October 2005

For upcoming media policy events, see http://www.benton.org

TELEVISION
Disney Asks Court to Force FCC Action on Kids TV Rules
Ad Glut Turns off Viewers
Senate Panel Sets Debate Date On Telecom, DTV Bills
Commerce Considers VNR Labeling
FCC: Cable One Broke Rules
SBC=92s Turn for Texas Franchise
Television Across Europe

DIGITAL DIVIDE/INTERNET
Congress Needs to Address the Digital Divide - 2005
World=92s children laptop for $100
Study Says Software Makers Supply Tools to Censor Web
Just what is a blog, anyway?
Progress Made in Developing Centralized Electronic-Rulemaking System

PHILANTHROPY
Google Starts Up Philanthropy Campaign
Prize to Group That Uses Web to Aid Schools

QUICKLY -- A Snake Oil President; Hollywood Writers Still Lack Diversity;=
=20
Microsoft to pay RealNetworks $761 Million; Microsoft, Yahoo=20
Plan Instant-Message Pact; AT&T Internet call service to require location;=
=20
Position Available: Community Media Center

TELEVISION

DISNEY ASKS COURT TO FORCE ACTION ON KIDS TV RULES
The Walt Disney Co. on Tuesday asked the U.S. Court of Appeals in=20
Washington to force the Federal Communications Commission to act by Nov. 15=
=20
on a series of long-pending industry petitions urging the agency to=20
dramatically ease its new children's TV rules. Said Disney in a statement:=
=20
"We believe the new kids TV and Web site rules should not become effective=
=20
until the substantial legal and fairness issues have been addressed by the=
=20
FCC, by ruling on the pending petitions for reconsideration, and/or by=20
review in court." ("Your Honor, there's nothing less at stake than digital=
=20
college football.")
[SOURCE: TVWeek, AUTHOR: Jay Sherman]
http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=3D8708
(requires free registration)
* Disney Sues to Block Programming Rules
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-kidvid12oct12,1,59825...
story?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
(requires free registration)
* Disney To Test FCC on Kids TV Rules
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6269461?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

AD GLUT TURNS OFF VIEWERS
Lately, fans of Desperate Housewives, Lost and other top shows have been=20
complaining about excessive commercials that seem more intrusive than ever=
=20
and slow down the programs they surround. Across prime-time TV, the number=
=20
of ads and promos has increased sharply over the years. A typical=20
=93one-hour=94 prime-time series clocks in at less than 42 minutes, down fr=
om=20
44 minutes several years ago and nearly 48 minutes in the 1980s. And=20
shaving off the =93previously on =85=94 recap, opening credits and a teaser=
for=20
next week's episode, Sunday's Housewives ran 40 minutes and 30 seconds,=20
meaning for every two minutes of programming, there's a minute of=20
commercials or promos for other network shows. On cable, MTV has even more=
=20
so-called clutter, with USA and Lifetime close behind. But ABC, which=20
studies show has slightly more commercials than other broadcast networks,=
=20
has changed its drama format in a way that makes it seem even more loaded=
=20
with ads. Until recently, dramas unfolded in four segments, or =93acts,=94=
=20
often preceded by an introductory teaser that aired before the opening=20
credits. Starting this fall, ABC required all drama producers to carve up=
=20
each episode into six portions. For some shows, including Housewives, the=
=20
first segment runs for nine to 11 minutes before the first break. Once=20
viewers are hooked, they're confronted with four more commercial breaks,=20
each about 3=BD minutes long, over the next 45 minutes. To prevent channel=
=20
surfing, networks increasingly avoid airing commercials between shows.=20
Instead, they save several minutes of more substantial scenes for a show's=
=20
ending and then move =93seamlessly=94 into the next program. The upshot is =
that=20
more ads and promos air within programs. No federal agency regulates the=20
amount of commercial time on television. Until 1982, the major networks=20
adhered to a voluntary code of the National Association of Broadcasters=20
that limited commercials to 9.5 minutes per hour in prime time. But since=
=20
the code was dropped, the number of commercials on prime-time TV has crept=
=20
steadily higher.
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Gary Levin]
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/life/20051012/d_cover12.art.htm

