March 2002

DIGITAL DIVIDE
Africa Struggles To Get Online (SJM)
What Digital Divide? (CNet)

INTERNET
On Pro-Kremlin Site, All News Is Good News (WP)
Web Sites Can Help to Ease Burden of Caring for Elders (WSJ)

EMPLOYMENT
Valley Teens Lacking Interest In High-Tech Jobs, Study Says (SJM)

DIGITAL DIVIDE

AFRICA STRUGGLES TO GET ONLINE
Issue: Digital Divide
In the last few years numerous cybercafes and Internet service providers has
appeared in Africa. Web sites are used for everything from chat rooms, news
and horoscopes to updates on the activities of rebel groups fighting in
remote jungles. While it is true that the African online population is
increasing, it remains a very small proportion of the over 800 million
people on the continent. A study by research group NUA Internet Surveys
showed that of the 513 million worldwide Internet users, just four million
were in Africa with half of them in South Africa. Among the reasons for this
disparity is that electricity and the phone are not available in many parts
of the continent. Oliver Fortuin, head of IBM's PC division in South and
Central Africa said, "Africa can't leapfrog technology because it doesn't't
have the capital required to invest in the infrastructure...Africa is three
to four years behind the technology curve in terms of infrastructure, as the
startup costs are high." The African Development Bank has highlighted
information and communications technology along with water, energy and
transport as prime areas for private sector investment.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Reuters]
(http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/2850777.htm)

WHAT DIGITAL DIVIDE?
Issue: Digital Divide
[Commentary] According to Sonia Arrison, a new report from the Department of
Commerce (DOC) should serve "as a wake-up call for those who believe the
digital divide is the civil liberties issue of the 21st century." The new
DOC report, A Nation Online, found that more than half the population of the
United States is now online, an increase of 26 million people in 13 months,
and the number continues to grow. The report also shows that Internet use is
continuing to increase for everyone regardless of income, education, age,
race, ethnicity or gender. Arrison believes that DOC report proves that even
lower income people can get wired if they see it as a priority. She said
that this should come as no "surprise given all the investment that local
community groups and technology companies have spent on promoting access
over the last couple of years." Ultimately, Arrison concludes, "those who
cannot get online in this environment have other problems that a computer
and Internet access won't fix."
[SOURCE: CNet, AUTHOR: Sonia Arrison]
(http://news.com.com/2010-1078-858537.html)

INTERNET

ON PRO-KREMLIN SITE, ALL NEWS IS GOOD NEWS
Issue: Journalism
The Russian Web site strana.ru represents the Kremlin's attempt to establish
a presence on the information highway. It is part of an overall Kremlin
media strategy - a strategy critics say is transforming parts of Russia's
once-feisty broadcast media into bland mouthpieces for the state. The
Kremlin's information war has already claimed two national independent
television stations. Strana.ru, the Kremlin's unofficial voice on the
Internet, the Web site has 500 employees as well as branches in almost all
of Russia's 89 regions. While the Web site is a private project, some would
argue only in name. Strana.ru reflects the often-blurry distinction between
public and private interests in Russia. Their goal is not to make a profit,
but to put out Putin's message on the Internet, according to Marina
Litvinovich, general director of strana.ru. "It is not a business project,"
she said. "It's a political project. The idea is to support Russian
authorities and the Russian president." Its owners - a group of businesses
whose identities have never been disclosed - are considering expanding from
the Internet to radio and television. [SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR:
Sharon LaFraniere]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/media/15615-1.html)

WEB SITES CAN HELP EASE BURDEN OF CARING FOR ELDERS
Issue: Internet
The approximately 21 million caregivers for the elderly in America are often
faced with a daunting challenge in sorting out the financial, housing and
medical options of their loved ones. While many corporations offer support
services for their employees, for those without help some Web sites offer
similar services for free. Among the services offered are expert ratings of
Web site, books, videos and referrals, expert Q&A, interactive
decision-making tools and support groups. Columnist Sue Shellenbarger
offers recommendations for the best caregiver Web sites and offers a list of
credible and informative resources.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Sue Shellenbarger]
(http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1014758963644969520.djm,00.html)

