September 2005

Allowing phone companies to cream-skim cable markets instead of providing service to every household could put some cable systems at a large economic disadvantage -- and these lopsided regulations may force some cable operators to abandon local markets, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association told the FCC.

The results of an inspector general's investigation into problems at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting board involving Chairman Ken Tomlinson will not be ready by the board's next meeting on Sept. 26. Although the full report was not expected to be released until the beginning of November, several Hill staffers had said last week they were told by Inspector General Kenneth Konz during a three-hour briefing that they would get a preliminary report by the end of this week. But the Hill got the word Tuesday not to expect anything before the end of October.

The acquisition by eBay of Skype is a helpful reminder to the world's trillion-dollar telecoms industry that all phone calls will eventually be free. Founder Niklas Zennstrom's vision for Skype is to become the world's biggest and best platform for all communications -- text, voice or video -- from any Internet-connected device, whether a computer or a mobile phone. Skype can add 150,000 users a day (its current rate) without spending anything on new equipment (users “bring” their own computers and Internet connections) or marketing (users invite each other).

Aging populations in many developed countries mean disabilities -- especially impaired vision but also motor and cognitive dysfunctions -- are likely to rise. By 2010, Microsoft estimates that 70 million people in the U.S. will be using some form of assistive technology, like screen readers or screen magnifiers, up from 57 million people in 2003.