SENATE PANEL SETS DEBATE DATE ON TELECOM, DTV BILLS
Senate Commerce Committee leaders said that three telecommunications bills=
=20
and another measure on the transition to digital television will be debated=
=20
Oct. 19. Two of the telecom measures are designed to address deficiencies=
=20
in the nation's communications networks that were highlighted in the=20
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The Katrina-related measures are: S. 1753,=
=20
which would promote a voluntary emergency warning system; and S. 1063,=20
which would require Internet telephone companies to provide technology for=
=20
pinpointing the locations of 911 callers and to create a national plan for=
=20
upgrading 911. The third telecom measure, S. 967, would require=20
government-created video news releases to note throughout their broadcasts=
=20
that they were produced by the government (see story below). Senate=20
Commerce Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, also plans to debate legislation=
=20
to set a fixed date in 2009 for the DTV transition. A draft has not been=20
released.
[SOURCE: Technology Daily, AUTHOR: Drew Clark]
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-GAQV1129061756668.html
* Senate Commerce Sets Bills for Markup
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6268995?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

COMMERCE CONSIDERS VNR LABELING
The Senate Commerce Committee next week will consider a bill to mandate=20
government identification on all packaged news releases it issues. S. 967,=
=20
the Truth in Broadcasting Act of 2005, was introduced by Sen. Frank=20
Lautenberg for, among others, Senators John Kerry, Hillary Clinton and Ted=
=20
Kennedy, in the wake of the debate over government-produced VNRs on health=
=20
care and education. The Government Accountability Office has said=20
unattributed packaged VNRs violate a prohibition on "covert propaganda,"=20
while the Justice Department has said unattributed VNRs aren't covert=20
propaganda as long as they are fact-based. The FCC does not require=20
disclosure unless the VNR is on a political or controversial topic. The=20
bill would mandate that the government put a label, "Produced By the U.S.=
=20
Government" (the FCC could tweak the language and format as it saw fit) on=
=20
all packaged video news releases, and that the label air during the=20
entirety of the VNR. That bill prohibits the White House and federal=20
agencies from producing video news releases for domestic consumption unless=
=20
the package includes a "clear notification" within the text or audio=20
disclosing that the prepackaged news story was prepared or funded by the=20
government. But the disclaimer does not have to air during the entirety of=
=20
the piece.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6269000.html?display=3DBreaki...
News&referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

FCC: CABLE ONE BROKE RULES
The Federal Communications Commission Tuesday found that Cable One Inc.=20
=93apparently willfully violated=94 network-nonduplication rules in its=20
carriage of a Tulsa, Oklahoma-based TV station in another market -- one=20
where it=92s engaged in a nine-month-old bitter retransmission-consent=20
dispute. In the order from its Media Bureau, the FCC said it will hold a=20
separate proceeding to determine whether or not it should fine Cable One=20
for the apparent violation.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Linda Moss]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6269447.html?display=3DBreaking+News
(requires subscription)

SBC'S TURN FOR TEXAS FRANCHISE
SBC Communications has filed for a state franchise in Texas to become a=20
video-service provider, designating 21 communities in and around San=20
Antonio where it would like to deliver service. The new state franchising=
=20
format allows potential competitors to file as either cable- or=20
video-services providers. SBC has always asserted that its planned=20
Internet-protocol-delivered video product, branded Project Lightspeed, is=
=20
not a cable service under federal definitions and, therefore, does not need=
=20
a cable franchise. But in Texas, it is allowed to file for authority as a=
=20
video-service provider. SBC's targeted service territory, identified in the=
=20
Oct. 10 filing, includes San Antonio and regional neighbors Alamo Heights,=
=20
Balcones Heights, China Grove, Cibolo, Converse, Garden Ridge, Hill Country=
=20
Village, Hollywood Park, Kirby, Leon Valley, Live Oak, Olmos Park, Schertz,=
=20
Selma, Shavano Park, Terrell Hills, Timberwood Park, Windcrest and=20
Universal City. Service in those areas will be limited to commercial and=20
technical feasibility and/or access to property, according to the filing.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Linda Haugsted]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6268930.html?display=3DBreaking+News
(requires subscription)
* Following trend, SBC asks for state video permit
[SOURCE: Dallas Morning News, AUTHOR: Terry Maxson]
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-sbcfranchise_...
us.ART.State.Edition2.e776062.html
(requires free registration)