EMPLOYMENT

VALLEY TEENS LACKING INTEREST IN HIGH-TECH JOBS, STUDY SAYS
Issue: Employment
A 2002 workforce study by Joint Venture: Silicon Valley has revealed a gap
between the interest of Silicon Valley high school students and future
demand for high-tech talent. The workforce gap is estimated at 127,000 jobs
in 2001 and while it dropped from 2000 to 2001, researchers believe it will
increase with the rebound of the economy. The study found one-third of local
eighth-11th graders were interested in pursuing high-tech careers. Included
in its findings was that while virtually all students had access to
computers only 32% were interested in high-tech careers. There was a
pronounced gender gap with 42 percent of boys expressing an interest in
high-tech careers and 23 percent of girls. Hispanic students were less
likely than Asian, white and African-American students to be planning on
attending a four-year college and Asian students were most likely to be
interested in technology careers.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Margaret Steen]
(http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/2847753.htm)

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DIGITAL DIVIDE
Baltimore Uses African History to Bridge Digital Divide (BS)
Malaysia Responds to Digital Divide with New Initiatives (The Star)

BROADBAND
FCC to Classify Cable Internet Services (WP)
Taming the Consumer's Computer (NYT)

INTERNET
Experts Raise Alarm Over Health Info On Internet (SJM)
Argentineans Use Internet to Protest (Wired)
Internet Archivists Seek to Preserve Digital Records as Cultural
Snapshots (WSJ)
Web's Uses Go Beyond Shopping, To Science, One Aquarium Shows (WSJ)

DIGITAL DIVIDE

BALTIMORE USES AFRICAN HISTORY TO BRIDGE DIGITAL DIVIDE
Issue: Digital Divide
A new after-school program in Baltimore is designed to make 4 million years
of African history come alive through technology. The city, in partnership
with Harvard University, debuted the first of three planned Martin Luther
King Jr. After-School Academies. The program hope to serve two purposes:
bridge the digital divide for African-American youth and have them learn
their heritage at the same time. Children learn a range of computer skills
through a curriculum based in black history. Baltimore is the second city to
offer a King after-school program. Harvard's W.E.B. DuBois Institute
initiated a similar program in Boston last year.
[SOURCE: Baltimore Sun, AUTHOR: Erika Niedowski]
(http://www.sunspot.net/news/local/bal-md.academy09mar09.story?coll=bal%2Dlo
cal%2Dheadlines)

MALAYSIA RESPONDS TO DIGITAL DIVIDE WITH NEW INITIATIVES
Issue: Digital Divide
Malaysia hopes by 2005 to have an Internet penetration rate of 25% and a PC
ownership rate of 30%. Getting there, however, is proving quite a challenge.
Originally, it was thought that the digital divide was simply between rural
and urban populations. Now it is recognized that there are digital divides
in pockets or communities within these areas. In order to address these
additional rural-urban divides, the government has embarked on several
initiatives including the National PC Ownership Campaign, free public
cybercentres, and provision of PCs and Internet access to 8,000 primary and
secondary schools nationwide. The government would also like to engage the
private sector and communities to implement community learning centers and
senior citizen learning centers. The cost of new PCs and software could
seriously limit the scope of these initiatives. "One or two PCs and software
are affordable, but 10 to 100 PCs - plus software - is too expensive for
most private and community initiatives," says Dr. Nah Soo Hoe, a member of
the Malaysian national Computer Confederation's Open Source Special Interest
Group. Dr. Nah proposes to use refurbished PCs and open source software to
overcome funding limitations.
[SOURCE: The Star, AUTHOR: Charles F. Moreira]
(http://www.star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file=/2002/3/8/technology/08
divide&sec=technology)

BROADBAND

FCC TO CLASSIFY CABLE INTERNET SERVICES
Issue: Broadband
This week, the Federal Communications Commission will decide how to classify
high-speed Internet access over cable lines, a move that should clarify
whether cable operators are obliged to open their pipes to multiple Internet
service providers (ISPs). Federal courts have issued conflicting rulings
over whether cable Internet service should be classified as an information
service or a telecommunications offering. Given FCC Chairman Michael
Powell's well-known deregulatory approach, the commission is expected to
keep cable operators free from telephone-style regulations. Consumer groups
have pushed the FCC and the federal courts to force cable providers to open
their networks to rival ISPs, noting that the nation's two largest cable
companies control nearly 70 percent of the broadband Internet market and
close to 80 percent of the basic cable market.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Newsbytes Staff]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/15583-1.html)

