March 2003

INTERNET
Internet File-Sharing Bigger Than Record Business

REGULATION
Senate Commerce Committee to Hold Universal Service Hearing Next
Week
F.C.C. Chief Wants Rules Eased

DIGITAL DIVIDE
Youth IT Programme Creates Jobs

INTERNET

INTERNET FILE-SHARING BIGGER THAN RECORD BUSINESS
The California legislature was warned yesterday that free peer-to-peer music
file sharing has become so common that its volume actually dwarfed the
multi-billion dollar recording industry. Eric Garland, a Web trends analyst,
told the Senate Select Committee on the
Entertainment Industry that fighting the popular activity would be "a losing
battle" and that the industry should instead embrace downloadable music as a
part of their distribution model. Industry execs see it differently,
however, and plan to push for legal challenges to P2P sharing while
launching education campaigns about the illegality of such activity.
[SOURCE: The Washington Post, AUTHOR: Jim Wasserman]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40744-2003Mar28.html)

REGULATION

SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE TO HOLD UNIVERSAL SERVICE HEARING NEXT WEEK
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation will hold a
hearing next Wednesday, April 2 2003 on universal service. The hearing will
begin at 9:30 AM and will be held in room SR-253 of the Russell Building. A
witness list can be found at the URL below.
[SOURCE: The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation]
(http://commerce.senate.gov/hearings/witnesslist.cfm?id=687)

DIGITAL DIVIDE

F.C.C. CHIEF WANTS RULES EASED
FCC Chairman Michael Powell told an organization representing media and
communications professionals that it he found it "hard to see how a complete
ban on newspapers' owning TV stations serves the public interest." The
Commission plans to hold a meeting on June 2nd to adopt new media ownership
rules. While some analysts say that the rule is "as good as dead," consumer
advocates such as Andrew Schwartzman of the Media Access Project argue that
relaxing the rules "poses a real threat to the democratic process."
[SOURCE: The New York Times, AUTHOR: Bloomberg News]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/28/business/28FCC.html)

YOUTH IT PROGRAMME CREATES JOBS
All 120 students in South Africa's Youth Internship Programme pilot last
year graduated and have been offered IT industry jobs. A joint effort of the
trade and industry department, the Sector Education and Training Authority
(Seta) and private companies, the program sought to alleviate a shortage of
IT professionals by pairing students aged 18-30 with six tech companies. The
students developed programming, installation, security and business analysis
skills. The plan targets previously disadvantaged groups and next year will
expand to other South African cities.
[SOURCE: AllAfrica.com, AUTHOR: Lesley Stones, Business Day (Johannesburg)]
(http://allafrica.com/stories/200303270436.html)

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DIGITAL DIVIDE
Postwar Iraq will be Thirsty for Technology
Not Just Another World Summit
MPs Speak Out on Digital Divide

JOURNALISM
Television Producers Struggle to Keep Track of War

INTERNET
Will Fax Ruling Settle Spam Fight?

DIGITAL DIVIDE

POSTWAR IRAQ WILL BE THIRSTY FOR TECHNOLOGY
Iraq is a "[resource] rich, educated country with 20 million potential
customers," making it a prime market for computer hardware and software and
providing a potential boon for tech and telecomm companies. According to the
State Department's Future of Iraq Project, made up of Iraqi exiles with
technical expertise, the Iraqi market may be worth $3.5 to $5 billion,
roughly a third of which reflecting the cost of modernizing the country's
voice and data systems. US companies are reluctant to publicly discuss the
post-war market, though WorldCom has suggested that it would be prepared to
contract with the Defense Department as it did in Afghanistan and Kuwait.
Experts note that several "X factors" exist, including potential damage to
current
infrastructure inflicted by Saddam Hussein.
[SOURCE: USA Today, AUTHOR: Jon Swartz]
(http://www.usatoday.com/tech/world/iraq/2003-03-25-rebuild_x.htm)