TELEVISION ACROSS EUROPE: REGULATION, POLICY, AND INDEPENDENCE
TV's role in underpinning democracy faces threat from media concentration=
=20
as well as pressure on public service broadcasters (PSBs) to compete with=
=20
commercial stations, George Soros' Open Society Institute (OSI) said Tues.=
=20
The state of TV in 20 nations, including European Union (EU) members,=20
transition countries, candidate states, and potential candidates such as=20
Turkey was assessed by OSI's European Union Monitoring & Advocacy Program.=
=20
PSBs enjoy a "special esteem" in a Europe concerned with democracy and=20
European culture, OSI said. However, digitalization and convergence, plus=
=20
pressure from commercial broadcasters, are blurring the distinction between=
=20
PSBs and commercial TV in terms of program quality and content. The=20
European Commission (EC) has upped the pressure by demanding more=20
transparency in PSB financing and PSBs=92 privileged position has drawn fir=
e=20
from the World Trade Organization and others. Across Western and Eastern=20
Europe, PSBs increasingly are being reprimanded for having ties to=20
government and for dumbing down programming as they try to keep up with=20
commercial stations. And TV markets are highly concentrated in terms of=20
ownership and viewership, OSI said. The EC has left media ownership=20
regulation to member states, but even existing laws such as the TV Without=
=20
Frontiers directive often are hesitantly or inadequately adopted into=20
national law.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Dugie Standeford]
(Not available online)
Find the report online at:
http://www.soros.org/initiatives/media/articles_publications/publication...
urotv_20051011

DIGITAL DIVIDE/INTERNET

CONGRESS NEEDS TO ADDRESS THE DIGITAL DIVIDE -- 2005
[Commentary] The 1996 Telecommunications Act contained many flaws: it=20
helped to spur an increase in media consolidation, it relied far too much=
=20
on promises of competition, and it was outdated before the ink was dry. But=
=20
in many ways it embodied an old progressive ideal of policymaking. Namely,=
=20
several sections of that Act expressed a commitment to discover the facts=
=20
(about the deployment of advanced technology and the barriers facing small=
=20
entrepreneurs trying to enter the industry, for example), and to establish=
=20
policy benefiting all Americans based upon those facts. As Congress=20
reconsiders the Telecommunications Act this fall, it should reassert its=20
commitment to this ideal. Congress should ensure the following: 1) All=20
information and telecommunications providers contribute to the Universal=20
Service Fund; 2) Universal Service support should apply to a dynamic=20
standard of advanced telecommunications services; 3) Universal Service=20
funds should support the deployment, maintenance and training necessary for=
=20
all Americans to benefit from advanced telecommunications services at home,=
=20
at school and in health care institutions; and 4) Last, but not least,=20
Congress should insist upon the facts. Congress understood in 1996 that a=
=20
growing divide between the information haves and have-nots does not only=20
harm the disabled, the poor and the non-white; it weakens the entire=20
country. We need a renewed commitment to closing the digital divide.
[SOURCE: Center for American Progress, AUTHOR: Mark Lloyd]
http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=3DbiJRJ8OVF&b=3D1097565

WORLD'S CHILDREN LAPTOP FOR $100
After seeing children in a Cambodian village benefit from having notebook=
=20
computers at school that they could also tote home to use on their own,=20
Massachusetts Institute of Technology demi-god Nicholas Negroponte latched=
=20
onto the idea of a $100 laptop. MIT researchers have developed these=20
computers to be durable, flexible and self-reliant. Within a year,=20
Negroponte expects his nonprofit One Laptop Per Child to get 5 million to=
=20
15 million of the machines in production, when children in Brazil, China,=
=20
Egypt, Thailand, South Africa are due to begin getting them. In the second=
=20
year =AD when Massachusetts Gov Mitt Romney hopes to start buying them for=
=20
all 500,000 middle and high-school students in this state =AD Negroponte=20
envisions 100 million to 150 million being made. This certainly wouldn=92t =
be=20
the first effort to bridge the world=92s so-called digital divide with=20
inexpensive versions of fancy machinery. Other attempts have had a mixed=20
record. With those in mind, Negroponte says his team is addressing ways=20
this project could be undermined. For example, to keep the $100 laptops=20
from being widely stolen or sold off in poor countries, he expects to make=
=20
them so pervasive in schools and so distinctive in design that it would be=
=20
=93socially a stigma to be carrying one if you are not a student or a teach=
er.=94
[SOURCE: The Daily Journal]
http://www.thedailyjournalonline.com/article.asp?ArticleId=3D199807&Cate...
yId=3D12396
See also:
* Help for Info Age Have-Nots
A host of high-tech giants -- from Advanced Micro Devices to Yahoo! -- have=
=20
unveiled plans for bridging the digital divide.
[SOURCE: BusinessWeek, AUTHOR: Sarah Lacy]
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/oct2005/tc2005104_6877_tc...
.htm

