier.
"AOL came in with a surprisingly strong quarter in the face of a very
difficult environment," said Jefferies & Co. analyst Fred Moran. "It shows
the fortitude and power of this extremely well-entrenched company and that
it is proving not especially sensitive to the recession or the dot-com ad
bust."
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Reuters]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/18/business/business-aoltimewarne.html)
(requires registration)

JOURNALISM

DICTATORSHIP TV
Issue: Journalism/Television
[Editorial] In Russia this week, a top newspaper and magazine were shut down
and the country's only independent national television station, NTV, was
taken over. While officially the shutdowns are explained as business
decisions, many believe the real motivation is that media were getting in
the way of Russian President Vladimir Putin's broader campaign to
consolidate his power. The USAToday writes that "he has set out to crush the
independent media and others who've sought to unmask his increasingly
authoritarian bent." The paper goes on to say that since Putin took office,
"he has steadily pushed Russia toward its historic pattern of rule by a czar
or cadre of apparatchiks who control resources undeterred by an uninformed,
suffering public."
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: USAToday Editorial Staff]
(http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010418/3243354s.htm)

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Communications-related Headlines for 4/17/01

PRIVACY
Senator Raises Privacy as Federal Web Site Issue (NYT)
Bush Administration Remains Focused On Privacy (WP)

TELEPHONY
Another F.C.C. Clearance for Verizon (NYT)

JOURNALISM
Turner May Back Out of NTV Purchase (WP)

PRIVACY

SENATOR RAISES PRIVACY AS FEDERAL WEB SITE ISSUE
Issue: Privacy
Dozens of federal web sites continue to violate consumer privacy rules put
into effect by the Clinton administration, a United States senator said
yesterday. "The federal government should be setting the standard for
privacy protection in the Information Age," said Senator Fred Thompson
(R-TN) in a statement. A survey, still not complete, by Inspector Generals'
offices has already found that 64 sites continue to use "cookies" to track
Web site visitor's wanderings on the World Wide Web. The use of cookies by
federal Web sites was sharply restricted in June 2000 by the Clinton
administration; no federal site could use them unless an agency could
demonstrate a "compelling need" to gather the data.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: New York Times]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/17/technology/17PRIV.html)
(requires registration)

BUSH ADMINISTRATION REMAINS FOCUSED ON PRIVACY
Issue: Privacy
An administration spokesperson said that privacy will issues remain high on
the list of priorities for the Bush White House. Public interest groups have
urged the administration to appoint a chief privacy counselor to fill the
void left by Clinton administration privacy aide Peter Swire. White House
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) spokesperson Chris Ullman said it was
too early to say whether Swire's post would be filled, he did confirm that
the OMB will soon appoint the official who will be in charge of addressing
privacy policy. "There needs to be general oversight and agreement among the
agencies about how (to) do privacy policy," Center for Democracy and
Technology (CDT) Policy Analyst Ari Schwartz said today. "We have no one in
the executive branch focusing (exclusively) on privacy."
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: David McGuire (Newsbytes.com)]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/9085-1.html)

TELEPHONY

ANOTHER F.C.C. CLEARANCE FOR VERIZON
Issue: Telephony
The Federal Communications Commission has given Verizon Communications
approval to provide long-distance service in Massachusetts. This move
brings to five the number of states where large Bell local telephone
companies can enter into the fast-changing long-distance communications
business. By next year, analysts expect that the Bell companies could
compete with AT&T and other long-distance companies in as many as 20 states.
Under the Telecommunications Act of 1996, local phone companies must
convince the F.C.C., state by state, that they have opened their networks to
competitors before entering the long-distance market. The F.C.C.'s approval
of Verizon's petition was not unanimous. Commissioner Gloria Tristani voted
against it, expressing concern about the prices that Verizon charges
competitors to direct calls electronically to their destination.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Simon Romero]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/17/technology/17PHON.html)
(requires registration)
FCC AUTHORIZES VERIZON TO PROVIDE LONG DISTANCE SERVICE
[SOURCE: FCC]
(http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/News_Releases/2001/nrcc0112.html)

JOURNALISM

TURNER MAY BACK OUT OF NTV PURCHASE
Issue: Journalism
Investors led by Ted Turner may end negotiations to buy 30 percent of
Russia's only national independent television network now that it was taken
over by a government-connected gas company, Gazprom. Turner has said his
priority was to keep NTV an independent news voice. Gazprom was locked in a
two-week standoff with the network's journalists, who claimed Russian
President Vladimir Putin is using the Gazprom takeover to silence his
critics. Tatyana Blinova, spokeswoman for the ousted NTV leadership, said
more than 350 employees, including 85 percent of the
journalistic staff, had resigned as of Monday.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Associated Press]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26734-2001Apr17.html)

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Communications-related Headlines for 4/16/01

OWNERSHIP/DIVERSITY
Media Companies Succeed in Easing Ownership Limits (NYT)
Tech World Makes Strides Toward Diversity (USA)

