September 2008

Hackers Access Palin's Personal E-Mail, Post Some Online

A group of computer hackers said yesterday that they had accessed a Yahoo e-mail account of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, publishing some of her private communications to expose what appeared to be her use of a personal account for government business. The hackers posted what they said were personal photos, the contents of several messages, the subject lines of dozens of e-mails and Palin's e-mail contact list on a site called Wikileaks.org. That site said it received the electronic files from a group identifying itself only as "Anonymous." The episode focuses attention on Palin's use of her personal e-mail account as lawmakers in Alaska look into whether she fired the state's public safety commissioner, Walter Monegan, because he refused to take action against her brother-in-law, a state trooper at the time. Palin has been criticized in recent days for using a personal e-mail account to conduct state business. An Alaska activist has filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking disclosure of e-mails from another Yahoo account Palin used. Rick Davis, the campaign manager for Republican presidential nominee John McCain, responded: "This is a shocking invasion of the Governor's privacy and a violation of law," he said. "The matter has been turned over to the appropriate authorities and we hope that anyone in possession of these e-mails will destroy them. We will have no further comment."

Putting a Meter on the Computer for Internet Use

In Beaumont (TX), Time Warner offers broadband plans with limits between 5 gigabytes and 40 gigabytes, amounts a spokesman estimated would cover 95 percent of their customers. What Time Warner is experimenting with in Beaumont may very well be the way phone companies and cable companies sell Internet service in the future. The company says it is not fair for average users to subsidize heavy users. The Federal Communications Commission recently voted to forbid Comcast to slow the service of its most voracious customers. Customers are reacting like patients whose doctor has put them on a strict diet. Some are looking for tools to restrain their Internet use; others are hoping to find another doctor with a more liberal attitude toward vanilla Swiss almond ice cream and prime rib. Some Internet service providers say they want to end their all-you-can-eat plans because a few customers with immense appetites for Web content are overwhelming the networks and slowing the delivery of news and entertainment for everyone else. Other providers blame pirates, who program their computers to crawl the Internet and suck down complete copies of CDs or DVDs.

Bringing Broadband to Rural America

For the nation that pioneered the Internet, extending fast connections to small towns and rural areas has proved a daunting challenge. Carriers are loath to build networks where they can't sell service at a profit, and since 2003 more than $1.2 billion in federal loans aimed at helping private carriers serve remote areas has addressed only the most extreme cases. According to a study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, released in July, only 38% of rural American households have access to high-speed Internet connections. That's an improvement from 15% in 2005, but it pales in comparison with 57% and 60% for city and suburb dwellers, respectively. The lack of fast Web access is helping create a country of broadband haves and have-nots—a division that not only makes it harder for businesses to get work done, but also impedes workers' efforts to find jobs, puts students at a disadvantage, and generally leaves a wide swath of the country less connected to the growing storehouse of information on the Web—from health sites to news magazines to up-to-date information on Presidential candidates. "Broadband is a distance killer, which can especially help rural Americans," says John Horrigan, a Pew researcher. "Broadband is not just an information source for news and civic matters, but it's also a pathway to participation."

Zell Calls Suit Claims 'Frivolous'

After one current and five former journalists of Tribune's Los Angeles Times filed a lawsuit accusing Sam Zell of mismanaging Tribune Co, Zell lashed back on Wednesday calling the lawsuit's allegations are "frivolous and unfounded" and saying the company won't be distracted from the "tremendous progress" made under his watch. ("Hasn't anyone noticed how well the Cubs are doing under my leadership," he asked.) In a note to employees Wednesday, he cast the lawsuit as an affront to that spirit of togetherness. "There is a difference between questioning authority or challenging the 'business as usual attitude,' and maligning the company in public," Mr. Zell said. "That's just bad judgment and does no one any good."

Google CEO says he won't delay Yahoo ad deal any further

Google's chief executive said Wednesday the Internet search leader won't delay its proposed advertising partnership with rival Yahoo even if government regulators need more time to assess whether the alliance will diminish competition. After voluntarily delaying the start of the Yahoo deal three months ago to give antitrust regulators time to review the potential impact, CEO Eric Schmidt said he isn't willing to wait very much beyond an Oct. 11 deadline spelled out in the companies' contract. "Time is money in our business," Schmidt said. Schmidt blamed the backlash against the Yahoo partnership on Microsoft's lobbying and Google's own inability to explain the benefits more clearly. "There is a natural fear of things getting larger," he said.