NOT JUST ANOTHER WORLD SUMMIT
[Commentary] Africans need to hold their own meeting prior to the UN's World
Summit on the Information Society in Geneva in December. Despite
acknowledging that access to information is a key component in the ongoing
process of democratization, little has been done since a 1999 proposal to
create a friendly regulatory environment for new entrants in the telecomm
sector. Fear of the motives of these new entrants, as well as the NGOs that
advocate them, has slowed the pace, and the governments, businesses,
academics and citizens of all African nations must regroup while ensuring
that every citizen is aware of the Geneva summit.
[SOURCE: AllAfrica.com, AUTHOR: Tawana Kupe, Moneyweb (Johannesburg)]
(http://allafrica.com/stories/200303250047.html)

MP'S SPEAK OUT ON DIGITAL DIVIDE
Members of British Parliament have called for the government and British
Telecom to take further steps to facilitate wireless broadband rollout in
rural areas. Some 80 to 90 percent of rural areas currently do not have
affordable access to high-speed Internet. MPs have asked E-Commerce Minister
Stephen Timms to allocate more spectrum, currently used for military and
security purposes, to telecommunications companies. BT has also faced
criticism for not working with broadband activists to build wireless
networks.
[SOURCE: Internet Magazine]
(http://www.internet-magazine.com/news/view.asp)?id=3286)

JOURNALISM

TELEVISION PRODUCERS STRUGGLE TO KEEP TRACK OF WAR
The Pentagon's decision to allow journalists to travel with US troops and
report live from the front lines has posed a conundrum to TV news outlets.
This up-close-and-personal view of the war, including injuries, captures and
casualties along with fierce fighting, has given what broadcasters see is a
contradiction of the positive progress reports provided in Pentagon
briefings. How, then, can they deliver the news fast (and first) without
either under- or over-estimating the challenges at hand? "The process of
trying to get it right is weighing heavily on all of us," said Steve Capus
of NBC Nightly News. "We want to get it right; we don't want to be spun."
Other correspondents blame the military for failing to provide context for
the limited yet astonishing images viewers see.
[SOURCE: The New York Times, AUTHOR: Jim Rutenberg and Bill Carter]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/26/international/worldspecial/26MEDI.html)

INTERNET

WILL FAX RULING SETTLE SPAM FIGHT?
Last week a federal appeals court ruled that the Telecommunications Consumer
Protection Act (TCPA) of 1991 did not violate the First Amendment, eliciting
cheers from the anti-spam movement. As it turns out, citizens have been
successfully trying anti-spam claims in small claims court, which to some
suggests that the "junk fax" law can be used to try bulk emailers in lieu of
specific anti-spam legislation at the state or federal level. Legal
scholars, however, are not so sure. "Some suits against spammers using the
prohibition against junk faxes have succeeded in small claims court, but
such forums don't set precedents in concrete -- or even Jell-O," said Jason
Catlett, founder of anti-spam group Junkbusters. Technological advances may
also obviate the applicability of the TCPA to junk email, and state courts
have ruled differently than the small claims benches in some instances.
[SOURCE: CNET News, AUTHOR: Paul Festa]
(http://news.com.com/2100-1028-994076.html?tag=fd_lede2_hed)

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MEDIA OWNERSHIP
FCC Gets an Earful from Colorado

DIGITAL DIVIDE
India's Telephone Man: Bridging the Digital Divide
Technology Companies Take Hope in Charity

INTERNET
Webloggers Signing On as War Correspondents
Junk Fax Ruling May Help Anti-Spam Effort

MEDIA OWNERSHIP

FCC GETS AN EARFUL FROM COLORADO
Colorado residents are among the thousands of citizens who have emailed =
the
FCC to comment on current proposals to deregulate US media ownership =
rules.
Even though the official public comment period ended in February, =
emails
continue to pour into the FCC, many of them critical of both the =
proposed
deregulation and the limited number of public forums to address the =
issue.
FCC Chairman Michael Powell said in a recent interview that while it's
interesting to receive public opinion through email, the emails don't =
count
as evidence. "The comments are nice to know people's sentiments," =
Powell
said. "But they tend to be at a very generalized level." Consumer =
advocates
are critical of Powell. "I think it's outrageous that the chairman of =
the
FCC in our democracy does not believe that the viewpoints and concerns =
of
the American people are relevant," said Cheryl Leanza, deputy director =
of
the Media Access Project. "Aren't the airwaves meant to serve the =
public?"
wrote Dariel Blackburn of Colorado Springs. "Why is the public not =
given
access to these hearings, and how can you make such an important =
decision
regarding future ownership of our media without asking for public =
input?"
[SOURCE: Denver Post, AUTHOR: Anne C. Mulkern]
(http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%257E33%257E1261284%257E,00.=
html
)