TAMING THE CONSUMER'S COMPUTER
Issue: Intellectual Property
[Op-Ed] The media industry is eager to insure that the next generation of
personal computers is unable to deliver unauthorized movies, music and other
content. Recently, top entertainment executives asked that Congress to
intervene if industry failed to deliver the necessary technology to
safeguard its products. Jonathan L. Zittrain described plans for new
"trusted" PC's that be "digital gatekeepers that act like the bouncers
outside a nightclub, ensuring that only software that looks or behaves a
certain way is allowed in." But he warns that this shift from open platforms
to closed appliance could threaten "competition, innovation and consumer
freedom." While Zittrain see the move toward more trustworthy PC's as
inevitable, he is concerned about the what the consumer will lose.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Jonathan L. Zittrain (assistant professor
at Harvard Law School and a director of its Berkman Center for Internet &
Society)]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/11/opinion/11ZITT.html)
(requires registration)

INTERNET

EXPERTS RAISE ALARM OVER HEALTH INFO ON INTERNET
Issue: Internet
Medical experts and researchers are concerned about the accuracy of health
information on the Internet. A study of 121 Web sites offering health
information on five topics found information on credible Web sites is not
always accurate. "Our study shows that features of Web site credibility have
only slight or at best moderate correlation with accuracy of information in
five common health topics," said Khalid Khan of Birmingham Women's Hospital
in England. In an effort to collect data on the consumer impact of online
health information, scientists at Germany's University of Heidelberg have
launched the Database of Adverse Events Related to the Internet. The
researchers say they are not suggesting the Internet is harmful to patients,
but believe qualitative data is needed to assess any risks involved in
consumer's using the Internet for health information.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Reuters]
(http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/2820089.htm)

ARGENTINEANS USE INTERNET TO PROTEST
Issue: Internet
Last December, in an effort to save an unstable financial system, the
Argentine government froze all Argentine bank deposits. The freeze, known as
the "corralito" has resulted in massive protests, or "cacerolazos", by
citizens who simply want access to their savings. Saying that the protests
portray a poor image of Argentina to the world, some government officials
have moved to stifle them. Mainstream media, accused of being in the
government's pocket, has largely sided against the protesters. The
protestors, however, are not giving up. Instead, they have taken their
dissatisfaction with the government to the Internet. Several sites have
sprung up to promote and organize protests, discuss issues, and provide
information. Similar sites are being created in other Latin American
countries. Argentina, Columbia and Venezuela's Internet "cacerolazos" may
have different goals, but they share the same spirit: to show the people's
dissatisfaction with political inefficiency and corruption.
[SOURCE: Wired News, AUTHOR: Agustin d`Empaire]
(http://www.wired.com/news/print/0,1294,50920,00.html)

INTERNET ARCHIVISTS SEEK TO PRESERVE RECORDS AS CULTURAL SNAPSHOTS
Issue: Internet
The first hours and days after the September 11 attacks are available online
through the efforts of the Internet Archive, a nonprofit digital library.
The archive includes duplicates of Web pages, message-board postings and
email messages that can be accessed by anyone with an Internet connection.
The widespread use of the Internet in response to the Sept. 11 attacks
underscores the value of archiving digital communications for future
historical analysis. A new Web site called the Sept. 11 Digital Archive
will be launched through a joint effort of the City University of New York
Graduate Center and George Mason University. While the Internet Archive is
created by using automated software robots that crawl sites and index copies
of Web pages, the Sept. 11 Digital Archive reviews all submissions before
publishing them online. A Columbia University professor has cautioned that
while Internet materials do make a valuable contribution to history, they do
not capture everyone's experience. Many people still do not have regular
access to the Internet or choose to spend time online.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Thomas E. Weber]
(http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1015803147665595880,00.html?mod=todays%5
Fus%5Fmarketplace%5Fhs)
(Requires Subscription)

