Communications-Related Headlines for May 16, 2002
INTERNATIONAL
Once-Blocked Foreign News Web Sites Open in China
Singapore ISP To Offer Broadband Movies
China: New Rules of Evidence Established for Intellectual Property
Cases in China
Sky's the limit for e-government
DIGITAL DIVIDE
Groups, Lawmakers Protest Bush Plan To Cut Programs To Bridge Digital Divide
TELEPHONY
BellSouth's Bids For Long-Distance Are Cleared in Georgia, Louisiana
Cellphone Chats, Courtesy of the Television Airwaves
TECHNOLGY & SOCIETY
Religion Finds Technology
INTERNATIONAL
ONCE BLOCKED FOREIGN NEWS WEB SITES OPEN IN CHINA
Long-standing blocks on Western news Web sites like Reuters, CNN, the
Washington Post, and National Public Radio seem to have been lifted in
Beijing and Shanghai. The Web sites were accessible on Thursday much to the
surprise of the International Press Centre under the Foreign Ministry and
the Information Office of the State Council. The Ministry of State Security
is believed to be partly responsible, but declined comment. There has been
no official announcement for why the normally censored Web sites are now
accessible. Voice of America, Time Magazine, and the BBC's news Web site
remained blocked on Thursday.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News; AUTHOR: Reuters]
(http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/3273080.htm)
SINGAPORE ISP TO OFFER BROADBAND MOVIES
A DSL service provider in Singapore is set to offer movies-on-demand over
the Internet. Singaporeans with Internet service faster than 512 Kbps will
be able to order from a selection of 20 Hollywood movies each week. The
service will cost US $7.09 per month ($2.66 for those who subscribe by June)
and uses Microsoft's Windows Media Player for playback on a subscriber's PC.
SingNet, the on-demand service provider, says that most of the films will be
offered on broadband before being shown on local television.
[SOURCE: Newsbytes; AUTHOR: Adam Creed]
(http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/176618.html)
CHINA: NEW RULES OF EVIDENCE ESTABLISHED FOR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CASES IN
CHINA
Modern intellectual property (IP) laws were introduced to China
approximately 20 years ago. "Since then," writes author Lindsay Esler,
"China has established a parallel enforcement systems under which
intellectual property rights may be enforced either by petitioning one of
several administrative authorities to take administrative enforcement action
(which generally takes the form of a raid) or by filing a lawsuit in the
People's Court." Although lawsuits have numerous advantages over
administrative action, they have only accounted for 5 percent of all IP
enforcement actions taken in China. According to some legal commentators,
litigation before the People's Court has been hampered by inconsistency and
uncertainty, especially with regard to the rules governing admissibility of
evidence. The lack of certainty as to the legal framework for intellectual
property cases has especially discouraged foreign intellectual property
rights owners from seeking enforcement through the courts. But in December
2001, China began development of a framework with clear rules of evidence.
The new procedures, effective as of April 2002, provide a systematic method
of determining the admissibility of evidence and, thus, are likely to result
in significant improvements to the predictability and consistency of IP
court proceedings in China.
[SOURCE: Mondaq; AUTHOR: Lindsay Esler]
(http://www.mondaq.com/default2.asp)
(free registration required)
SKY'S THE LIMIT FOR E-GOVERNMENT
Much is unknown about the UK government's decision to launch government
services on digital television without first issuing a policy statement or
seeking consultation. It is speculated, however, that the government
eschewed its "fundamental duty of being consultative and commercially
neutral" in a desire to appear technologically progressive. Without having
paused, the government launched its UK Online service with two digital
television providers: Sky and ITV Digital. But ITV Digital is now defunct,
leaving taxpayers wondering if the government is justified in using tax
money to have public information content converted into Sky's proprietary
format. Without any policy statements, the government now looks like it is
favoring a private sector company with patronage. Even more skepticism has
been generated by the fact that the government is receiving profits from
television e-government.