STUDY SAYS SOFTWARE MAKERS SUPPLY TOOLS TO CENSOR WEB
A new report from the OpenNet Initiative -- a human rights project linking=
=20
researchers from the University of Toronto, Harvard Law School and=20
Cambridge University in Britain -- once again raises tough questions about=
=20
the use of filtering technologies, often developed by Western companies, by=
=20
autocratic governments bent on controlling what their citizens see on the=
=20
Web. As with their six previous reports, OpenNet researchers combined a=20
variety of network interrogation tools and the cooperation of a volunteer=
=20
in Myanmar "who remains anonymous as a safety precaution," the report=20
noted, to test the accessibility of various Web sites. Sites like Hotmail,=
=20
which offer free e-mail services, were routinely blocked, forcing Myanmar=
=20
citizens to use one of the two officially approved (and easily monitored)=
=20
Internet service providers for their e-mail. The OpenNet study suggests=20
that Myanmar, which has long been under American sanctions, including the=
=20
2003 Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act, has recently migrated from an=20
open-source filtering technology to a proprietary system called Fortiguard,=
=20
developed by Fortinet. That upgrade, which appears to have taken place as=
=20
the OpenNet researchers were conducting their analysis, may have made=20
censorship even more efficient and widespread than reflected in the new=20
survey. For its part, Fortinet says that it uses "a two-tier distribution=
=20
model," according to a company spokeswoman, Michelle Spolver, meaning that=
=20
the company sells all of its products to resellers, who sell to end-users.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Tom Zeller Jr]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/12/technology/12filter.html
(requires registration)

JUST WHAT IS A 'BLOG', ANYWAY?
What is a blog? Sort answer from Jeff Jarvis, the veteran print journalist=
=20
and prominent blogger behind BuzzMachine: "I don't care. There is no need=
=20
to define 'blog.' I doubt there ever was such a call to define 'newspaper'=
=20
or 'television' or 'radio' or 'book' -- or, for that matter, 'telephone' or=
=20
'instant messenger.' A blog is merely a tool that lets you do anything from=
=20
change the world to share your shopping list. People will use it however=20
they wish. And it is way too soon in the invention of uses for this tool to=
=20
limit it with a set definition. That's why I resist even calling it a=20
medium; it is a means of sharing information and also of interacting: It's=
=20
more about conversation than content ... so far. I think it is equally=20
tiresome and useless to argue about whether blogs are journalism, for=20
journalism is not limited by the tool or medium or person used in the act.=
=20
Blogs are whatever they want to be. Blogs are whatever we make them.=20
Defining 'blog' is a fool's errand."
[SOURCE: Online Journalism Review, AUTHOR: Michael Conniff]
http://www.ojr.org/ojr/stories/050929/
* Cyber-Catharsis: Bloggers Use Web Sites as Therapy
The Internet is now teeming with some 15 million blogs. Although the medium=
=20
first drew mainstream attention with commentary on high-profile events such=
=20
as the presidential election, many now use it to chronicle intensely=20
personal experiences, venting confessions in front of millions of strangers=
=20
who can write back. Nearly half of bloggers consider it a form of therapy,=
=20
according to a recent survey sponsored by America Online. And although some=
=20
psychologists question the use of the Internet for therapy, one hospital in=
=20
High Point (NC) started devoting space to patients' blogs on its Web site,=
=20
a practice Inova Fairfax Hospital is also considering.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Yuki Noguchi]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/11/AR200510...
1781.html
(requires registration)
* Blogs of War
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/26715/