WEB'S USES GO BEYOND SHOPPING TO SCIENCE, ONE AQUARIUM SHOWS
Issue: Internet
Last Spring, high-tech cameras brought live pictures of an unknown deep-sea
squid to a worldwide audience of marine biologists and the general public.
Scientists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)
encountered the squid by accident while monitoring high-resolution cameras
on a remotely operated vehicle working in 11,000-foot deep waters. The
development of these real-time, interactive technologies are an excellent
example of the impact of the Web and how it can complement and advance
scientific research. On an ongoing basis, visitors to the Monterey Bay
Aquarium, the sister organization of MBARI, can watch sea otters, penguins
and sharks and turtles via Web cams. Both MBARI and the Monterey Bay
Aquarium receive funding from the Packard family foundation. Following the
late David Packard's vision much of the annual $30 million budget is used to
support projects that require complex robotics and computing. New
technologies have enabled researchers to collect a variety of unconventional
data that present new challenges. "Finding ways to make better sense of it
all is a big challenge in the future, says Debbie Meyer, a MBARI researcher.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Kara Swisher]
(http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1015802424615871560,00.html?mod=todays%5
Fus%5Fmarketplace%5Fhs)
(Requires Subscription)

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DIGITAL DIVIDE
Big Country, Little Internet (Silicon.com)

ANTITRUST
Microsoft Judge May Allow Harsher Curbs (USA)
Is Clear Channel Running Stations It Doesn't Own? (WSJ)

INTERNET
Report: Half A Billion People Have Home Internet Access (SJM)
House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet Meeting
Today (House)
China Sweet, Sour on Spam (Wired)
Private Collection of Maps Available Online (Wired)

DIGITAL DIVIDE

BIG COUNTRY, LITTLE INTERNET
Issue: Digital Divide
The inequitable deployment of broadband will only aggravate the digital
divide between town and countryside in the United Kingdom, according report
by Local Futures Group entitled 'On the Move'. Kate Oakley, director of
research programmes at the group warned that if local authorities
concentrate solely on getting their services online as part of the
government's pledge to get all of its service online by 2005, people will be
left out of the loop because of a lack of access and awareness. Her comments
follows news yesterday that the government's portal for the people,
ukonline.gov.uk, is failing to draw in the crowds despite its reputed
technological excellence. Local Futures suggests that local authorities
should look to satellite and wireless as alternatives to broadband in the
battle to get more ICT services out to rural areas. However, the impetus for
these alternatives must come from central government. Oakley concluded that
in the short-term, rural communities face the prospect of an ever-increasing
divide with their town-living counterparts.
[SOURCE: Silicon.com]
(http://www.silicon.com/bin/bladerunner?30REQEVENT=&REQAUTH=21046&14001REQSU
B=REQINT1=51815)

ANTITRUST

MICROSOFT JUDGE MAY ALLOW HARSHER CURBS
Issue: Antitrust
Federal Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly questioned the Justice Department's
assertions that a settlement reached last fall would suffice in checking
Microsoft's monopoly power. Last year, Microsoft was ruled to have acted
illegally to quell competition against the Windows operating system. After
tossing out an order to break up the company, the court tasked
Kollar-Kotelly with devising new penalties for Microsoft. At Wednesday's
hearing the judge asked a Justice Department lawyer if the pact was too
narrow in defining the types of products PC makers could replace.
Additionally, she suggested that while the appeals court stated that direct
effects on competition needed to be proved to justify a breakup, it was not
required to enforce other tough restrictions.
[Source: USA Today, AUTHOR: Paul Davidson]
(http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2002/03/07/microsoft-usat.htm)