DIGITAL DIVIDE

INDIA'S TELEPHONE MAN: BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
Ashok Jhunjhunwala of the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras is
passionate about telephones and the Internet. Both an educator and
entrepreneur, Jhunjhunwala is currently working to bring low-cost =
wireless
telephone service to Egypt. The project is part of Jhunjhunwala's =
vision of
bringing affordable telephony and Internet service to the world's poor. =
He
cites India's own flourishing telephone kiosk market; since 1987, the
kiosks, known locally as STDs, have grown to nearly a million in =
number,
serving hundreds of millions of Indians who lack telephones at home.
Jhunjhunwala hopes to expand India's telephony and rural Internet =
markets,
connecting 600,000 villages and deploying two million telephones. =
"Internet
is power. It enables people," he says. "It is changing the way we live.
Those without Internet will have a tremendous disadvantage as we go on. =
We
would like to see that all villages get reasonable speed Internet =
connection
at the earliest."
[SOURCE: Hindustan Times, AUTHOR: Frederick Noronha]
(http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_220171,0003.htm)

TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES TAKE HOPE IN CHARITY
Hewlett-Packard is among the many high tech companies that have adopted
philanthropic activities that simultaneously attempt to bridge the =
digital
divide and develop new consumer markets around the world. In the case =
of HP,
they are supporting the expansion of micro-loan initiatives in =
Bangladesh.
HP describes such philanthropy as "enlightened self-interest," but some
question the motivations of these companies. "It's too early to tell if
companies are simply pushing technologies on na=EFve populations or if =
the
products they sell will ultimately increase productivity," says Craig =
Warren
Smith, author of Digital Corporate Citizenship: The Business Response =
to the
Digital Divide. Other companies like IBM are less open about the
relationship between their philanthropy and their business objectives. =
"I
think it's the struggle between what they think they should be doing, =
what
their public image should be and what they're actually doing," says =
Dwight
F. Burlingame of the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Susan E. Reed]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/23/business/23PHIL.html)

INTERNET

WEBLOGGERS SIGNING ON AS WAR CORRESPONDENTS
Reports of how new technologies available to the media have altered war
coverage have been widespread, but the Internet has made this conflict =
even
more personal. Using Web logs, or blogs, sites mainly comprised of =
periodic
text entries, individuals closest to the battles are keeping the world
informed. US soldiers, a British lawmaker, an Iraqi exile, and a =
resident of
Baghdad have so far authored such sites, each injecting the kind of =
personal
perspective absent in the media and heretofore impossible in real time.
Though the posts are often biased towards the author's point of view,
readers can anticipate such bias and recognize the value of these =
unique
perspectives. "The value we add is in unpacking the spin in the media
coverage," says University of Tennessee law professor Glenn Reynolds, a
fellow blogger.=20
[SOURCE: The Washington Post, AUTHOR: Howard Kurtz]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12179-2003Mar22.html)

JUNK FAX RULING MAY HELP ANTI-SPAM EFFORT
A ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit on Friday =
upheld
legislation banning unsolicited fax advertisements -- a decision some =
hope
will add fuel to a push for federal anti-spam laws. The three-judge =
panel
ruled that the Telephone Consumer Protection Act did not violate the =
First
Amendment of the US Constitution. Anti-spam supporters note that the
cost-shifting model on which Congress based the TCPA is similar to the
argument against junk mail -- individuals and corporations must =
purchase
filtering software, larger servers and disk space and broader Internet
connections in order to handle the increased email traffic.
[SOURCE: CNET News, AUTHOR: Declan McCullagh]
(http://news.com.com/2100-1028-993749.html?tag=3Dfd_top)

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DIGITAL DIVIDE
Where Girls and Tech Make a Match

BROADCASTING
U.S. Senators Seek Review of Media Rule Changes
Advertisers, Media on Alert