PROGRESS MADE IN DEVELOPING CENTRALIZED ELECTRONIC-RULEMAKING SYSTEM
The E-Government Act of 2002 requires regulatory agencies, to the extent=20
practicable, to ensure there is a Web site the public can use to comment on=
=20
the numerous proposed regulations that affect them. To accomplish this, the=
=20
Office of Management and Budget named the Environmental Protection Agency=
=20
(EPA) as the managing partner for developing a governmentwide e-Rulemaking=
=20
system that the public can use for these purposes. Issues GAO was asked to=
=20
address include: 1) EPA=92s basis for selecting a centralized system, 2) h=
ow=20
EPA collaborated with other agencies and agency views of that=20
collaboration, and 3) whether EPA used key management practices when=20
developing the system. GAO recommends that, to build on the success of this=
=20
initiative, the Administrator of EPA, as managing partner of the=20
initiative, take steps to ensure there are written agreements between EPA=
=20
and participating agencies that include performance measures that address=
=20
issues such as system performance, maintenance, and cost savings. These=20
measures are necessary to provide criteria for evaluating the effectiveness=
=20
of the initiative. E-Rulemaking Initiative officials said they agree with=
=20
GAO=92s recommendation and they plan to implement it. (GAO-05-777)
[SOURCE: Government Accountability Office]
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-777
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d05777high.pdf

PHILANTHROPY

GOOGLE STARTS UP PHILANTHROPY CAMPAIGN
Google is launching an unusual corporate philanthropy campaign that will=20
focus on fighting poverty and disease in Africa, addressing energy and=20
environmental issues, and assisting nonprofit groups by giving away free=20
online advertising. Rather than doing all of that through a traditional=20
corporate foundation, which has certain tax advantages, Google is setting=
=20
aside the equivalent of 3 million shares of stock, worth more than $900=20
million, to fund an entity called Google.org. It is separately putting=20
about $90 million into a newly created Google Foundation. By using=20
Google.org for the bulk of its charitable giving, the company will have=20
greater flexibility in how it deploys the funds since the affiliate will=20
not be subject to the restrictions imposed on foundations by the Internal=
=20
Revenue Service. For example, Google.org will be able to invest in projects=
=20
promoting entrepreneurship in Africa that are off limits for foundations=20
because the programs turn a profit. It will also support charitable=20
initiatives that spread the use of technology and could be viewed as=20
questionable for a foundation since they are closely related to Google's=20
business.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: David A. Vise]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/11/AR200510...
1788.html
(requires registration)
* Google Earmarks $265 Million for Charity and Social Causes
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/12/technology/12google.html
(requires registration)

PRIZE TO GROUP THAT USES WEB TO AID SCHOOLS
DonorsChoose, a small New York City nonprofit group that links donors and=
=20
teachers to supply public school students with everything from school=20
supplies to money for field trips, has won the first Nonprofit Innovation=
=20
Award in a fund-raising competition sponsored by Amazon.com. DonorsChoose=
=20
raised $790,000 to win a matching amount from Amazon. It plans to use much=
=20
of the $1.58 million total to help expand its operations to Louisiana,=20
Mississippi, Alabama and Texas, where schools have been disrupted by the=20
recent hurricanes.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Stephanie Strom]
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/12/technology/12charity.html
(requires registration)

QUICKLY

A SNAKE OIL PRESIDENT
[Commentary] Treating policy as product to be marketed to the electorate is=
=20
no great stretch for a president who fashions himself the CEO of White=20
House Inc. But in its zeal to promote sales of the Bush brand, this=20
administration has crossed the line that separates honest brokers from=20
snake oil salesmen. Bush and company sold Americans defective goods in=20
clear violation of federal law. Yet Attorney General Alberto Gonzales=20
hasn't budged. Instead, the man charged with enforcing our laws has tasked=
=20
his army of lawyers to throw a legal shield around the White House, telling=
=20
the administration to ignore investigations by the Government=20
Accountability Office (GAO), which repeatedly has blasted Team Bush for=20
using taxpayer money to fund =93covert propaganda.=94 Chances are that this=
=20
corporate-styled White House will continue to employ the tactics of PR and=
=20
marketing firms -- television advertising, product placement and media=20
blitzes -- to pitch them to the public. But if Bush=92s sagging approval=20
rating is any guide, Americans are no longer buying.
[SOURCE: TomPaine.com, AUTHOR: Timothy Karr, Free Press]
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/20051011/a_snake_oil_president.php