ARTS
Arts Online: Artists Share Their Files and Lives on the Web (NYT)

MERGERS
News Analysis: Path to AT&T Breakup Has Become a Rocky Road (NYT)
Amid an Advertising Slowdown, AOL Partnerships Provide a Lift (WSJ)

OWNERSHIP/DIVERSITY

MEDIA COMPANIES SUCCEED IN EASING OWNERSHIP LIMITS
Issue: Ownership
As a result of a changing regulatory climate in Washington, the nation's
largest broadcasters, cable companies and other media outlets have begun to
win important changes to federal rules that restrict their ability to grow
larger and to dominate new markets. This week, the Federal Communications
Commission is scheduled to relax a rule that for decades has prohibited one
television network from buying another. And within a few weeks, officials
said, the agency will begin to loosen a 26-year-old regulation restricting a
company from owning a television station and a newspaper in the same market.
Recently, the courts have also become more sympathetic to the free-speech
rights of corporations and more skeptical of the role of ownership limits in
promoting diversity in mass media. Consumer groups, however, are fighting
loosening of the rules, which they say will reduce the diversity of
viewpoints on the airwaves. "The erosion of these rules portends a troubling
sameness and enables a cartelization in which a handful of owners with
increasingly common interests have the ability to shape public tastes, and
less likelihood that one will be off the reservation," said Andrew Jay
Schwartzman, president of the Media Access Project.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Stephen Labaton]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/16/business/16MEDI.html)
(requires registration)

TECH WORLD MAKES STRIDES TOWARD DIVERSITY
Issue: Diversity
Civil rights activists have long accused the high-tech industry of being
dominated by white males. But some technology and venture-capital firms are
quietly making progress on the diversity front. In the mid-to-late 1990s,
barely a few million dollars of venture capital went to start-ups run by
minorities and women. Last year, they nabbed $3 billion of the $98 billion
in venture capital invested nationwide, reports the Milken Institute. On the
employment front, Cisco Systems increased its number of minority managers by
50% over the past year by closely measuring hires and basing part of its
executives' compensation on diversity hiring. "Not only is it ethically
right, it's just plain good for business," says Cisco CEO John Chambers. But
Jesse Jackson, whose Rainbow-PUSH Coalition sponsored a conference last week
for minority entrepreneurs and Silicon Valley executives, says there's still
a glaring lack of diversity in high-tech boardrooms. Of the 44 Silicon
Valley firms tracked by Rainbow-PUSH, only 28, or 8%, of the 356 directors
are minorities, and 35, or 10%, are women.
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Edward Iwata]
(http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010416/3236406s.htm)

ARTS

ARTS ONLINE: ARTISTS SHARE THEIR FILES AND LIVES ON THE WEB
Issue: Arts/Intellectual Property
An online exhibit, called "Life Sharing," relieves the entire contents of an
Italian young couple's computer. Visitors to Renato Pasopiani and Tania
Copechi Web site, www.0100101110101101.org are exposed to their software,
e-mails, work in progress and even error messages. Their version of virtual
performance art is intended to challenges the concept of copyright and
intellectual property in cyberspace. "This is open-source living in the
digital age. It's making a political statement about ownership and
commercialism. It's not just about viewing. Not only can you see in, but you
can use the plans yourself."
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Matthew Mirapaul]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/16/arts/16ARTS.html)
(requires registration)

COMPETITION

NEWS ANALYSIS: PATH TO AT&T BREAKUP HAS BECOME A ROCKY ROAD
Issue: Divestiture
AT&T's grand plan to overhaul itself might finally be gathering momentum.
But a closer look shows a road still littered with obstacles. The plan, as
announced last year, is for AT&T to reorganize into four pieces: business
services, consumer services, wireless and cable. AT&T hopes to complete the
plan by the fall of 2002. But as the months pass, many complications remain
- not the least of which are the continuing fears of some investors and
communications experts that the breakup plan is not in the company's or
shareholders' interest.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Seth Schiesel And Geraldine Fabrikant]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/16/business/16DEAL.html)
(requires registration)

AMID AN ADVERTISING SLOWDOWN, AOL PARTNERSHIPS PROVIDE A LIFT
Issue: Advertising
Amidst the current advertising slump, as media most firms are report notable
downturns in ad spending this quarter, AOL Time Warner Inc. has
landed eight advertising contracts that are worth a reported extra $100
million in revenue this year. The recent deals, the result of an initiative
by AOL Co-Chief Operating Officer Robert Pittman, are packages of Internet,
magazine and TV advertising that piggy-back off relationships AOL already
has with suppliers and companies in which it owns a stake. Some analysts
questions just how valuable these arrangements are for the newly merged
company over the long term and whether they can be replicated in years to
come. Some question whether the deals are circular just circular in nature,
with advertisers using money raised from AOL to increase their ad spending.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Julia Angwin]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB987368878603120404.htm)
(requires subscription)

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