IS CLEAR CHANNEL RUNNING STATIONS IT DOESN'T OWN?
Issue: Ownership
Washington attorney, Arthur Belendiuk has filed petitions with the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) claiming that Clear Channel Communications,
Inc. has been controlling radio stations without full disclosure.
Deregulation over the past few years has allowed Clear Channel to own
multiple stations within single markets as well as form agreements to run
the programming and advertising for independent radio stations. However, if
they handle more than 15 percent of the programming duties for another
station they must disclose the arrangement to the FCC. Mr. Belendiuk has
stated that the lack of disclosure is a tactic to avoid antitrust issues.
Clear Channel has maintained that the incidents of non-disclosures were
simply filing errors. The allegations have spurred Rep. Howard Berman D-CA
to ask federal regulators to investigate Clear Channel.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Anna Wilde Matthews]
(http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1015457133729748680,00.html?mod=us%5Fbu
siness%5Fbiz%5Ffocus%5Fhs)
(Requires subscription)

INTERNET

REPORT: HALF A BILLION PEOPLE HAVE HOME INTERNET ACCESS
Issue: Internet
Nielsen/NetRatings released a report stating 498 billion people around the
world had Internet access in their homes by the end of 2001. Home access in
Asia grew 5.6 percent in the last three months of 2001 with Europeans
following at a 4.9 percent increase, the United States at 3.5 percent and
Latin America at 3.3 percent. North America held the largest Internet share
of global Internet users at 40 percent with Europe, the Middle East and
Africa accounting for 27 percent and Asia 22 percent. In Asia, homes that
were headed by a college-educated male were most likely to have Internet
access while North American connected homes tended to have household heads
under thirty-five.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Reuters]
(http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/2811195.htm)

HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND THE INTERNET MEETING TODAY
Issue: Internet
The Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet will today meet in
an open markup session to consider H.R. 3833, the Dot Kids Implementation
and the Efficiency Act of 2002. Today's meeting, and subsequent days if
necessary, is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. in 2322 Rayburn House Office
Building.
[SOURCE:US House of Representatives]
(http://energycommerce.house.gov/107/markups/03072002Markup504.htm)

PRIVATE COLLECTION OF MAPS AVAILABLE ONLINE
Issue: Internet
David Rumsey, president of Cartography Associates, is providing the public
access to his private collection of maps. Using a Geographical Information
System (GIS) browser developed by Telemorphic, users can overlay multiple
maps, create custom maps and trace historic or cultural changes in a
geographic area. Rumsey is the first collector to make GIS freely available
to people through the Internet. That effort is part of Rumsey's plan to keep
access open and free to the public. Currently the site boasts more than
6,500 images from Rumsey's vast collection of 150,000 maps. Rumsey's
ultimate goal is to digitize 50,000 maps in the next five years. Says
Telemorphic president, Todd Helt, "He is really paving the way to deliver
more geospatial content, information and tools for anybody with a Web
browser and an Internet connection to see how geospatial content and history
relate to each other.
The collection may be accessed at (http://www.davidrumsey.com/).
[SOURCE: Wired News, AUTHOR: Kendra Mayfield]
(http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,50785,00.html)

CHINA SWEET, SOUR ON SPAM
Issue: Internet
Many Chinese newspapers have been running articles and editorials calling
for the National People's Congress, China's primary political power, to ban
spam. The concern stems from a growing problem with Western and Asian
spammers who originate or relay messages through Chinese ISPs. Many Chinese
servers are poorly configured and blindly relay messages to or from people
who are not recognized users of that system. In essence, these open-relay
servers serve as virtual money-laundering devices for spammers, allowing
them to bypass local regulations against spam. In response, many Western
systems administrators are blocking all email from China in an effort to
stop the torrent of unwanted spam. Other sources being blocked by the West
include Hotmail, Yahoo's free e-mail and e-mail sent from Taiwan and Korea.
[SOURCE: Wired News, AUTHOR: Michelle Delio]
(http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,50856,00.html)

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INTERNET
Lawyer For Moscow Firm Says Internet Outside U.S. Law (SJM)
Internet Use Starts to Reflects Offline Demographics (NYT)

INTERNATIONAL
India To Build Grid Of Supercomputers (SJM)
Digital Avatars As Sign Language Translators (BBC)

WIRELESS
Supreme Court Agrees to Hear NextWave Case (WP)