HOLLYWOOD WRITERS STILL LACK DIVERSITY
Despite steady but modest gains over the last seven years, women and=20
minority writers still lag behind their white male counterparts in jobs and=
=20
pay for film and TV work, according to an industry study to be released=20
today. The study by the Writers Guild of America, West, found that=20
minorities accounted for about 10% of the 3,015 employed television writers=
=20
in 2004, while women made up 27% -- even though those groups represented=20
more than 30% and 50% of the population, respectively. In film, women=20
represented 18% of the 1,770 employed film writers in 2004, while all=20
minority groups combined accounted for just 6% of the total, virtually=20
unchanged since 1998.
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: Richard Verrier]
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-wga12oct12,1,378555.s...
y?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business
(requires registration)

MICROSOFT TO PAY REALNETWORKS $761 MILLION
Microsoft agreed to pay RealNetworks $761 million to settle an antitrust=20
suit accusing the world's largest software maker of using its dominance to=
=20
promote its own media player. Microsoft will pay RealNetworks $460 million=
=20
in cash up front to resolve all damage claims and the remaining $301=20
million will used to promote RealNetworks' Rhapsody service on Microsoft's=
=20
MSN Web site. RealNetworks will also get licenses and commitments that give=
=20
it long-term access to Windows Media technologies to enhance the RealPlayer=
=20
software. RealNetworks had sued its longtime rival nearly two years ago,=20
saying that Microsoft's decision to bundle Windows Media Player for free=20
within the Windows operating system was to blame for slower sales at=20
RealNetworks.
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Reed Stevenson]
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=3DtechnologyNews&sto...
D=3D2005-10-11T215755Z_01_KWA161653_RTRUKOC_0_US-MICROSOFT-REALNETWORKS.xml

MICROSOFT, YAHOO PLAN INSTANT-MESSAGE PACT
In a competitive realignment of the heated Internet industry, Microsoft and=
=20
Yahoo are expected to announce today that consumers using their free=20
communications services -- including instant messaging and=20
computer-to-computer voice calling -- will be able to communicate directly=
=20
with each other for the first time.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Kevin J. Delaney kevin.delaney( at )wsj.co=
m]
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB112907349731466067.html?mod=3Dtodays_us_...
ketplace
(requires subscription)

AT&T INTERNET CALL SERVICE TO REQUIRE LOCATION
AT&T said on Tuesday it would suspend Internet phone service for=20
subscribers who fail to keep their location up to date when they move=20
around with the mobile service. AT&T said it would use a telephone adapter=
=20
to determine when a VOIP phone has been disconnected from the network and=
=20
reconnected, prompting a query to the subscriber to confirm or update his=
=20
or her location. The customer can either confirm the location has not=20
changed or receive directions for updating it. The subscriber still would=
=20
be able to dial 911, according to Quinn. However, AT&T said there is not=20
yet a way to confirm the customer's location. AT&T said it would not offer=
=20
to new customers its VOIP service in areas after November 28 where the=20
company cannot provide 911 capabilities.
[SOURCE: Reuters]
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=3DinternetNews&storyID=
=3D2005-10-11T185351Z_01_KNE167998_RTRUKOC_0_US-TELECOMS-ATT-VOIP.xml

POSITION AVAILABLE: GRAND RAPIDS (MI) COMMUNITY MEDIA CENTER EXECUTIVE DIRE=
CTOR
The Grand Rapids Community Media Center seeks an Executive Director to lead=
=20
a multi-disciplinary, nonprofit community media center embracing cable=20
television, FM radio, Internet service provider, media literacy institute,=
=20
and a neighborhood theatre.
[SOURCE: Grand Rapids Community Media Center]
http://www.grcmc.org/ed/
--------------------------------------------------------------
Communications-related Headlines is a free online news summary service=20
provided by the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday through=
=20
Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments,=
=20
policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are=20
factually accurate, their often informal tone does not always represent the=
=20
tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang=20
(headlines( at )benton.org) -- we welcome your comments.
--------------------------------------------------------------