Obama, McCain and ed-tech investment

Business leaders are intensifying their call for schools to retool their curriculum. A new report makes a strong economic case for why students must learn key 21st-century skills. And Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama (IL) has highlighted an education plan that addresses the need to meet rising global challenges. Notably absent in these discussions has been any acknowledgment by Republican presidential candidate John McCain (AZ) of the need for schools to teach 21st-century skills, or the role technology can play in doing so. McCain's presidential platform does address educational technology, but only in the context of providing more choices for students and their parents. For instance, he says he would "reform" the Enhancing Education Through Technology program--the largest single source of federal funding for school technology--by reallocating $500 million in existing federal funds to build new virtual schools and support the development of online course offerings for students. In addition, McCain has proposed creating two new ed-tech programs. The first would allocate $250 million through a competitive grant program to help states expand online learning opportunities. States could use these funds to build virtual math and science academies to help expand the availability of AP math, science, and computer-science courses, for example. The second would offer $250 million in "Digital Passport Scholarships" to help students pay for online tutors or enroll in virtual schools. Low-income students would be eligible to receive up to $4,000 to enroll in an online course, SAT or ACT prep course, credit recovery, or tutoring services offered by a virtual provider. The federal Education Department would award the funds to a national scholarship administrator, who would manage student applications and evaluate providers. While these proposals could increase students' access to high-quality educational content, including courses in the so-called STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) disciplines, they don't address what both business and education leaders say is a fundamental need for schools to overhaul their core curriculum in the face of new global challenges.

How Fact-Checking Took Center Stage in 2008 Campaign

The fact-checkers have gone wild in the past two weeks, but even before Barack Obama and John McCain were officially selected for the final leg in the race for the White House, political editors and reporters had done some soul-searching, leading many to a new commitment to studying, and maybe correcting, the record when needed.

Nursing Homes OK'ed for DTV Converter Boxes

Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez announced today that residents of licensed nursing homes, intermediate care facilities, assisted living facilities and households that use a post office box for mail delivery will be eligible to request coupons from the TV Converter Box Coupon Program. The rule change takes effect 30 days after publication in the Federal Register. "Allowing nursing home residents and households who rely on a post office box for their mail to request coupons helps those most in need to make the switch to digital television," Gutierrez said. "Ensuring that no one is left behind is our top priority and I encourage those who need a coupon to apply soon, and buy a converter box when their coupon arrives in the mail." Applicants living in licensed nursing homes, intermediate care facilities and assisted living facilities will be required to provide their name, address of the facility and whether they receive television exclusively with an antenna, or through cable, satellite or other pay television service. A family member or a representative from the licensed facility may apply for one coupon for a nursing home resident, but the coupon will be mailed directly to the nursing home resident. A special application will be made available for nursing home residents to fill out once the rule becomes effective. Also, applicants who utilize a post office box for mail delivery will be able to request two coupons through the normal application process. Applicants will be required to provide their physical residence in addition to their post office box number. To address the possibility of waste, fraud and abuse, the Coupon Program will be vigilant and will deny applications that appear to be fraudulent. The address of each applicant will be checked against a third-party database to assist in validating eligibility.

FCC Releases Digital Television PSAs

As part of its effort to provide Americans with the information they need to make a smooth transition to digital television, the Federal Communications Commission today released television public service announcements (PSAs) and a long form educational video. The 30 and 60-second PSAs, produced in English and Spanish, convey basic information regarding the transition and steps consumers must take to prepare. Copies were distributed to 1,368 full powered commercial English broadcast stations as well as 100 Spanish broadcast stations. The long form educational video conveys greater detail regarding the transition in four parts: What is DTV, What You Need to Know, Watching DTV with a Converter Box, and Summary. The video helps the consumer decide whether or not they need a converter box for their television, gives a step-by-step guide to connecting a converter box to their television, and explains how to rescan for channels after the end of the transition. The PSAs and the educational video can be viewed at http://www.dtv.gov/video_audio.html

Commerce Bid For Extra $7 Million To Run DTV Coupon Plan Could Stall

The Commerce Department may encounter difficulty winning permission from Congress to divert up to $7 million from a digital TV converter box subsidy program for administrative activities. House Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) said Tuesday that he is "deeply disappointed" that the department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration proposed using money designated for converter box coupons for administrative costs. "Each dollar spent to make up for NTIA's shortfall is a dollar taken away from the funds set aside to provide coupons to households that need them," he said. House Telecommunications Subcommittee Chairman Edward Markey (D-MA) wants NTIA to give the committee a written plan detailing how much money can be used from other Commerce Department programs to make up for administrative shortfalls in the coupon program. "We're adjourning for the year next Friday so our time is of the essence," he said. NTIA may be faced with additional problems as the Feb. 17 digital transition date looms closer. Requests for converter box coupons are likely to escalate, and NTIA already is having difficulty meeting a requirement that coupons be issued 10 to 15 days after they are requested, according to a study released Tuesday from the Government Accountability Office.

Benton

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