INTERNET

LAWYER FOR MOSCOW FIRM SAYS INTERNET OUTSIDE U.S LAW
Issue: Intellectual Property
A Moscow company that sold a program enabling people to use Adobe Systems
Inc.'s eBook Reader to copy and print digital books and transfer them to
other computers to be read aloud using speech technology is facing charges
of violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The Act bars the
creation or distribution of technology that can be used to circumvent
copyright protections. The defense lawyer for the Russian company is arguing
that activities occurring on the Internet are outside the jurisdiction of
United States Law and that the "Congress did not authorize the DMCA to have
extra-territorial impact." The U.S. District Attorney's office has not ruled
on the request to dismiss jurisdiction. The Moscow software company
maintains that the program was created for the personal use of paying eBook
customers. The case is one of several recent lawsuits between content
providers and those who believe the DMCA has left consumers with few online
rights.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury, AUTHOR: Reuters]
(http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/2792579.htm)

INTERNET USE STARTS TO REFLECT OFFLINE DEMOGRAPHICS
Issue: Internet
Two recently released studies, one from Pew Internet and American Life
Project (PIP) and one from Jupiter Media Matrix Inc., suggest that Internet
use is starting to reflect what happens in the offline world. According to
the Pew report, as people become more experienced with the Web, they become
more likely to shop or conduct other financial-related activities online.
Jupiter's report suggests that, in the near future, online commercial
transactions will more closely resemble real-world demographics. An
interesting forecast from Jupiter predicts that the number of online
shoppers will grow faster than the number of overall Internet users.
Currently, there are 67 million online shoppers and Jupiter expects that
number to grow to 132 million over the next four years. Meanwhile, the
number of overall Internet users is expected to show only single-digit
growth during the same period.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Bob Tedeschi]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/04/technology/ebusiness/04ECOM.html)
(requires registration)
Full PIP report available at:
(http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report=55).
Further trend information from Jupiter Media Matrix is available at
(http://www.jmm.com).

INTERNATIONAL

INDIA TO BUILD GRID OF SUPERCOMPUTERS
Issue: Digital Divide
After 10 years of U.S. technology export restrictions, an India state-run
agency is laying plans to build a nationwide grid of supercomputers that
will aid in environmental modeling, analyzing satellite images, synthesizing
capital market data and more. "Increasingly, there is a need for people to
access high performance computing rather than owning it...We are going to
get into developing in India what we call an I-Grid (information grid)..."
said R. K. Arora, Executive Director of the Centre for Development of
Advanced Computing. This computer grid structure would resembles the Napster
peer-to-peer file sharing system but with increased scale and a far more
intricate design. India is currently among the world's high technology
performers and seeks to match the computing power that has been developed in
the United States.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury, AUTHOR: Reuters]
(http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/2795402.htm)

DIGITAL AVATARS AS SIGN LANGUAGE TRANSLATORS
Issue: Digital Divide
UK post offices are about to pilot an innovative technology: digital sign
language avatars. Avatars are computer animations designed to look and move
like real people. In a country with only 80 trained sign language
interpreters for 8.6 million deaf and hard of hearing people, the
possibility of having a real time digital interpreter is more than just
intriguing. Current post office avatars are only able to translate a limited
set of text-based phrase, but future avatar translators are expected to have
the capacity to translate fluently from either text or voice. A perfectly
fluent avatar on a computer, PDA or cell phone could reshape communication
for the deaf community.
[SOURCE: BBC News, AUTHOR: Jon Wurtzel]
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1848000/1848431.stm)

WIRELESS

SUPREME COURT AGREES TO HEAR NEXTWAVE CASE
Issue: Wireless
In a surprise move, the US Supreme court agreed yesterday to review the
long-running legal battle between the FCC and wireless company NextWave
Telecom Inc. Since 1996 the two parties have been fighting over airwave
licenses awarded to NextWave, but never paid for as the company filed for
bankruptcy protection in 1998. Last year, the FCC seized and resold
NextWave's licenses to other telecom companies, but the sale was nullified
by a lower court on the grounds that the FCC had illegally seized assets
protected under bankruptcy law. The Supreme Court did not disclose its
reasons for taking the case, but it is suggested that the court accepted the
case due to the large amount of money involved. If the lower court's
decision stands, the FCC will be required to return billions of dollars
raised in the auction of Nextwave's licenses.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Christopher Stern]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38500-2002Mar4.html)

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