[SOURCE: Guardian Unlimited; AUTHOR: Phil Cain]
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,715874,00.html)
See Also:
GOVERNMENT GOES MOBILE
[SOURCE: BBC News]
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1991000/1991093.stm)
DIGITAL DIVIDE
GROUPS, LAWMAKERS PROTEST BUSH PLAN TO CUT PROGRAMS TO BRIDGE DIGITAL DIVIDE
On Wednesday, members of up to 100 groups -- including the National Urban
League, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, and the National Congress
of American Indians, and the American Council of the Blind -- will launch a
Digital Empowerment Campaign on Capitol Hill to protest the administration's
decision to cut to two federal programs that bring computers and Internet
access to underserved populations. Speaking at the Capitol, some lawmakers,
including Sens. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and
Rep. Ted Strickland, D-Ohio, conveyed cautious optimism about getting
program funding restored this summer when Congress puts the final touches on
spending bills for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1. "Quite frankly, all the
talk about eliminating the digital divide will be much more difficult
without these types of programs," said Strickland, noting that the grants
have brought computer access and training to thousands of people in his
district in economically stressed southeast Ohio. About 57 percent of U.S.
households had Internet access last year, up sharply from 24 percent in
1994, according to the latest Internet usage data from the Commerce
Department. But the Commerce findings indicate there is still a digital
divide that separates Americans based on race and income. Only 34 percent of
African-American households and 38 percent of Hispanic homes had access to
the Web, compared with 60 percent of white households in 2001, the
department said.
[SOURCE: The Detroit News; AUTHOR: Greg Wright (Gannett News Service)]
(http://www.detnews.com/2002/technology/0205/15/technology-489537.htm)
TELEPHONY
BELLSOUTH'S BIDS FOR LONG DISTANCE ARE CLEARED IN GEORGIA, LOUISIANA
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has given BellSouth Corp.
approval to start selling long-distance phone service to local phone
customers in Georgia and Louisiana. The Telecommunications Act of 1996
mandates that the local markets of the regional Bells must be open to
competition before they can sell long distance to local-phone customers.
After pulling two applications back in December for fear of FCC rejection,
the new ruling has given BellSouth Corp renewed vigor. CEO Duane Ackerman
said, "We've been preparing for this a long time, and we're planning to be a
very viable competitor in those markets." BellSouth officials hope to sell
long-distance throughout their entire territory and plan on filing for
long-distance applications in seven more states.
[SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Yochi J. Dreazen]
(http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1021499589116142600,00.html?mod=technolo
gy_main_whats_news)
(requires subscription)
CELLPHONE CHATS COURTESY OF THE TELEVISION AIRWAVES
SIGFX, a Ridgeland, Miss. Company is developing technology that would use a
small part of a broadcast television signal to send and receive cell phone
calls. SIGFX officials view the technology as a cheap way to augment
current cell sites in the United States and internationally. Dr. Nash,
co-founder of SIGFX said, "We are another alternative to help them reach
areas that are not as profitable, but they would like to get there. We don't
replace their expansion plan, we augment their plan." The technology is
still in the testing phase and the company is working through a number of
issues with the technology including problems handling multiple calls.
[SOURCE: The New York Times, AUTHOR: Roy Furchgott]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/16/technology/circuits/16NEXT.html)
(requires registration)
TECHNOLOGY & SOCIETY
RELIGION FINDS TECHNOLOGY
From digital sound systems to PowerPoint sermon outlines to multiple remote
cameras that send out streaming Webcasts, technology has found religion - or
maybe it's the other way around. "Churches, just like everybody else, are
looking at the power of their communications," said Randal Lemke, executive
director of the International Communications Industries Association, an
audiovisual industry group based in Fairfax, Va. The Rock, an
interdenominational Christian church in Roseville, Calif., takes
congregational interactivity to a new level with a big-screen television and
integrated keypads built into seat armrests. Members of the congregation
answer multiple-choice questions, which are quickly compiled into
percentages. The pastor then can use the responses to adjust his sermon
based on the congregation's concerns and experiences. "The pastor's primary
vision for preaching the service was to take a monologue and turn it into a
dialogue," said Brett Drury, an administrator at the church.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: J. D. Biersdorfer]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/16/technology/circuits/16CHUR.html)
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