INTERNET
New ICANN Chief Chosen
Study Suggests Spam-Stopping Tricks
GULFWAR-2 Discussion Group Established

DIGITAL DIVIDE

WHERE GIRLS AND TECH MAKE A MATCH
Despite making up half of America's workforce, women only comprise 20
percent of technology professionals. This trend is not likely to reverse
itself anytime soon -- the College Board reports that 14 percent of computer
science Advanced Placement test takers last year were female, down from 17
percent the previous year. Where the industry and academia may have failed,
however, female techies are hoping to succeed by sharing their experiences
with school-aged girls and young women. At a conference last week sponsored
by the Washington chapter of Women in Technology, area tech execs helped to
quell fears that IT is "a man's world." Other mentoring groups focus on
dispelling the notion that the computer world is "solitary, antisocial and
sedentary" by fostering a social atmosphere for learning and discussion.
[SOURCE: The Washington Post, AUTHOR: Ellen McCarthy]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57286-2003Mar19.html)

BROADCASTING

U.S. SENATORS SEEK REVIEW OF MEDIA RULE CHANGES
Yesterday, three Republican senators asked the Federal Communications
Commission to publicly release proposed changes to media ownership limits
before they are adopted. Sens. Wayne Allard of Colorado, Olympia Snowe of
Maine and Susan Collins of Maine sent a letter to FCC Chairman Michael
Powell requesting public and congressional review of any changes to existing
media ownership limits. In the letter, the lawmakers ask the FCC to provide
"empirical foundation for the changes," and "an ample public comment period,
so that members of the public and Congress will have an opportunity to
evaluate the new rules' potential impact."
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Jeremy Pelofsky]
(http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=2410550)

ADVERTISERS, MEDIA ON ALERT
Print and broadcast outlets, as well as their corporate sponsors, are
struggling with advertising revenue now that US military action in Iraq has
begun. TV networks have seen marketers pull their spots scheduled during
high-volume programs such as the NCAA basketball tourney and the Academy
Awards, while cable news channels are considering running ad-free during the
first few days of the conflict. "We anticipate a few days of no
commercials," said Roger Domal of Fox News. "The information comes first,
and that is our main responsibility. Our advertising revenue is secondary."
[SOURCE: Newsday, SOURCE: Monty Phan]
(http://www.newsday.com/business/printedition/ny-bzad203181403mar20,0,284000
0.story)

INTERNET

NEW ICANN CHIEF CHOSEN
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the group that
oversees the Internet's domain name system, has officially selected
Australian Paul Twomey as its new president. This will be the first time a
non-U.S. resident will head the global body since it was it took over
control of Internet's address framework from the United States government.
Twomey, who formerly served as his country's representative to ICANN, said
he would reach out to developing countries in his new role.
[SOURCE: Reuters]
(http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=2409834)

STUDY SUGGESTS SPAM-STOPPING TRICKS
What's the best way to avoid spam email? Hide, says the Center for
Democracy and Technology. In its report, "Why Am I Getting All This Spam?"
CDT outlines techniques used by spammers and explains the results of simple
techniques used to circumvent the unwanted messages. Some suggestions
include disguising publicly posted addresses by using plain English or
numerical IP addresses, taking advantage of "opt-out" privacy policies,
using a filter, and creating longer, harder-to-guess email addresses.
However, the study concludes, "[T]here is no foolproof way to prevent spam."
[SOURCE: CNET News, AUTHOR: Lisa M. Bowman]
(http://news.com.com/2100-1024-993333.html?tag=fd_top)

GULFWAR-2 DISCUSSION GROUP ESTABLISHED
As the war in Iraq enters its first full official day, Yahoogroups is now
hosting GULFWAR-2, an independent discussion group established to give
people around the world the opportunity to share news, questions and
comments about the war directly with each other. The group has a particular
interest in disseminating news and analysis from non-mainstream, alternative
media outlets. Neither specifically pro-war or anti-war, GULFWAR-2 is a
noncommercial online space where people can share information and ideas with
each other and engage in constructive discussion. To join the list, simply
send an email to
gulfwar-2-subscribe( at )yahoogroups.com.
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulfwar-2/)

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